In December of 1905, Pat Garrett came to Washington to seek reappointment as customs collector in El Paso from his friend President Theodore Roosevelt. Unfortunately for Pat, he had lost his good standing with the President by associating with the low-life gambler and alcoholic Tom Powers of Wisconsin. Garrett and Powers were attending a Rough Riders reunion in San Antonio ... Read More »
I’m missing tonight’s slow braised pork shank, but a deal’s a deal (if you’re reading this on Friday, I wrote this Thursday night and ordered take out from Pho 14 … yum). Winner of the inaugural “If Walls Could Talk” reader poll is Pearl Dive Oyster Palace (@PearlDiveDC), taking 33% of the vote. Cleveland Park’s representative, Dino (@dinodc), took second ... Read More »
This is a man who needs no introduction. Babe Ruth was the biggest celebrity in America during the 1920s. On December 7th, 1921, he was visiting Washington to stop by and say hello to President Harding. Below is a photo of him exiting the West Wing (check out some old photos from the White House Historical Association). Thank you Library of ... Read More »
Michelle Obama isn’t the only first lady to set foot in Columbia Heights. Grace Coolidge took the drive up 14th St. to attend a benefit for the Girl Scouts at the Tivoli Theater. The Washington Post reported the event on October 31st, 1925. MRS. COOLIDGE will be the guest of honor of the children of Washington this morning at the ... Read More »
Most of you probably are not aware that Nazi saboteurs landed on our shores early during World War II. On June 12th, 1942, a Nazi submarine reached the coast of Long Island, landing four German spies on the sandy beaches of Amagansett. U.S. Coast Guardsman, John Cullen discovered them while on routine beach patrol. George Dasch, leader of the landing ... Read More »
Congressman Joseph G. Cannon of Illinois is considered by many as the most powerful Speaker of the House in American history. From 1903 to 1911 he was a congressman from Illinois, presiding over the United States House of Representatives. In December 1914, he was staying at the Willard Hotel. The Washington Post reported on him in their daily hotel lobbies column ... Read More »
Dulles International Airport is one of only two federally owned airports in the country (National Airport being the other). Some find it to be an ugly monstrosity. Others find it to be an architectural masterpiece — I am firmly in this camp — however, many functionality compromises were made in the name of aesthetics. Eero Saarinen, the notable Finnish architect, ... Read More »
I have to post this. I have no story to go with it, but I found it on Shorpy. I think the photo speaks for itself. Happy hump day. Related articles Cooling Off in Rock Creek (ghostsofdc.org) Bathing Suit Police at the Tidal Basin (ghostsofdc.org) For Young Ladies, For Growing Girls, and For Misses (1919) (ghostsofdc.org) Read More »
Before Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, we had Barkley, Morrow, Harrison, W. Whiting and H. Whiting Read More »
This is a serious case of right place, right time. The Class of ’75 at Holton-Arms had a notable classmate in Susan Ford, the daughter of President Gerald Ford. Susan’s final years of high school lined up perfectly with her father’s rise to the Oval Office. Partly for security, but more likely for the awesome factor, she hosted the senior prom at her ... Read More »
This photograph from 1908 caught my eye. It is of 28-year-old Mary A. Bliven (wife of Frank S. Bliven) and Bertha, her 7-year-old daughter, sitting in a 1907 Franklin Model D. Read More »
Okay, this isn’t a true “This Day in History,” but since I’m such a Back to the Future fan boy, I thought it would be interesting to see what was happening in D.C. on November 5th, 1955 — the date Marty arrives back in Hill Valley, after the Libyans kill Doc Brown (1.21 gigawatts!). I’ll dig through the old Washington ... Read More »
Here is an amazing photo that I came across on everyone’s favorite photo website, Shorpy. The Graf Zeppelin slowly cruised up the Eastern seaboard, paying a visit to the nation’s capital at about 12:30 p.m., floating over both the White House and the Capitol Building. The Washington Post noted that President Coolidge was impressed enough by the arrival to take ... Read More »
I thought the triple homicide post I put up was crazy. This one is right up there. The National Capital Brewery (cool PDF here) was a giant presence in southeast, near Capitol Hill. The plant stood at 14th and D St. SE (where Kentucky Ave. interests them). The Washington Post reported a crazy story of a murder-suicide that happened in the ... Read More »
I came across an old television guide from 1955 when looking through the National Archives online database. This is a great window into how different TV was 60 years ago. Pinky Lee, Concerning Miss Marlowe and Hoppity Skippity instead of American Idol, The Bachelorette and Jersey Shore. Times sure have changed. The four stations listed at WNBW, WTTG, WMAL and ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington