Sunday, May 19th, 2013

Daily Archives: March 1, 2012

Lafayette Square: Then and Now

Rochambeau Statue in Lafayette Park (circa 1900)

Here are some cool old photos and contemporary photos from the same spot in Lafayette Park, near the White House. The statues barely changed over a 100 years, but it’s fascinating to see what happened to the surroundings. Read More »

The War of 1812 and Relocating the Nation’s Capital

The White House ruins after the conflagration of August 24, 1814. Watercolor by George Munger (WIkipedia)

This might shocking to some of you, but had the outcome of some debates and votes been different, people might have taken their eighth-grade field trips to a different United States capital city. The War of 1812 was disastrous for Washington as the British rampaged through and razed the city. After the British defeated Napoleon in April of 1814, they ... Read More »

Pan Am’s First Passenger Jet to Europe (1958)

A Pan Am 707 on the runway

Aviation has a strong history in the Washington area. Following on the heels of our last aeronautical first (Concorde at Dulles), here is another first for the region and the country. In the fall of 1958, Pan Am (i.e., the planet’s largest and coolest airline) was getting set to inaugurate their transatlantic passenger jet service. The four-engined Boeing 707 was ... Read More »

Scroll To Top