It’s been a while since our last “Three Things…” post, so we queried the Twitterverse for GoDC suggestions on our next one. DrCapsFan, an old school GoDCer (i.e, a follower since week two) threw out a great suggestion to focus on Cleveland Park’s Uptown Theater, seconded by another frequent tweeter, stephaniekays (and big Nats fan). So that seals it … the ... Read More »
Check out this photograph from January 2nd, 1922. This is the line of people waiting to get into the White House. The line stretches all the way up 17th St., across Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the State, War and Navy Building and then down the White House driveway. This has to be well over a thousand people. Related articles Governor ... Read More »
If you read this piece in the Washington Post on Wednesday morning, November 20th, 1963, you probably didn’t think much of it. President Kennedy was making a trip to Texas, the Vice President’s home state. The White House explicitly stated that the event was nonpolitical, but without a doubt, there were some political undertones for this trip. It was time ... Read More »
This is classic. We found an article in the Washington Post from May 7th, 1967, detailing the klutzy maneuvers of then-presidential candidate, George Romney (and of course, father of current presidential candidate Mitt Romney). When Governor George Romney of Michigan was on the premises at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue recently, he accidentally smashed the glass chimney on an 18th century lamp, ... Read More »
This is an excellent photo from Shorpy. It shows a class of midshipmen in 1901 at the Naval Academy, hanging out on the porch of the superintendent’s home. Click on it for a larger image. Related articles From a GoDCer: A Family Connection to a Tragic Suicide (ghostsofdc.org) Email From a GoDCer: Alexander Graham Bell’s Georgetown Home (ghostsofdc.org) Massive Head-On ... Read More »
You’re back from lunch. It’s raining. You’re a little sleepy and counting the hours until happy hour. Am I right? What you need is something to entertain you … a little competition with other GoDCers. Get ready for our first (online) scavenger hunt. We’re posting five questions for you and you can answer each of them in the comments below. ... Read More »
[brightcove vid=1752185467001&exp3=635367679001&surl=http://c.brightcove.com/services&pubid=0987&pk=AQ~~,AAAAACpvMpk~,rAvHhAS7JOpa4tlt0CXVebDvGzQCdYY2&w=604&h=460] This has to be one of the best finds in a long time … and this appears to be authored by fellow GoDCer Brian at National Journal. The film he uncovered is from the Works Progress Administration, done in 1936. It depicts a day in the life of Washington during the Great Depression. Read Brian’s full piece here and then ... Read More »
Do you live in Chevy Chase? Was your down payment $500? I think it’s safe to say that’s off by a factor of around 200. Either you find this extremely amusing or slightly depressing. That amount of money in 1911 is probably worth $20,000 today. That also probably makes you a little depressed. Chevy Chase ain’t cheap. Related articles Cops ... Read More »
Washington Times, August 9th, 1919 A new $2,000,000 apartment hotel is to be erected at once on the property bounded by Sixteenth street, New Hampshire avenue, V and W streets. The building will be complete in every detail and will be erected according to the latest architectural designs for such structures. Announcement of the construction of the new apartment is ... Read More »
Are you getting ready to go back to school? Have you paid your tuition bill yet? In 1911, your tuition bill would have been $100 (not sure if that’s per semester or full year). Damn, that’s 33% more than Catholic University at the time! Rip off. Today, if you’re going to law school, you’re forking over $48,835 (#FML). If you’re ... Read More »
Here’s an advertisement from December 7th, 1911 in the Washington Herald. If you’re a frequent patron of Buffalo Billiards, Bedrock Billiards or the former Kokopooli’s, you’ll find this interesting. Here’s a small mention of the place in the Washington Post on September 29th, 1911. George Slosson, the well-known billiard expert, will come to this city on October 16 to play ... Read More »
I came across this photo in the Library of Congress’ archives. It’s clear that these traffic signs are completely unclear. How the hell do you make sense of this? From the Lorstan Photographers studio in the background, it is somewhere on F St. NW, probably in the 1950 (a guess). In the 1940s, Lorstan was located at 1429 F St. ... Read More »
This is an interesting article from the Washington Times, dated August 8th, 1914, exactly 98 years ago today. World War I (i.e., the Great War) had been going for roughly two weeks and the paper reported the impact it would have on the local schools. Many school teachers were spending their summers in Europe when war broke out. Causing the ... Read More »
Bizarre? Definitely. Here’s a classic that was on Shorpy. The caption doesn’t reveal very much information, nor does it tell us where this was taken, but I think the photo speaks for itself. It appears to be a toga-wearing child driving a chariot being pulled by two miniature horses. How can you not love this one? Post this one to ... Read More »
The title of this article caught my eye: “Josh Gibson Held in D.C. for Mental Observation.” If you’re a baseball fan, you know that Josh Gibson was probably one of the greatest and most feared hitters who ever lived. Unfortunately for Gibson, he was a tragic figure with personal problems that plagued him through his short life. He died in ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington