In January 1939, a snowstorm hit the D.C. area, dumping five inches of snow. Normally, this would be cause for celebration as area children would beg their parents to let them play and sled. The city was digging out from the storm, including the workmen on the Capitol steps above. In the newspaper, the next day, the following tragic article ... Read More »
Another delightfully bizarre post for you from the early 20th century. Leave it to Teddy Roosevelt to be in the middle of another good story. Considerable prominence has been given to an episode which occurred a few days ago on Massachusetts avenue, in which a drunken man and the President figured. The President had been walking with Senator Lodge and ... Read More »
Old GoDC buddy Jack sent along a crazy tale that I can only describe by saying OMFG. You’ll see what I mean. This is an article from November 10th, 1887 published in the Washington Post. The case of Beverly Jones, the young colored man charged with killing Robert Morris by plunging an umbrella through his eyeball in his brain, came ... Read More »
This might make you think twice about stopping at a red light … well, maybe not. Nevertheless, it’s an amusing read on the terrors of driving in 1927. The article below is from the Washington Post on March 15th of that year. The spectacular career of the “traffic light robber,” which began a week ago, came to an abrupt end ... Read More »
Here’s a crazy story for you from the 1940s. This was published in the Washington Post on June 4th, 1949. A young Air Force private was grabbed from a ninth-floor ledge of the Willard Hotel yesterday by three policemen who had spent 25 minutes persuading him from plunging to death. Paul J McDuff, 19, of Bolling Air Force Base, was ... Read More »
This is a great tale to share with your friends, especially if you work on the Hill. I credit GoDCer and frequent suggester of excellent stories, Marty, with this one. Here’s an article from the Washington Post on September 11th, 1972. A car driven by House Speaker Carl Albert struck two vehicles at Wisconsin and Macomb Street NW Saturday night, causing minor ... Read More »
How can you not read an article with this title? We came across this one in the August 20th, 1903 Washington Post. B. F. Chew, who runs a Chinese restaurant on Thirty-second street, near M street northwest, created no little excitement last evening by chasing a man who refused to pay for chop suey. About 11 o’clock Chew rushed out ... Read More »
What an awesome headline … we have to share this one with GoDCers. On October 28th, 1957, the Washington Post reported on a bizarre incident, where a man took a streetcar for an illegal joyride on Pennsylvania Ave. You have to read this to believe it. Clayton Morgan Jr., 40, of 1602 4th st. nw., was charged yesterday with stealing ... Read More »
An atheltic-themed statue outside of the State Department is marked with few words — but it has an interesting history. Discobolus is a bronze copy of a fifth century B.C. Greek sculpture by Myron. You’ll see similar copies around the world. Adolf Hitler even acquired one. And that’s where the story gets interesting. Washington’s version of the ancient discus-throwing jock arrived ... Read More »
This is the first guest post by GoDCer Tim. Given that we have “ghosts” in our name and with today being Halloween, it’s appropriate to have a post about the paranormal. Also, don’t forget to check out Tim’s recently released book on Amazon about haunted Capitol Hill. On Capitol Hill a few blocks from the Eastern Market Metro Station is ... Read More »
As the huddled masses of D.C. sit and brace for the worst of this new Frankenstorm, Ghosts of DC has dug up an even more epic and terrifying storm that crushed Washington in a mere 30 minutes on November 23rd, 1891. A special dispatch to the Baltimore Sun reported on the storm. Washington had a terrific half hour of storm ... Read More »
This is another example of how you don’t want to see your name in the papers. This is an article from the Baltimore Sun, published on Mar 9th, 1934. Washington, March 8 (AP)–Representative Shoemaker (F.-L., Minn.) was arrested tonight on a charge of assaulting a taxicab driver. At police headquarters he posted a $25 collateral for appearance tomorrow morning. Two ... Read More »
It’s never good when your name gets in the paper for drunk driving, especially if your late father was a United States Senator. Below is a great example of how you don’t want to be represented in the paper. This is from January 25th, 1929, when the Washington Post wrote about the intoxicated adventures of Mary Culberson. Miss Mary E. ... Read More »
Okay, that’s probably not what’s happening in this photo, but that title probably piqued your interest. It is a bizarre photo, nonetheless and we felt compelled to share it. Read More »
On October 13th, 1919, an out-of-control streetcar was traveling down Georgia Ave. NW, near Walter Reed, when it slammed into a military truck, instantly killing one passenger on the truck and injuring countless others. Below is a photo of the devastated streetcar. The Baltimore Sun had a special report on the accident the following day, mentioning a number of Marylanders ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington