Well, football is coming to a close this weekend and you’re probably thrilled to watch the commercials. Oh, and I’m sure everyone has their plans set to watch the Super Bowl too. One thing you will not be watching this Sunday is the Washington Redskins … again … #FAIL. A generation ago, the Redskins were a good team. Yep, good ... Read More »
If you’re a serious D.C. history nerd, you’ll find this just as fascinating as I do. It was produced by UMBC’s Imaging Research Center (IRC) about a year ago. The voiceover is a little dry, but follow along and watch the whole thing. It’s very interesting. Read More »
Later this evening, the President will give his annual State of the Union address. On such an important day, it would be remiss of me not to share one of the greatest State of the Union speeches of all time … the one given, twelve presidents ago, by Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6th, 1941. If you want the full ... Read More »
It seems like this the Cherry Blossom Festival is a really long way away … especially after this weekends crappy weather. So, in the hopes of bringing a little faux spring to your week, here is a video from the 1944 Cherry Blossom Festival. It’s an interesting window into D.C. during World War II. Pardon the music, but I can’t ... Read More »
Chalk this up to our incredible Library of Congress. A silent film by Thomas Edison, shot on March 4th, 1901 at the Capitol. This one is quite blurry, but this is over a hundred years ago. It’s pretty amazing and even older than the last one I posted of Teddy Roosevelt. Thank you Library of Congress. Read More »
The description below is cut straight from YouTube. This is a home movie from Lady Bird Johnson during the 1960s. The LBJ Library has an entire YouTube channel dedicated to these, so check them out. They’re also on Twitter and Facebook. The footage is outside and the film is silent. The film starts with Lady Bird Johnson and others posing ... Read More »
I really wanted to start by skewing these posts towards more anonymous D.C. residents, but I keep coming across gold on YouTube like this. I promise to return to more posts on hidden and lost Washington, but you have to watch this. Look how defensive President Nixon is at the end as he folds his arms. Wow. I’m sure many ... Read More »
Here’s a video I came across on YouTube of the old president and recently inaugurated one attending the burial ceremony of the Unknown Soldier. President Wilson was instrumental in honoring those “unknown but to God” by having them interred in the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. Read More »
One of the most powerful and important inaugural addresses of all time, this is something worth watching in its entirety. The whole speech is below if you’d like to read it. This is a truly amazing and powerful speech. If you want to skip to the famous quote, start watching at 13:45. The full text of the speech is below ... Read More »
Mark this down as something you’ll never see today. The President is just walking out of the White House grounds … alone. Let’s be honest, any guy that takes a bullet in his chest and STILL gives a speech can kick anyone’s ass. He casually strolls south onto what appears to be E St. Read More »
There’s a strong element of sadness watching this video. A burning city, military occupation … what essentially was complete chaos in the city from April 4th to April 8th, 1968, following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Economically it seriously devastated the corridors of 14th St NW, 7th St NW and H St NW. It has only been in ... Read More »
Now this is a great one from the vaults of the Library of Congress. I found this on YouTube (of course). There’s no sound, but it’s very interesting to watch. On Mar. 4, 1905, Teddy Roosevelt was inaugurated in Washington, D.C. with much celebration and fanfare. He rides in an open landau on 15 St. NW, escorted by mounted Rough ... Read More »
Here is video (partly in color) of FDR being inaugurated for the fourth time. This being the fourth time is impressive enough, but also, this happened on the South Portico of the White House due to ongoing privations due to the Second World War. It was a rather muted event compared to all other inaugurations. That doesn’t mean this video ... Read More »
April 12th, 1945 was a sad day for our nation. Our president, who had led us through the depths of the Depression and was a force for good during World War II, died at 3:35 pm. He had just been inaugurated for a record fourth term and was guiding our country through the closing months of the greatest war the ... Read More »
This is seriously awesome. The Internet is just amazing. This is a video from February 11th, 1964. It is the first live concert the Beatles played in the U.S. and it was right here in our city. They had only just arrived in New York City on the 7th and played for a live audience of about 700 people on ... Read More »
Ghosts of DC The lost and untold history of Washington