Strange, surprising, and outright bizarre stories from Washington, DC history. You may need to read these twice.
In March of 1920, Charles Willis of Chicago was tragically drowned when his parachute jump from an army airplane went wrong. We explore the story of his death and the rescue efforts that followed.
We came across the headline: “Arrest Syrian For Abduction” and had to dig a little deeper. This story was printed in the Washington Times on March 19th, 1920 and tells of a country-wide search for a fourteen-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted by a Syrian man.
Can you believe that the speed limit in Glen Echo was six miles an hour back in 1905?
Explore the dramatic change between speed limit laws in Washington DC over the last century! See what the laws were like in 1906 compared to today, and find out why the city has such strict limits.
This is such a bizarre story, not unlike the horse that impaled itself on the same fence. Read about the suicide of Edward Caton, as printed in the Baltimore Sun on October 11th, 1890, and we were able to dig up Edward Caton in the 1880 U.S. Census.
In March 1972, a metropolitan policeman was arrested in Washington D.C. and charged with the armed robbery of a practical nurse at the George Washington University Hospital. Read the incredible story here!
A wild article from 1924 Washington DC shows that unmuzzled dogs were biting people and that health and police authorities were uniting to check the epidemic. Take a look back at this intriguing article from the Washington Post.
In 1921, the D.C. Commissioners issued a ban on movies that “shock the ordinary sensibilities” with a fine of $5-$45 for the first offense and revocation of the theater’s permit for the second. Read more about the Roaring Twenties in D.C.!
In August 1903, an employee of Georgetown University, Delgado Crofton, was arrested on a charge of grand larceny and accused of embezzling $2,200 of university money. Read this blog post to learn more about the case!
