The original statue of Samuel DuPont sat for more than a generation at the center of Dupont Circle. Then it was removed because people thought it was ugly. Read the story to learn more.

WMATA spent $69,000 for the sample station in May 1968.  After just a few weeks of construction, it measured 64 feet in width, 30 feet in height, and just 17 feet in length.  It marked a key milestone in the capital subway project - a massive planning and engineering effort that started in the 1950s.

What is the history of brunch in Washington? The word dates back to 1895 and started appearing the the local papers in the early 20th century. Are you hungry?

Hazy blue smoke surrounds the origins of the annual Fourth of July Smoke-In. Though it now takes place in Lafayette Square, across the barricaded street from the White House, it began on the Mall.

Hinckley was arrested and found not guilty of his charges by reason of insanity. He was sent to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, DC, less than ten minutes from the place he attempted to assassinate Reagan.

This is a guest post by Angela Harrison Eng. March 3, 2013, was an important day in women’s history, yet it went virtually unnoticed in the public eye. Before women gained the right to vote nationwide in 1920, the efforts of suffragettes in the United States were brazen, courageous moves that were designed to gain […]

At 16th and K St. NW, there once sat a three story Victorian town home, the site of corrupt political dealings within the Harding administration, This is its story.

This is a guest post by Angela Harrison Eng Before the modern fast food restaurant, there was Childs Restaurant. Childs was a chain that originated in New York City and spread southward, eventually opening franchises in Washington, DC. Though DC had multiple Childs locations, the most noteworthy were on Pennsylvania Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue NW. […]

This is a guest post by Angela Harrison Eng Winter storms like hurricanes are regularly named every year. This naming practice, however, was not always the norm. One snowstorm that hit DC in 1922 was named “The Knickerbocker Storm” (see photos of the blizzard) because it indirectly led to the deaths of 98 people inside […]

This is a guest post by Angela Harrison Eng I was a Girl Scout when I was a kid. Unlike a lot of girls I knew, I stayed a Girl Scout until my late teen years. Some of my favorite memories are from that time: camping trips, white water rafting, parade marches, volunteering at nursing […]

This is a guest post by Angela Harrison Eng. New York has significant ties to Titanic. Many of Gotham’s elite members of society died in the disaster, including John Jacob Astor, Benjamin Guggenheim, and Isidor and Ida Straus. However, DC has its own ties to one of history’s most famous maritime disasters. Former Army Quartermaster […]

Mary Surratt's boarding house is a Chinese restaurant, still standing just around the corner from Gallery Place Metro. Today, it's Wok and Roll.

Below are two amazing engravings of the President’s House and the Capitol Building following the Burning of Washington on August 24, 1814. The engravings were done by William Strickland. The British marched on Washington and attacked the city, but were ordered to only attack public buildings. After their attack, a tornado tore through Washington, bringing […]

We found a couple of fascinating pages out of two newspapers from the days following the Burning of Washington. Both papers, The Columbian – out of New York City – and the Federal Republican – out of Georgetown, give the news that the nation’s capital has fallen, while also issuing a call to arms to […]

We’re coming up on the 200th anniversary of the Burning of Washington. On the 100th anniversary, the Washington Times wrote a long retrospect on what happened, along with reactions from some of the players. The Times writes on August 23, 1914, of British Major General Ross, that he: “was loath to march on the Capital and […]

It’s that time of year, again. Commencement speakers address graduating college and university classes, and inevitably their speeches are ranked, assessed, complimented, and criticized. This year, both NPR and Vox.com have compiled the best commencement speeches ever. From the lists they created, we’ve found all the commencement addresses that happened in Washington, DC and posted them […]

April 14, 1865 at Ford’s Theater began with a showing of Our American Cousin, and ended with an assassinated President Lincoln. The Library of Congress has the program from that evening. Pretty incredible to think that people in the audience that night came in ready for an enjoyable night out, and got details about the […]

Walter Johnson is one of the greatest pitchers of all time, and on May 15, 1918, he delivered a performance that stood out from any of his other games. He pitched a total of 18 innings in one game – and won! The game took place at Griffith Stadium against the defending World Series champion […]

The Library of Congress has a large collection of graphic arts created over the course of two centuries. They depict famous locations and subjects. There are a large number dedicated to capturing the assassination and aftermath of President Lincoln. Below are an assortment, with descriptions. The text below this work says, “President Lincoln’s Last Reception, […]

Between 1936 and 1943 the Work Projects Administration (WPA), about 2,000 posters were designed to promote the arts, community activities, and used for education. The Library of Congress has digitized 907 of these posters. The one below is one of our favorites – the Navy asks to borrow your binoculars to help prevent attacks at […]