What was Washington, D.C. like in the 1930s? Take a look at our great posts with stories, people, photos, and history about the District from the thirties.
Take a journey through D.C. history with this 1937 map of neighborhood boundaries. Learn more about the city’s past and explore the changes that have taken place over the years.
Take a look back in time with these two great photos of Mount Vernon in 1932, the 133rd anniversary of George Washington’s funeral. GoDCer Mollie sent these in to share with the community.
In 1933, Washington had a baseball team in the World Series. The Washington Post refused to hire ghostwriters to cover the Series and instead ran an ad penned by their sports editor, Shirley Povich. Read the story of The Post’s clever response to ghostwriters!
Thanks to the magic of the Internet Archive, we were able to uncover an audio recording of Walter Johnson, the greatest pitcher of all time. Hear his voice from 1939 and learn about the game’s box score from The Washington Post.
Discover the story of Nubby Nuckols, the 1930s D.C. underworld king. We look into his criminal career, his rise to prominence, and his untimely death.
Constitution Avenue used to be named B Streets. That wasn’t impressive enough so Congress had a few options.
Learn the story behind John W. Ross and the school named for him in Dupont Circle. Ross was a District Commissioner, Postmaster and lecturer at Georgetown University. Read about his life and legacy, including the original Ross School in Columbia Heights.
Learn the history of Phoebe Hearst Elementary School in North Cleveland Park, a school dedicated to the philanthropist, feminist, and suffragist. Find out why it’s named after her, and learn about her influential work in early education.
This article from the April 17th, 1930 issue of The Washington Post exposes corporal punishment in the District’s schools. Read more about the shocking incident that was reported to the Board of Education.
This is a really cool old film that we dug up at the U.S. National Archives. Check it out and see what landmarks you can identify, then add them to the comments below.
