World War II reshaped Washington completely. The Pentagon rose across the river in just 16 months, the federal workforce exploded, and the city became the command center for the Allied war effort. Housing was impossibly scarce, rationing was everywhere, and Washington hummed with wartime urgency from 1941 to 1945.
Take a look back in time and explore Scott Circle in Washington, D.C. in April 1943. Check out this great post and aerial view of the circle, as well as a hand-drawn map by Alexander Graham Bell.
Revisit a street corner in Washington, DC from 1942 to now with this blog post and Google Street View. See how the building across the street has changed from 1942 to now.
Take a look back at World War II-era Washington, D.C. with these photos of the long gas lines in the city on June 21st, 1942, the day before stricter gasoline rationing went into effect.
Take a look back in time at parking fees in Washington D.C. during World War II. See the original photo from 1942 and find out just how much different it was back then.
Take a look back at the Key Mansion, a two-story house located at 3518 M St. NW in Georgetown, Washington, DC. Learn more about the history of this house and its place in Georgetown today.
Check out this great footage out. This is from 1949, sent in by GoDCer Eric.
This is some great old footage of FDR dedicating the NIH back in 1940. Thanks to GoDCer Jeff for sending this in a while ago. It was originally posted on an NIH blog, Circulating Now, and below is an excerpt from the post.
On October 31, 1940, just days before President Franklin Delano Roosevelt would be elected to an unprecedented third term as President of the United States, he traveled to Bethesda to dedicate the National Cancer Institute and the new campus of what was then the National Institute of Health (NIH), before it would eventually become known in plural form—NationalInstitutes of Health—as multiple units were established over subsequent years.
Click here for the original post.
This is a cool old photo from the 1940s showing the 600 block of G St in Washington, DC, which has been torn down. See more photos from the area and learn about the DC Public Library’s Dig DC project.
Discover a rare photograph of the Washington Monument and cherry blossoms taken in the 1940s or 1950s. We dug this photo up in the Smithsonian Archives. Explore this beautiful picture!
