What was Washington, D.C. like in the 1950s? Take a look at our great posts with stories, people, photos, and history about the District from the fifties.
1953’s Air Travel Predictions
We love old predictions of the future like this. This was an article from The Washington Post printed on December 18th, 1953, the day after the 50th anniversary of their first flight at Kitty Hawk in...
1950s Film Footage of Washington
Film footage of Washington shows how different things were. Listen to some of the narrative, including the past about George Washington’s slaves “living happily in their quarters.” Yes, that was really said.
1951 USGS Map of Washington
We came across a great archive of maps thanks to the U.S. Geological Survey. This one shows much of Washington and some of suburban Maryland in 1951.
Reno Road Almost Renamed Washington Avenue
A little-known story about upper northwest is that Reno Road, which cuts right through the heart of North Cleveland Park to Chevy Chase, was almost renamed Washington Avenue, in honor of the west coast state. An...
Flying Saucers Over the Capitol and White House
The hot summer of 1952 witnessed some bizarre lights floating over the District. Evidently for many nights in July, sightings were reported of up to seven lights flying around the night sky, including over the Capitol...
1950 Horizon-to-Horizon Photo of Washington
This is a cool photo of Washington taken by the U.S. Air Force using a horizon to horizon camera. Check it out. Source: Library of Congress
Why Is It Named Adams Morgan?
If you go to Adams Morgan on a regular basis, you should probably know at least the basic history of the neighborhood, which is actually the combination of several older Washington neighborhoods: Kalorama Triangle, Lanier Heights,...
Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth Driving in Presidential Limo
This wonderful old photo of Pennsylvania Avenue in 1957 shows President Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth in an old Lincoln Cosmopolitan. Source: Flickr user Dave Gelinas And here’s another. Source: Flickr user Dave Gelinas Source: Flickr user...
The White House in 1950
This beautiful photo of the north side of the White House was taken in 1950. Click on it for more. Source: Martin Archer on Flickr Here’s another cool shot of the President’s House. Source: Flickr
What Did Southwest Washington Look Like in the 1950s?
Here’s a shot of typical life in Southwest Washington back in the 1950s. You’re looking at a corner store at 4th and M St. SW. Source: Dig DC The same corner today looks a little different.
This Was F Street at Night in 1955
This amazing old photo shows F St. NW, looking east from 13th St. in 1955. Pretty cool. Source: Flickr user rockcreek Here’s a similar view today on Google Street View, which is not nearly as cook....
GoDCer Shares His 1956 D.C. Vacation Pictures
Check out this great set of photos GoDCer Bill sent in (a while ago, sorry I’m just now posting them). The wild part is that tours passed by the front of the White House back in...
Rare 1956 Color Photos Inside Griffith Stadium
These are so cool. We found them on Twitter by one of our favorite tweeters, @MLBcathedrals. These photos are from 1956 during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
Amazing 1950s Film Footage of D.C. Streetcars
This is some awesome footage of the old streetcar system here in D.C. from the 1950s. What’s really great is seeing some recognizable spots in the city, like the Dupont Underground, East Capitol St., and of...
1957 Guided Tour of Washington, D.C.
This film footage from 1957 is excellent. Make sure you watch the whole thing and check out the familiar sites.
Old Photos of Dulles Airport Under Construction
Here is a great series of photos we found at the Library of Congress showing Dulles Airport during construction. And finally, here’s a post-construction photo from the parking lot, looking at the new terminal. Source: Library...
JFK Opposed Widening Chain Bridge Road
Sometimes we forget that famous people are also regular people with problems other than running a country. JFK was a young senator from Massachusetts when he lived off of Chain Bridge Road in McLean. He and...
Mother Gives Birth to Child on Key Bridge
You probably don’t believe that headline, but it indeed happened back in 1956. On August 29th, The Washington Post reported that a woman from Fairfax gave birth to a healthy baby while en route to the hospital....