The 1980s were a tale of two Washingtons. The corridors of power hummed with Reagan-era confidence, while the crack epidemic devastated neighborhoods across the city. Mayor Marion Barry dominated local politics throughout the decade, and the question of what kind of city DC would become hung over every block.
The bridge at Calvert Street over Rock Creek opened to a 30,000-person parade on December 19, 1935. Renamed for Ellington in 1974.
Six spires of Alabama marble, 288 feet tall. The Washington DC Mormon Temple opened near Kensington, Maryland in 1974. Shortly after, someone painted “Surrender Dorothy” on a nearby Beltway overpass.
Explore the legendary 9:30 Club in D.C. with us! From Rage Against the Machine to James Brown, the walls of this local music venue have seen it all. Check out our tour and share your memories in the comments!
In 1982, the United States Post Office launched a new system dubbed E-COM as an attempt to adopt the then-nascent technology of electronic mail. This story looks at the effort and the battles fought to bring the vision into production.
Ahh, I miss the 80s. Don’t you?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZNX3mJBiVg
If you couldn’t tell, today I’m feeling a little nostalgic about 1980s’ television. If you lived in the area back in the 80s, you’ll remember this. It’s the Sunday matinée opening for DC20 and the movie is Captain Blood (1935) with Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Check out the movie trailer on YouTube.
If you’re younger than about 25, you probably don’t know this, but not all television stations were 24 hours a day. Back in 1988, WUSA was one of those stations, and every morning when they would being broadcasting, this is what played to kick off the day.
If you don’t remember television sign-ons and sign-offs, here is an explanation from Wikipedia.
Sign-ons, like sign-offs, vary from country to country, from station to station, and from time to time, however most follow a similar general pattern. Many stations follow the reverse process to their sign-off sequence at the close of the day. It is common for sign-ons to be followed by a network’s early morning newscast, or their morning or breakfast show.
While both sign-ons and sign-offs have become less common with the increasing prevalence of twenty-four hour a day, seven day a week broadcasting, they are still conducted by a number of stations around the world. For broadcasters that do still close for a period each day, this station close is most often during the early hours of the morning, with the daily sign-on typically occurring between 5:00 am and 7:00 am. However, in some countries with more limited broadcast coverage, such as North Korea, sign-on may be as late as 5:00 pm. A particular type of AM radio station known as daytimers usually only operate during daytime hours, and will therefore run a sign-on sequence each day.
There was a sign-off for WUSA too. You can check that out on YouTube.
On April 5th, 1987, a charity exhibition game between the world champion New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies brought baseball back to Washington, DC after 16 years. Read the story of the cold and wet game at RFK Stadium and Washington’s desire for a team.
Before the cocktail bars and rooftop restaurants, 14th Street NW was Washington’s red light district. Here’s how it happened and how it ended.
