DC Taxi Fares: How 75 Years of Zones Ended in 2008
Washington, D.C. was the last major U.S. city charging cab fares by zone, not meter. By the 1950s there were over 20 zones. Drivers fought meters until 2008.
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Traffic Photos From July 1936
Great old photos showing traffic in Washington back in 1936. Check out Pennsylvania Avenue and 15th Street jammed up with streetcars, automobiles and pedestrians.
Criminal Automobiles: A Letter to the Editor
The most practical remedy is to establish government dispensaries for limited sales to good citizens who are not drunkards. This will eventually be done.
What Is Nestoring? The Doctor Behind D.C.’s Slowest Verb
On October 1, 1984, an FDA doctor wrote a letter explaining why he drove the speed limit in the left lane. The reaction lasted years.
In 1900, DC Horse Dealers Said the Automobile Was a Fad
On May 14, 1900, DC horse dealers warned the Washington Post that car engine smells would offend the ‘sensitive nostrils’ of society.
No More Foreign Cars! They’re an Abomination – A Look Back at the Hyperbole of 1909
Nearly 110 years ago, The Baltimore Sun published an opinion piece decrying foreign cars as an abomination and a detriment to the economy. Take a look back at the hyperbolic yet surprisingly familiar rhetoric of 1909 America.
Whoa! Check Out This Colorized Photo of a Horseless Carriage in 1906
Whoa! Check out this amazing colorized photo of a “horseless carriage” in 1906, featuring Senator George P. Wetmore of Rhode Island. Can you identify the building in the background?
1922 Map of Washington, D.C. Showing Parking Restrictions Downtown
A 1922 map of Washington, D.C. showing where parking was and was not permitted in the congested downtown area. Click through for the full-resolution version.
Washington’s Hackmen: DC’s Cab Drivers Before Taxis
A chalk line on the curb outside the Metropolitan Hotel marked where DC’s hackmen waited for fares in their horse-drawn coaches.