History

The Carnegie Library has been a fixture of Washington, D.C., having served as the city’s main public library from 1903 to 1972.

In 1965, after attending landmark civil rights demonstrations in Selma, Alabama, Rev.

There are 91 songs for the 91 transit stops on the DC Metro system. Jason Mendelson penned and recorded a unique song for every stop in the DC Metro system to represent the neighborhood, history, and facts about the area. 

While the idea of gardens at the White House started back with George Washington, the Rose Garden as we know it began over 100 years later with Ellen Wilson, the first wife of President Woodrow Wilson.

One of the most popular New Year’s traditions is making resolutions.

It is certainly odd to picture now, but for more than 25 years, the Washington Monument was only partially built.

There have been many TV shows and movies based in Washington D.C. over the years, but not all of them actually film in the nation’s capital — particularly if the president’s home is involved.

We all know that the main Presidential residence is the White House.

It’s been a few years since anyone used it, and it’s definitely been longer since anyone called it “beautiful,” but Robert F.

Happy Women’s History Month! March is a great month for lots of reasons — the sun starts shining more, we can enjoy patio dining again, but most importantly, we get to celebrate women and their contributions.

On this day in 1791, the United States of America ratified the Bill of Rights.

As school children, we were taught that Thanksgiving originated as a grand feast between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans in colonial New England.

You might not know the secret behind the beauty of RBG’s writing during her time as a Supreme Court Justice.

We’ve all heard MLK Jr.’s famous speech. But what have you missed about this storied march?

He was the youngest speaker at the March on Washington in 1963. But his youth did nothing to diminish his radical and forward vision.

On June 19, Americans celebrate Juneteenth in recognition of the emancipation of slavery.

Upon its dedication in 1885, the Washington Monument was the tallest structure in the world: imposing, awe-inspiring and unfinished.

While American football can trace its roots back to the mid-1800s, the tradition of the tight, circular huddle began in 1892 to serve a very niche purpose.

In 1800, when President Adams moved the national capital from Philadelphia to DC, he also approved a $5,000 budget for books. The intention was rather pragmatic: give Congress a quiet place to research.

In 1921, President Harding presided over a re-burial of an unknown American serviceman who died in WWI. Since then, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has hosted an unidentified serviceman from WWII, Korea and Vietnam.

Historians debate whether Crispus Attucks was a free man or an escaped slave, but they generally agree upon his role in American history on March 5, 1770.

In 1976, the United States accepted a special gift from Japanese bonsai master Masaru Yamaki: a 400-year-old bonsai tree. Welcomed as a symbol of peace and friendship, the tree became a permanent addition to the National Arboretum.

Historians debate whether Crispus Attucks was a free man or an escaped slave, but they generally agree upon his role in American history on March 5, 1770.

This month, we celebrated July Fourth – a day when, amid cookouts and fireworks, we commemorate our nation’s birth. Independence Day is a time to reflect on America’s fundamental values. That’s why this edition examines the very document that enshrines our country’s ideals: The Constitution.

Our founders understood that self-governance requires an independent press to allow citizens to engage in free debate and hold government accountable.

When I set out to do a podcast about the Constitution, I struggled at first to figure out how to bring such a complex document into an accessible audio form – one that would animate people across age groups and backgrounds to engage with the laws and governing principles that shape their lives in this country.

Six decades after Lyndon B. Johnson observed, “A man without a vote is a man without protection,” the Supreme Court ruled that the right to vote is more “use it or lose it.” Now, Ohioans can be purged from the rolls for simply not voting and responding to a mailer in a prescribed amount of time.

At its outset, the Constitution was valued more as a tool than an object for citizens. Occasionally the “Federalist Papers” strike a tone of near apology; they defend the Constitution as necessary if undesirable in some regards.

The most perennially embattled right was hailed by Justice Holmes as most imperative: “Freedom for the thought that we hate,” including hateful ideas.

We have amended our Constitution 27 times in 230 years. Taken together, these amendments have expanded democracy, safeguarded rights and improved governance – incrementally making an imperfect Constitution better.