Washington, D.C.

Around these parts it’s pretty common to have buildings named after politicians. But back in the 1890s, the Washington Post felt that Rep. Joseph G. Cannon (R – Illinois) deserved a different kind of recognition for his work on the National Zoo project.

On March 4, 1873, Ulysses S. Grant’s second inauguration turned into a frozen spectacle: a noon temperature of 16°F with 40 mph gusts produced wind chills down to −15° to −30°F, marching cadets were sent to hospitals, musicians couldn’t play because their breath froze in their instruments, canaries hung in the ballroom froze and fell onto the dancers, and even the champagne turned to ice.

In the wee hours of the morning on March 1, 1971, a disturbing phone call came in to the Senate telephone switchboard. A man “with a hard low voice” told the operator that an explosion would rock the U.S. Capitol in 30 minutes. It was not a false alarm.

On March 2, 1889, President Grover Cleveland signed legislation establishing a zoological park along Rock Creek in Northwest Washington “for the advancement of science and the instruction and recreation of the people.” But, of course, the backstory began years before and included buffalo grazing on the National Mall.

In March 2013, the National Museum of American History opened a special exhibit commemorating the 100^th anniversary of the National Women’s Suffrage Parade held in D.C. It was quite a memorable occasion and not all for good reasons.

The events of April 14, 1865 at Ford's Theatre in Washington are well known. Actor John Wilkes Booth went into President Lincoln's box and shot him. The President was mortally wounded and died the next morning. What you may not know, however, is that there were others victimized that April night... and their story is haunting.

On February 3, 1943, four military chaplains—Rabbi Alexander Goode, George Fox, Clark Poling, and Father John Washington—gave their life jackets to fellow soldiers and went down with the troopship Dorchester after a U-boat torpedo strike, a selfless act remembered each year with stamps, memorials, and ceremonies that honor their interfaith courage

In April 1938, the country was still trying to pull itself out of the Depression and there was a lot of conversation and debate about the role of government in business. (Hmmm. Sound familiar?) So, when car magnate - and frequent critic of FDR's regulatory New Deal policies - Henry Ford accepted the President's invitation to come to the White House for a private luncheon and discussion, it was big news.

Tomorrow, the Washington Nationals will announce a new Racing President to run against George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and longtime-lovable-loser-turned-late-season-winner, Teddy Roosevelt at each Nationals home game. D.C. is waiting with bated breath. So, who will it be? Here at Boundary Stones headquarters, we've been debating the issue.

When Charles Dickens visited Washington in 1842, he had a lot to say. But, perhaps nothing caught his eye — and ire — as much as Washingtonians' obvious love of chewing tobacco.

It seems that predicting the weather in Washington has always been a little bit of a crapshoot. Check out this cartoon that ran on the front page of the Washington Evening Star newspaper on January 17, 1913.

In 1873, the Kölnische Zeitung (Cologne Daily News) asked German anthropologist Friedrich Ratzel to take a trip to the United States and write a series of articles about life in America. He reached Washington in the winter of 1874 and, as a scientist, was particularly interested in the Smithsonian building.