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The Longest Walk's Final Destination

The Longest Walk's Final Destination

10/23/2020 in DC by Charlotte Muth

In July of 1978, thousands of Native American demonstrators arrived in the capital to protest eleven pieces of legislation, and raise awareness about issues faced by Indigenous peoples. This was the end of a 3,000 mile journey known as the Longest Walk.

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DC
When the Secret Service Was Only Interested in Money

When the Secret Service Was Only Interested in Money

10/09/2020 in DC by Charlotte Muth

In the mid nineteenth-century, one-third (or more!) of all U.S. currency was counterfeit.  The banking system was broken and every private bank issued unique paper bills.  By the 1860s, the government had to take action: currency became nationally standardized and the Secret Service was born. 

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Maryland
What's in a Name? Bethesda

What's in a Name? Bethesda

08/17/2020 in Maryland by Katherine Brodt

Bethesda has become one of Washington’s busiest, most populated suburban communities. It’s hard to believe that, only 150 years ago, it was a little roadside stop haphazardly named after its general store!

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DC
What's in a Name? Georgetown

What's in a Name? Georgetown

07/20/2020 in DC by Katherine Brodt

Who was Georgetown named for? There are actually a few candidates. As it turns out, you’ll find a lot of Georges in this D.C. neighborhood’s history.

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Maryland
"Belair at Bowie": the Suburban Dream

"Belair at Bowie": the Suburban Dream

06/12/2020 in Maryland by Katherine Brodt

William Levitt is often called the "Father of Suburbia," after his planned communities became popular in post-war New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. When he finally came to the D.C. area, his modern and afforable homes took Washingtonians by storm.

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Maryland
"Belair at Bowie": Segregated Suburbia

"Belair at Bowie": Segregated Suburbia

06/12/2020 in Maryland by Katherine Brodt

By 1963, “Belair at Bowie” was thriving. Since its opening in 1961, over 2,000 houses were occupied. But its prosperity hid an uncomfortable truth. William Levitt’s vision of the perfect neighborhood included attractive homes, affordable prices, comfort, and community — but only one type of neighbor. From the moment Levitt arrived in Washington, local activists — and even the government — became aware of the developer’s racist policy: none of the homes in Belair could be sold to people of color.  

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Maryland
"Not Fiction, but Fact": Josiah Henson and the Real Uncle Tom's Cabin

"Not Fiction, but Fact": Josiah Henson and the Real Uncle Tom's Cabin

02/25/2020 in Maryland by Katherine Brodt

Josiah Henson is not a well-known name in American history—or even in the Washington area, where he was enslaved for many years. Born into bondage in Maryland, he lived in Montgomery County before eventually escaping to Canada—there, he served in the army, became a preacher, and established a prosperous settlement for escaped slaves. He was immortalized in Harriet Beecher Stowe's famous novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, serving as the inspiration for the titular character. But though the novel made him a well-known and popular figure in the nineteenth century, Henson was determined to tell his own story. As he says, the truth is stranger than fiction. 

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DC
L'Enfant's Guide to Getting Fired

L'Enfant's Guide to Getting Fired

08/02/2019 in DC by Lori Wysong

It takes a lot of talent to design a city, especially one with such sweeping vistas and wide, radial streets as our Nation’s Capital.  It’s hard not to admire the vision of Major Pierre Charles L’Enfant, the engineer behind Washington, D.C. But everybody makes mistakes—even visionaries— and L’Enfant was certainly no exception.

His biggest blunder was probably tearing down the house of his boss’s nephew. 

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DC
Maryland was almost "Almost Heaven"

Maryland was almost "Almost Heaven"

07/18/2019 in DC by Lori Wysong

In the summer of 1970, Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert were driving down Clopper Road to a family reunion in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Montgomery County was a much more rural place in those days, and the scenery inspired Danoff to repetitively sing “country roads, country roads, country roads.” 

Under normal circumstances, this burst of creativity might have gone nowhere, but the couple happened to be a duo of professional musicians. So, with the help of John Denver, they soon turned the phrase into the earworm we know today. 

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Maryland
Goddard Signals Apollo 11 Success

Goddard Signals Apollo 11 Success

07/08/2019 in Maryland by Emily Robinson

When Neil Armstrong announced that man had successfully landed on the moon’s surface July 20, 1969, he addressed his message to mission control, based at the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas. While Armstrong’s first word may have been “Houston,” those at mission control in Texas were not actually the first ones to hear this historic message from space. Rather, the first people to hear of man landing on the moon, were NASA personnel at the Goddard Space Center, just 12 miles from D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland. Goddard served as the main control center for receiving and directing signals and information between the manned Apollo 11 spacecraft and mission control in Houston. In fact, much of the technical success and amazement surrounding the Apollo 11 moon landing was thanks to the hard work of the scientists and engineers in Greenbelt.

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