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Call to all D.C. Go-Go Fans: Let's Keep the Memory of D.C.'s Homegrown Sound Go-Going

Call to all D.C. Go-Go Fans: Let's Keep the Memory of D.C.'s Homegrown Sound Go-Going

08/17/2018 in DC by Dominic Charles

Go-go music is a signature Washington, D.C. sound and the D.C. Public Library has started an archive to preserve its history. Archivist Derek Gray is leading the charge and is seeking heirlooms related to the D.C. go-go scene: CDs and audio recordings of Chuck Brown and other go-go artists, flyers, posters, event advertisements, photographs, videos, DVDs, and other memorabilia. Help preserve the legacy of D.C.’s homegrown sound for future generations!

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DC
Claiming a Neighborhood: Shaw and Little Ethiopia

Claiming a Neighborhood: Shaw and Little Ethiopia

08/14/2018 in DC by Dominic Charles

In 2005, Ethiopian restaurateurs led a campaign to rename a strip of Ninth Street between U and T Little Ethiopia, to reflect the contributions that Ethiopians made to the Shaw neighborhood over the previous decade.  These business leaders faced backlash, however, from Shaw’s African-American community who thought the renaming campaign discounted the neighborhood’s proud African-American history.

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DC

Carrying a Torch for the Olympics

08/02/2018 in DC by Shaune Lee

Embed from Getty Images

One of the most memorable neighborhood block parties in recent memory kicked into gear as the Olympic flame came to Washington in the summer of 1996.  From Rockville to Reston, area residents got into the Olympic spirit as they welcomed the unusual guest.

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DC
Metro Squashes the Y2K Bug

Metro Squashes the Y2K Bug

07/06/2018 in DC by Emily Robinson

In the midst of the final countdown to the new millennium at 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 1999, people were waiting for more than confetti to fly and the ball to drop. Eyes around the world were locked on computer systems to see if the technology would advance with the clock. As news outlets had warned the public for months, the so-called Y2K bug was expected to affect, and potentially paralyze thousands of computer systems worldwide, and WMATA was taking no chances when it came to making sure Metro would be running when the year 2000 arrived. 

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DC
WHFS Sells Out the Deejay

WHFS Sells Out the Deejay

07/05/2018 in DC by Dominic Charles

On June 11, 1989, 8,000 WHFS 99.1 listeners crowded into the parking lot in front of Joe’s Record Paradise in Wheaton, Maryland for an eight hour concert to protest, station owner, Duchossois Inc.’s, decision to remove Damian Einstein from the airways.  Damian introduced the DMV to the newest music before it exploded on the national scene, and his sudden absence from the airways shocked WHFS’s most loyal fans who feared that Duchossois intended to move on from the progressive rock format. Centered on the freewheeling deejay, the progressive rock format defined WHFS defined the station since 1968. 

Fans were right to be concerned.  Over the course of the next decade, WHFS ditched the deejay for “gold-throated “on-air personalities who aired songs from corporately manufactured playlists.  While these changes initially earned the station a score of new fans, by the end of the decade, it was clear that WHFS lost the loyal support of their “bumper-stickered fans” who felt as if they lost a friend.    

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Virginia
"And Other Bloody Happenings": Rosslyn and the Dangers of Dead Man's Hollow

"And Other Bloody Happenings": Rosslyn and the Dangers of Dead Man's Hollow

05/09/2018 in Virginia by Anne Hollmuller

The name "Rosslyn" doesn't sound so menacing but don't be deceived. In the late 19th century the area had such a reputation for crime that a nearby ravine was called "Dead Man's Hollow."

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DC
The Bumpy Road to Washington National Airport

The Bumpy Road to Washington National Airport

05/03/2018 in DC by Laura Castro L…

Early in the 20th century, a modern, accessible, airport became a necessity for any major city, and Washington was no exception. However, while there was general agreement on the need for an air hub to serve the nation’s capital, the road – literally – to achieving that goal was fraught with delays and obstacles. It would take 12 years of debate and a president stepping in for the city to finally get the airport it so desperately needed.

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DC
A "Most Awful and Most Lamentable Catastrophe": The Explosion on the USS Princeton

A "Most Awful and Most Lamentable Catastrophe": The Explosion on the USS Princeton

04/25/2018 in DC by Anne Hollmuller

The USS Princeton was a new naval ship designed to show the power of young America's navy. All of Washington's high society was on board one February day to witness this marvel of modern engineering. Instead, a tragic disaster left six people dead, including two cabinet secretaries, and may have altered the course of American history. 

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DC
Historical D.C. Metro Map

Historical D.C. Metro Map

03/27/2018 in DC by Mark Jones

The first five Metrorail stations opened March 27, 1976, so that means today is Metro’s birthday! We thought we'd celebrate the occasion with a new Metro-inspired interactive here on the blog. In our Historical D.C. Metro Map, we’ve re-named all the stations in the system according to historical events and sometimes quirky stories from the surrounding neighborhoods. America's Toilet, Dead Man's Hollow, Xenu's Landing... What's your stop?

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Virginia
"Right Out Our Front Door": The Pentagon, East Arlington and Queen City

"Right Out Our Front Door": The Pentagon, East Arlington and Queen City

03/23/2018 in Virginia by Anne Hollmuller

East Arlington and Queen City were two tight-knit African American communities that forged a strong and independent existence despite the perils of Jim Crow. Yet the rapid expansion of federal government and the pressing demands of World War II endangered all that these Arlington residents had built together and, quite literally, wiped it off the map.

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