1890s

Not to cast any doubt on the virtue of our historical statesman, but for the latter half of the 1800s, at least two major red light districts were right in the center of D.C., even “within sight of the White House.”

It may be cold outside, but even if your nose and extremities might suggest otherwise, we're likely a fair ways off from the all-time record low temperature in Washington. That distinction goes to February 11, 1899. Around 7 a.m. that morning, the Weather Bureau at 24^th and M St., NW recorded its lowest reading ever, a frigid 15 degrees below zero.

Scandals have plagued Washington, D.C. pretty much since it was created but the society pages of the1890s, dished some of the juiciest gossip. One particularly sensational event was the 1893 visit of a Spanish Princess whose manner and dress shocked D.C. elites.

On the evening of March 5, 1854, nine men associated with the Know-Nothing party snuck up to the base of the Washington Monument and made off with a rather hefty hunk of stone. The men carried the stone to a boat waiting on the tidal basin, smashed it into pieces and dumped it in the middle of the Potomac. But why?