During the “Lavender Scare,” D.C. Became a Center of Gay Rights Activism
During the “Lavender Scare,” D.C. Became a Center of Gay Rights ActivismThe “Lavender Scare” forced thousands of gay and lesbian federal employees from their jobs in the late 1940s through the 1960s....
View ArticleFrances Oldham Kelsey: How an FDA Pharmacologist Prevented Thalidomide from...
Frances Oldham Kelsey: How an FDA Pharmacologist Prevented Thalidomide from Becoming a National TragedyIn 1960, a new drug called thalidomide arrived for review at the FDA. Assuming the popular...
View ArticleFlower Power, An Exorcism, and The Resistance: The 1967 March on the Pentagon
Flower Power, An Exorcism, and The Resistance: The 1967 March on the PentagonOn a chilly Saturday in October of 1967, more than 100,000 people gathered in Washington to protest America's involvement in...
View ArticleRemembering Ham: The National Zoo's Very Own "Astrochimp"
Remembering Ham: The National Zoo's Very Own "Astrochimp"Before Yuri Gagarin and Alan Shepard, there was Ham. America's first "astrochimp" rocketed into space and paved the way for the Moon landing...
View Article“The best Southern cook this side of heaven”: How Zephyr Wright Helped Pass...
“The best Southern cook this side of heaven”: How Zephyr Wright Helped Pass the Civil Rights ActPresident Lyndon B. Johnson had a secret weapon that he kept in his kitchen for more than 20 years: Chef...
View ArticleCan WWE Trace Its Roots to a Small Garage in Washington D.C.?
Can WWE Trace Its Roots to a Small Garage in Washington D.C.?WWE is globally recognized as a juggernaut in sports and entertainment. However, not many know of the colorful, and often violent, history...
View ArticleIn the 1960s, Prison Chaplains Created a Star Studded Music Festival at...
In the 1960s, Prison Chaplains Created a Star Studded Music Festival at Lorton ReformatoryIn the 1960s, the D.C. area's most exclusive music scene may not have been in the city's downtown clubs. It may...
View ArticleThe Federal Government's $15 Million Cat
The Federal Government's $15 Million CatIt's no secret that the CIA sometimes thought more about whether it could and less about whether it should. Project Acoustic Kitty was one of those times. Does...
View ArticleGame, Set, Match: How Arthur Ashe Made Tennis Accessible in Washington
In the 1960s, Arthur Ashe paid a visit to inner-city Washington to participate in a “block party” tennis demonstration. The experience left a lasting impact on him. He would return to Washington and,...
View ArticleTurkey Tayac's Fight for the Piscataway People
For years, Turkey Tayac fought almost singlehandedly for the rights and recognition of his Native American group, the Piscataways. In the 1950s, he found some unlikely allies and successfully fended...
View ArticleThe Burning of Paper, Not Children: A Look at the Catonsville Nine
In 1968, nine members of the Catholic Faith entered a Selective Services office in the sleepy town of Catonsville, Maryland. They grabbed hundreds of draft files from the office and took them to the...
View ArticleReston's Roots: Black Activism in Virginia's New Town
Around the same time that Walt Disney envisioned a futuristic alternative to urban living—EPCOT (The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow)—a man named Robert E. Simon Jr. dreamed of a better...
View ArticleThe "White Christmas" of 1962
If a white Christmas is what you want, D.C. might not be the best place for you. The area has only seen a handful of snowy holidays. But the most impressive came in 1962, when a record-setting 5 inches...
View Article"Belair at Bowie": the Suburban Dream
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...
View Article"Belair at Bowie": Segregated Suburbia
By 1963, “Belair at Bowie” was thriving. Since its opening in 1961, over 2000 houes had been occupied. But its prosperity hid an uncomfortable truth. William Levitt’s vision of the perfect neighborhood...
View ArticleIn Washington, "Taxation Without Representation" is History
Most Americans are familiar with the phrase, of course. It brings to mind images of the Revolutionary War—colonists protesting a series of taxes imposed on them by the British Parliament, despite their...
View Article"New Girl in Town": Washington Gets a Leonardo
On a cold night in January 1967, a plane landed quietly at National Airport. No one could know where it came from and what it carried. in fact, the only indication of the plane's arrival came through a...
View Article1969: Georgetown Becomes Fully Coed
“They’ll admit women to the College over my dead body!”When the Georgetown University Board of Directors announced big changes coming to campus in 1969, at least one Jesuit priest was clearly not...
View ArticleWashington Hosts the 1969 All-Star Game
Washington, D.C. hosted the 1969 All-Star game at RFK stadium. It was a thrilling event that drew baseball fans together to watch the greats of the MLB, including hometown hero Frank Howard, go...
View ArticleWishing in a Fountain: The Protest for more D.C. Pools
In the early 1960s, the Evening Star called the Columbus Circle fountain in front of Union Station“a ready made swimming pool with ledges, platforms, and friendly statues. It is a grand place to...
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