Finding a Statue of a Woman: Lafayette Square
Five Generalizations About Washingtonians
One: Washingtonians are always rushing!
Two: Washingtonians drive too fast.
Three: Washingtonians HATE driving in Washington, D.C.
Four: Washingtonians tend to be "foodies".
Five: Almost no one in Washington, D.C. is actually from Washington, D.C.
Two: Washingtonians drive too fast.
Three: Washingtonians HATE driving in Washington, D.C.
Four: Washingtonians tend to be "foodies".
Five: Almost no one in Washington, D.C. is actually from Washington, D.C.
The History of the Smithsonian Institution
According to the Smithsonian Institution's website: The Smithsonian Institution is named after James Smithson (pictured at left), a wealthy British scientist who left his entire fortune -- $500,000, or 1/66 of the entire federal budget at the time -- to the United States for the purpose of establishing "'at Washington, under the name of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and diffusion of knowledge.'" Intriguingly, James Smithson never visited the U.S. or discussed or wrote about his gift, so it is still unknown to this day why he did what he did. An Act of Congress signed by President James K. Polk in 1846 officially established the Smithsonian Institution, which after 172 years has become "the world's largest museum, education, and research complex," featuring "19 museums, [a] national zoo, and nine research facilities." True to the original intent of increasing and diffusing knowledge, all 19 museums and the National Zoo are open free of charge to the public.
Who Invented the Filibuster?
In 1805, Vice President Aaron Burr (pictured at left) inadvertently facilitated the invention of the filibuster by persuading the Senate to eliminate the procedural "motion to previous question," which would automatically end debate if invoked. As a result, Senators were now able to speak indefinitely. It would take another 35 years, however, for the filibuster to be begin to be used as a delaying tactic, primarily by the minority in the Senate.
Feeding Healthy Foods to Pigeons (and Learning from Them in the Process!)
feeding_a_pigeon.mp4 | |
File Size: | 2477 kb |
File Type: | mp4 |
Monument to a Monumental Event
Roaming the streets of Chinatown looking for a place open for lunch at 10:30 on a Sunday morning, we came by an antique-looking row house at 604 H Street NW.
At first glance, its only tenant appeared to be a Chinese restaurant occupying the first floor; on closer examination, however, we found a plaque placed prominently by the door. The plaque identified the building as the Mary E. Surratt Boarding House, a place that although seemingly insignificant played a part in a monumental event in history: it was the location where the conspirators in the plot to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln met up. John Wilkes Booth -- Lincoln's assassin -- operated out of this house. The owner and namesake of the house, Mary Surratt, although a less notorious member of the conspiracy, is still noted as the first woman to be executed by the United States federal government. Walking away from the house (and the stubbornly closed Chinese restaurant on the first floor), we could only wonder at how a place haunted by such a weighty history could continue to exist not as a museum -- which you would expect -- but in a new incarnation as a modern establishment, a Chinese restaurant. Beyond the plaque and the building's entry into the National Register of Historic Places, nothing else serves to recognize the Surratt Boarding House for its part in history. Why that continues to be is a question we -- not just as a group, but as a nation -- have yet to answer. |