Boundary Stones | WETA's Washington DC Local History Website

The Fire of Norman Morrison

Dusk was approaching when Norman Morrison pulled into the Pentagon parking lot on November 2, 1965. Parking his two-tone Cadillac in the lot, he walked toward the north entrance, carrying his 11-month old daughter, Emily, and a wicker picnic basket with a jug of kerosene inside. Reaching a retaining wall at the building’s perimeter, the 31-year-old Quaker from Baltimore climbed up and began pacing back and forth. Around 5:20 pm, he yelled to Defense Department workers who were leaving the building.

Then, the unthinkable.

The Remarkable, Haunted History of Georgetown’s Halcyon House

Explore the remarkable, haunted history of one of Georgetown’s most mysterious mansions, Halcyon House. Albert Clemons believed he could cheat death by never finishing his house. For nearly four...
“I have served my Country long & faithful”: George Farragut, Spanish-American Revolutionary

You may know that Farragut Square is named for our first Navy Admiral: but have you heard of his father? George Farragut left a merchant's career in Spain to dedicate his life to the American...
Operation Monopoly: The FBI’s Ill-Fated Attempt to Tunnel Under the Soviet Embassy

Washington, D.C., has a long history of espionage activity, especially during the Cold War as U.S. and Soviet agents shadowed each other throughout the city’s streets, parks, and alleyways. But, in a...

Watch & Learn

Watch Video

Washington, D.C.'s First Election Riot

In 1857, an anti-immigrant political movement tried to stop an election with violence at the polls.
Watch Video

Smokey Bear Was a Real Bear Who Had His Own Zipcode in Washington, DC

Both the Smokey Bear character and the real life Smokey hail from Washington, D.C.
Watch Video

A "One Man Crime Wave" Came to a Stunning End in 1980... It's Impacts Remain

A tragic encounter in 1980 exposed one of the strangest true crime stories in D.C. history.

Walter Washington Elected D.C. Mayor

Home Rule for Washington, D.C. begins in earnest as residents cast votes for mayor and city council. Walter Washington is the city's first elected mayor.