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“Vindictiveness, Vexation, and Blackmail”: Victorian Washington’s Prelude to #MeToo

“Vindictiveness, Vexation, and Blackmail”: Victorian Washington’s Prelude to #MeToo

08/11/2023 in DC by Isabel Sans

A woman accuses a powerful man of manipulating and taking advantage of her for years in a secret relationship. Sensational accusations emerge, causing a media frenzy. Lawyers on both sides prepare a protracted case which is followed in its every detail by the press and public. A popular Congressman faces a fall from grace. But this isn't a modern scandal—it happened a century ago in DC, and the woman at its center wanted only to see justice done.

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The Federal Government's $15 Million Cat

The Federal Government's $15 Million Cat

07/26/2023 in DC by Isabel Sans

It'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 "trained cat" sound like an oxymoron to you? It should, but it cost the CIA $15 million to find out the same thing!

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When the Smithsonian Sent Alexander Graham Bell Gravedigging

When the Smithsonian Sent Alexander Graham Bell Gravedigging

07/21/2023 in DC by Isabel Sans

Victor Frankenstein wasn't the only scientist to raise the dead! In 1903, Alexander Graham Bell departs for Italy to escort the Smithsonian's founder back to the United States. The only problem? James Smithson has been dead for almost 75 years. How exactly do you declare THAT at customs?

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How Washington's Modern Art Movement Became Cold War Artillery

How Washington's Modern Art Movement Became Cold War Artillery

07/14/2023 in DC by Jane Winik Sartwell

Alma Thomas, the African-American abstract artist and the subject of a recent WETA Arts episode, had many fans in Washington, D.C., but was her biggest fan the CIA?

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Mumbo Sauce: Is It Really 'Quintessential' D.C.?

Mumbo Sauce: Is It Really 'Quintessential' D.C.?

07/07/2023 in DC by Aliyah Thompson

As Washington, D.C. has become more gentrified, leaving much of its former history and culture behind, mumbo sauce is one aspect of D.C.'s homegrown culture that has managed to stick around. However, even mumbo sauce's place in the shifting scene of D.C. has been challenged in recent years. 

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Everything, Everywhere, All at Once: Franklin W. Smith’s Attempt to Bring the Ancient World to DC

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once: Franklin W. Smith’s Attempt to Bring the Ancient World to DC

06/23/2023 in DC by Isabel Sans

Where can you see lacy Arabic architecture, the tombs of ancient Romans, and artifacts from medieval France? Why, in Washington DC, of course! Read about one man's dream to crown America's capital with all the centuries that came before it: by building the biggest, most audacious museum the world had ever seen.

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The Bizarre Adolescence of the Washington Monument

The Bizarre Adolescence of the Washington Monument

06/08/2023 in DC by Isabel Sans

The Washington Monument we know today is iconic, but it was never really planned to look that way. Before it grew up, the monument went through many, many proposed designs. After decades in limbo and a construction mired in drama, one engineer's vision triumphed over artists, politicians, and critics.

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The Sordid Story of Dupont Circle's Underground Tunnels

The Sordid Story of Dupont Circle's Underground Tunnels

05/26/2023 in DC by Hunter Spears

There's something below Dupont Circle, and it's not the Red Line! Tunnels were built for trolley cars in the 1940s, but they were abandoned shortly after. In the decades since, the tunnels have had quite a few interesting uses. What lays beneath the streets of one of the Districts' best known roundabouts?

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Iconic D.C.: Lesser Known Monuments in Washington, D.C.

Iconic D.C.: Lesser Known Monuments in Washington, D.C.

05/12/2023 in DC by Emma O'Neill-Dietel

The new PBS documentary series Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories explores US history and identity through iconic national symbols. Washington, D.C. is home to some of America’s most iconic landmarks and historic sites, like the Washington Monument, the White House, and the Smithsonian Castle. But locals know that beyond the national landmarks, there are hundreds of lesser-known symbols and landmarks that make the city unique and hold the memories of its residents. Over the years, Boundary Stones has highlighted many of them.

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Luke, I Am Your... Gargoyle? : How Darth Vader Came to the National Cathedral

Luke, I Am Your... Gargoyle? : How Darth Vader Came to the National Cathedral

05/03/2023 in DC by Emma O'Neill-Dietel

A long time ago in a galaxy not so far, far away, the National Cathedral gained an unusual sculpture: a carving of Darth Vader to adorn its northwest tower. As it turned out, Darth Vader, the result of a design competition for children, is a very fitting figure for the Cathedral's decoration.

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Boundary Stones explores local history in Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland and northern Virginia. This project is a service of WETA and is supported by contributions from readers like you.

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