Skip to main content
RETURN TO Return to WETA website Donate
Boundary Stones logo

Main navigation

  • Washington, D.C.
  • Maryland
  • Virginia
  • Video
  • About

Virginia

DC

Carrying a Torch for the Olympics

08/02/2018 in DC by Shaune Lee

Embed from Getty Images

One of the most memorable neighborhood block parties in recent memory kicked into gear as the Olympic flame came to Washington in the summer of 1996.  From Rockville to Reston, area residents got into the Olympic spirit as they welcomed the unusual guest.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
Metro Squashes the Y2K Bug

Metro Squashes the Y2K Bug

07/06/2018 in DC by Emily Robinson

In the midst of the final countdown to the new millennium at 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 1999, people were waiting for more than confetti to fly and the ball to drop. Eyes around the world were locked on computer systems to see if the technology would advance with the clock. As news outlets had warned the public for months, the so-called Y2K bug was expected to affect, and potentially paralyze thousands of computer systems worldwide, and WMATA was taking no chances when it came to making sure Metro would be running when the year 2000 arrived. 

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
WHFS Sells Out the Deejay

WHFS Sells Out the Deejay

07/05/2018 in DC by Dominic Charles

On June 11, 1989, 8,000 WHFS 99.1 listeners crowded into the parking lot in front of Joe’s Record Paradise in Wheaton, Maryland for an eight hour concert to protest, station owner, Duchossois Inc.’s, decision to remove Damian Einstein from the airways.  Damian introduced the DMV to the newest music before it exploded on the national scene, and his sudden absence from the airways shocked WHFS’s most loyal fans who feared that Duchossois intended to move on from the progressive rock format. Centered on the freewheeling deejay, the progressive rock format defined WHFS defined the station since 1968. 

Fans were right to be concerned.  Over the course of the next decade, WHFS ditched the deejay for “gold-throated “on-air personalities who aired songs from corporately manufactured playlists.  While these changes initially earned the station a score of new fans, by the end of the decade, it was clear that WHFS lost the loyal support of their “bumper-stickered fans” who felt as if they lost a friend.    

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

Virginia
"And Other Bloody Happenings": Rosslyn and the Dangers of Dead Man's Hollow

"And Other Bloody Happenings": Rosslyn and the Dangers of Dead Man's Hollow

05/09/2018 in Virginia by Anne Hollmuller

The name "Rosslyn" doesn't sound so menacing but don't be deceived. In the late 19th century the area had such a reputation for crime that a nearby ravine was called "Dead Man's Hollow."

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
The Bumpy Road to Washington National Airport

The Bumpy Road to Washington National Airport

05/03/2018 in DC by Laura Castro L…

Early in the 20th century, a modern, accessible, airport became a necessity for any major city, and Washington was no exception. However, while there was general agreement on the need for an air hub to serve the nation’s capital, the road – literally – to achieving that goal was fraught with delays and obstacles. It would take 12 years of debate and a president stepping in for the city to finally get the airport it so desperately needed.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
A "Most Awful and Most Lamentable Catastrophe": The Explosion on the USS Princeton

A "Most Awful and Most Lamentable Catastrophe": The Explosion on the USS Princeton

04/25/2018 in DC by Anne Hollmuller

The USS Princeton was a new naval ship designed to show the power of young America's navy. All of Washington's high society was on board one February day to witness this marvel of modern engineering. Instead, a tragic disaster left six people dead, including two cabinet secretaries, and may have altered the course of American history. 

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
Historical D.C. Metro Map

Historical D.C. Metro Map

03/27/2018 in DC by Mark Jones

The first five Metrorail stations opened March 27, 1976, so that means today is Metro’s birthday! We thought we'd celebrate the occasion with a new Metro-inspired interactive here on the blog. In our Historical D.C. Metro Map, we’ve re-named all the stations in the system according to historical events and sometimes quirky stories from the surrounding neighborhoods. America's Toilet, Dead Man's Hollow, Xenu's Landing... What's your stop?

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

Virginia
"Right Out Our Front Door": The Pentagon, East Arlington and Queen City

"Right Out Our Front Door": The Pentagon, East Arlington and Queen City

03/23/2018 in Virginia by Anne Hollmuller

East Arlington and Queen City were two tight-knit African American communities that forged a strong and independent existence despite the perils of Jim Crow. Yet the rapid expansion of federal government and the pressing demands of World War II endangered all that these Arlington residents had built together and, quite literally, wiped it off the map.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

Virginia
Ebola Comes to Reston

Ebola Comes to Reston

02/13/2018 in Virginia by Laura Castro L…

On October 4, 1989, a primate quarantine unit in Reston received a shipment of 100 monkeys from a Philippine facility. By November, nearly one-third of the animals had died – a much higher percentage than normal – of mysterious causes. Dan Dalgard, the consulting veterinarian of the unit, was alarmed and contacted the US Army Medical Research Institute (USAMRIID). Dalgard talked to Peter Jahrling, a virologist at USAMRIID, who told him to send a few samples of the dead monkeys. Neither one of them was prepared for what they found. 

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

DC
From Crystal City to Cuba: The Tullers' International Crime Spree

From Crystal City to Cuba: The Tullers' International Crime Spree

02/07/2018 in DC by Callum Cleary

At 10:30 a.m. on October 25, 1972, two workers stepped out of a C&P Telephone van and into the Crystal City branch of the Arlington Trust Company. The bank’s phones had been down for nearly half an hour and manager Henry “Bud” Candee was eager to resume normal business. He met the repairmen in the lobby and led them to a service panel at the back of the bank. Unbeknownst to Candee, the technicians were frauds. They stole the uniforms and the van and caused the phone outage by climbing down a nearby manhole and severing the bank’s phone lines. But what was meant to be a relatively simple robbery, turned out to be the first act in one of the most dramatic — and bizarre — crime sprees in U.S. history.

  • Share by Facebook
  • Share by Twitter
  • Share by Email

Read More

Pagination

  • First page «
  • Previous page ‹‹
  • …
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Current page 5
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • …
  • Next page ››
  • Last page »
Surprise Me!

Not sure where to start reading? Let us pick a story for you!

Categories

  • DC (561)
  • Maryland (105)
  • Virginia (146)

Latest Posts

How Ethel Barrymore Helped Bring Theater to Olney, Maryland

01/27/2023

How Ethel Barrymore Helped Bring Theater to Olney, Maryland

Metro Mythbusting: Georgetown's Nonexistent Metro Stop

01/20/2023

Metro Mythbusting: Georgetown's Nonexistent Metro Stop

Hulks like Huge Flower Pots: The Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay

12/16/2022

Hulks like Huge Flower Pots: The Ghost Fleet of Mallows Bay

Most Popular

How Ethel Barrymore Helped Bring Theater to Olney, Maryland

01/27/2023

How Ethel Barrymore Helped Bring Theater to Olney, Maryland

The Legend of the Bunny Man

10/31/2012

The Legend of the Bunny Man

Yarrow Mamout's Place in History

11/27/2012

Yarrow Mamout's Place in History

Tags

1860s1870s1890s1900s1910s1920s1930s1940s1950s1960s1970s1980s1990sAlexandriaArlingtonBlack HistoryBygone DCCivil WarGeorgetownMusic HistorySports HistoryWhite HouseWomen's HistoryWorld War IWorld War II
More
Historical D.C. Metro Map
Tweets by BoundaryStones
WETA

Footer menu

  • Support WETA
  • About WETA
  • Press Room
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • RSS
  • Accessibility

Contact Us

  • 3939 Campbell Avenue
    Arlington, VA 22206 | Map
  • 703-998-2600
  • boundarystones@weta.org

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

About Boundary Stones

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.

DONATE

Copyright © 2023 WETA. All Rights Reserved.

Bottom Footer

  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Guidelines