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1910s

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The Perils of Pandemic and War: Spanish Flu Brings D.C. to its Knees

The Perils of Pandemic and War: Spanish Flu Brings D.C. to its Knees

08/15/2022 in DC by Meaghan Kacmarcik

It was the start of October and the dog days of summer in the nation’s capital had officially come to an end. The crisp autumn air, a relief to most Washingtonians in years past, was an ominous foreshadowing of the days and weeks to come. There would be no more open windows in homes, streetcars, or workplaces for the foreseeable future. With an invisible killer hanging in the air, Washington would soon find itself in crisis — and transplanted war workers bore the brunt of it.

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DC
Mighty Yet Stubby: A Four-Legged War Hero Takes D.C. By Storm

Mighty Yet Stubby: A Four-Legged War Hero Takes D.C. By Storm

08/09/2022 in DC by Meaghan Kacmarcik

Stubby, the World War I war dog looms large in animal and American military history. By no means a professionally trained canine, Stubby was smuggled from Connecticut to France where he first served in a morale position. He took on a greater role as he got used to warfare, aiding the troops any way he could. When he came back to America, he became a celebrity, especially in Washington, DC.  

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Virginia
When Arlington Set the Nation's Clocks: The Arlington Radio Towers

When Arlington Set the Nation's Clocks: The Arlington Radio Towers

05/22/2022 in Virginia by Henry Kokkeler

A century ago, Arlington, Virginia was home to one of the most powerful radio stations in history, which helped to usher in an era of wireless communications worldwide.

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DC
The Dangerous Ghosts of WWI Research in Spring Valley

The Dangerous Ghosts of WWI Research in Spring Valley

02/25/2022 in DC by Fontana Micucci

On January 7, 1993, an alarming headline greeted readers of The Washington Post: “25 HOUSES EVACUATED AS WWI SHELLS EXAMINED.” The previous day, a backhoe operator digging a trench in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest Washington had uncovered a suspicious object. The construction company called the D.C. Fire Department… who called the police… who called the bomb squad. Within hours, 25 homes in the upscale neighborhood had been temporarily evacuated as munitions crews from the Army Technical Escort Unit at Aberdeen Proving Grounds investigated. Their verdict? The objects were unexploded mortar and artillery shells – and there might be more in the area.

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Maryland
"Will We Let the Ballot Be Taken From Us?": Black Marylanders Fight to Keep the Vote

"Will We Let the Ballot Be Taken From Us?": Black Marylanders Fight to Keep the Vote

09/09/2021 in Maryland by Ben Miller

In 1910 Maryland Democrats planned to bar all African Americans from voting, forever. But Black men and women were ready to fight for their place in the state.

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DC
Women at War: The Navy's First African American Yeomanettes

Women at War: The Navy's First African American Yeomanettes

08/07/2018 in DC by Shaune Lee

As the United States entered World War I, women became a vital part of the war effort. The Navy created a single unit of African-American Yeomanettes, which was assigned to Washington D.C.'s Navy Yard, and quickly made an impression.

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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."

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DC
A Sympathy of Mind Which Is Most Unusual: Two Men on the Titanic

A Sympathy of Mind Which Is Most Unusual: Two Men on the Titanic

02/14/2018 in DC by Anne Hollmuller

The Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain honors Major Archibald Butt and artist Francis Millet, two men who died together on the ship of dreams. Close friends and housemates in Washington, D.C., these men would be mourned by most of Washington, including President William Howard Taft. 

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DC
Chaos and Persistence at the 1913 Women's Suffrage March

Chaos and Persistence at the 1913 Women's Suffrage March

01/31/2018 in DC by Anne Hollmuller

On March 3, 1913, one day before the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson, 5,000 women marched on Pennsylvania Avenue to demand women's suffrage. Though their parade was met with violence from the crowd, the suffragettes kept marching toward the vote.

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DC
Capturing the Total Eclipse of 1918

Capturing the Total Eclipse of 1918

08/18/2017 in DC by Mark Jones

On June 8, 1918, Washingtonians looked to the sky hoping to see… well… something. But, many weren’t quite sure exactly what. As the Evening Star noted:

“There was a great craning of necks on the streets. Many a citizen who had read about the eclipse and forgotten about it, wanted to know where the aeroplane was…. One woman called up The Star and wanted to know whether the Marine Band ‘is playing on the eclipse.’ A reporter carefully explained that the Marine Band sometimes played on the Ellipse.”

For scientists at the U.S. Naval Observatory on Massachusetts Avenue, however, there was no confusion. The day marked an extraordinary astronomical event -- a transcontinental total eclipse -- and they pulled out all the stops to document it.

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The Perils of Pandemic and War: Spanish Flu Brings D.C. to its Knees

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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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