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Avi Mednick

Avi Mednick is currently pursuing his master's degree in Applied History at George Mason University. A Norfolk, VA native, American history was all around Avi growing up. His general interest in history has morphed into a love of the histories of sports and American politics.

Posts by this Author

DC
The Silent Majority Storm The National Mall

The Silent Majority Storm The National Mall

03/02/2017 in DC by Avi Mednick

The Vietnam era was marked by student anti-war protests and the counterculture movement. But in 1970 the "silent majority" organized the era's largest pro-war demonstration, simultaneously protesting against President Nixon's Vietnam War policies and "hippies and yippies everywhere."

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DC
Iron Mike Calls it Quits in Washington

Iron Mike Calls it Quits in Washington

11/22/2016 in DC by Avi Mednick

Mike Tyson, the so-called "Baddest Man on the Planet," was known for his antics, in and out of the ring, as much as he was known for his boxing ability. While Tyson's sole fight in the nation's capital isn't his most well-known fight, the bout was certainly historic.

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DC
Tractorcade 1979

Tractorcade 1979

08/29/2016 in DC by Avi Mednick

In February 1979, thousands of farmers from across the country — and their tractors — barreled into Washington to protest in favor of agriculture policy reform. They snarled traffic for several weeks, frustrating commuters. But public opinion began to shift when an unexpected blizzard buried the city under two feet of snow and the protesters took it upon themselves to plow city streets and ferry doctors and nurses to work.

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DC
A Watergate Christmas Tree Lighting

A Watergate Christmas Tree Lighting

07/25/2016 in DC by Avi Mednick

The first National Christmas Tree lighting ceremony took place in 1923. The ceremony was intended to foster a sense of national unity around the Holiday season, but 1973 was different. President Richard Nixon, embroiled in the Watergate scandal and dealing with an energy crisis, used the ceremony as a platform for political theater. As the President talked up his administration's achievements and legislative agenda for the coming year, an impromptu political rally in support of the President broke out.

Not only were the President's remarks different in nature, the tree was as well. As Americans across the country had to tighten their belts with regards to energy, the energy crisis prompted organizers to significantly reduce the number of lights upon the tree itself as well as begin a new tradition of using a living, rather than cut, National Christmas Tree.

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  • DC (565)
  • Maryland (106)
  • Virginia (146)

Latest Posts

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"DC" Really Stands for Demon Cat... Which Haunts the U.S. Capitol

From the Mixed-Up Files of the Smithsonian Museum of American History: The Heist of 1981

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From the Mixed-Up Files of the Smithsonian Museum of American History: The Heist of 1981

The "Capitalsaurus": How a Dinosaur That Never Existed Became an Official Mascot of D.C.

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The "Capitalsaurus": How a Dinosaur That Never Existed Became an Official Mascot of D.C.

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