DC Emancipation Day: Then and Now! 📷: The 1992 permit for the first Freedom Plaza celebration of Emancipation Day, submitted by Loretta Carter Hanes. Today’s Emancipation Day celebration in Freedom Plaza. Photo by Sajel Swartz. https://t.co/4CcYGzJT2Z DC Emancipation Day: …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 17, 2022
Before she rose to musical stardom, Roberta Flack, known to her beloved fans as "Our Roberta," took up the organ in Arlington, VA. She later attended Howard University with a full music scholarship—graduating at just 19 years old! #VAHistory #DCHistory https://t.co/qqrjUDiCMI …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 15, 2022
Major Archibald Butt and artist Francis Millet, two DC residents—and close friends—were playing cards in the smoking room on the night the Titanic sank into the freezing waters of the Atlantic. #DCHistory https://t.co/UMjfx1M4ul Major Archibald Butt and artist Francis Millet…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 15, 2022
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— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 15, 2022
If a local architect and a couple of U.S. Senators had been able to get their way, instead of the Lincoln Memorial, Washington might have honored the 16th President with a grandiose stadium patterned after the Roman Colosseum. #DCHistory https://t.co/6ZvrkvQ0PP If a local ar…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 15, 2022
One of the most remembered war correspondents in the Civil War, George Alfred Townsend. He once wrote about a Union-occupied Alexandria: "Alexandria is filled with...ruined people; they walk as strangers through their ancient streets." #VAHistory https://t.co/Mydan4oNzm One …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 15, 2022
Vintage 1940s matchbook cover from the Raven Grill, at 3125 Mt. Pleasant St NW. Opened in 1935, the Raven is among the longest-lived watering holes in DC. While it no longer serves food, it originally was as much a restaurant as a bar. https://t.co/lHnvYY3hM4 Vintage 1940s mat…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 15, 2022
On a cold night in January 1967, a plane landed quietly at the National Airport. Rumors began circulating about its contents. Soon after, news broke that the Smithsonian had landed the art deal of the century: a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. #DCHistory https://t.co/QIuvaKBE7C …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 15, 2022
Here are five stories that moved us this week, and the reasons why.
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Paula Lavigne and Tom Junod | ESPN | April 11th, 2022 | 31,519 words
Even those detached from the world of college sports remember how Penn State’s legendary football program crumbled (at least reputationally) under the weight of assistant coach Jerry Sandusky’s horrific sexual abuse of young boys. However, as Lavigne and Junod chronicle in this sprawling, compulsively readable investigation, it wasn’t the first time a monster found some measure of protection in the organization. After a young linebacker named Todd Hodne was arrested for rape in 1978, head coach Joe Paterno kicked him off the team; yet, Hodne would go on to strike again and again, enabled in part by the culture of deification that surrounded the Nittany Lions. The story of Hodne — indeed, the story of the women whose lives he disrupted and destroyed over multiple years in multiple states, some of whom broke decades-long silence — spills over the lines of “magazine story” into something altogether different. It’s a testament to survival. To living through atrocity and coming out the other side. And through its expert storytelling, it delivers something that the recent glut of true-crime documentaries and podcasts never could. You won’t forget this one anytime soon. —PR
Lex Pryor | The Ringer | March 30th, 2022 | 8,700 words
I grew up two hours south of the Great Dismal Swamp, and I know virtually nothing about it except its name. There’s a reason for that: The Dismal, as it’s known, has long been dismissed by the gatekeepers of American history as a place where history simply doesn’t happen. As Lex Pryor reveals in this elegant, haunting essay, people with ancestral ties to the Dismal are working to change that — to memorialize the slaves who once toiled in the swamp, and the runaways who found refuge in it. “In a nation whose every territory is drenched in overlapping legacies of violence and erasure, the Dismal stands as a most American tangle,” Pryor writes. “It is scarred. And yet it is anointed.” Next time I drive home to see family, I’ll be stopping at the Dismal to pay my respects. —SD
Sarah Treleaven | Maclean’s | April 11th, 2022 | 4,344 words
Nurse, teacher, and hair stylist: At one time, Brigitte Cleroux earned a living at each of these professions without a single qualification to her name. Was it delusion, pure hubris, or something else entirely that forced Cleroux to become a remorseless fraud artist and serial imposter? How is it possible that no one was seriously injured or killed given that Cleroux posed as a nurse for 30 years without proper qualifications or a nursing license? At Maclean’s, Sarah Treleaven attempts to unravel the truth. “Somehow, Cleroux was able to slip past not one, not two, but at least three provincial nursing regulatory systems—and not just once but multiple times. In the aftermath of her arrests, Cleroux’s employers have remained largely silent.” —KS
Zack Graham | Astra Magazine | April 6th, 2022 | 2,740 words
A door to a graffiti-covered warehouse in Queens. The relentless thump of techno, sounding like metal parts clanging inside an auto shop, pounding against your chest. Dancers in an indiscriminating darkness, moving their sweaty bodies in ways you never thought possible. These are a few of the sights, sounds, and sensations that Zack Graham recounts from his first descent into the rave underground: a “parallel reality” where people can be themselves, a world that’s subversive and inclusive, a scene that looks nothing like today’s massive, commercialized EDM festivals. I’ve read many versions of this journey — and have written my own — but I never tire of reading them. Those first moments of discovery, of wonder that at times borders on fear, of ecstasy in the wee hours, and then, after you’ve crawled out into the bright daylight, a transformative aftermath that, for some, doesn’t really end. I love writing that explores the mental-physical awareness that creeps up on people as they discover the power and swiftness of their own bodies when dancing, and how Graham describes how he eventually harnesses the otherworldly sounds at a party — “the track unleashed a creature inside me and time disappeared” — and becomes less afraid of this darkness over time. He later encounters the underground rave scene abroad, notably the Freetekno movement in Vienna, and meets partiers who’ve taken “the origins of raving to an extreme.” For these people, there is no underground from which to resurface, no normal world to rejoin after a long night. “This was another level. This was something entirely new,” he writes. For me, it’ll be 25 years this May since my first rave in one of Oakland’s infamous warehouses from the ’90s; though there are of course differences between this scene and the ones that Graham describes, the warm core of the experience is the same. His essay brings back that night for me so clearly, fuzzy edges and all, and those subsequent years of going to parties, finding myself, and being part of a freeing community that operated on a different plane. “Never in my life had I felt that powerful,” Graham writes, “and I haven’t felt that powerful since.” —CLR
Laura Jedeed | Rolling Stone | February 1st, 2022 | 3,768 words
This story recounts one event — but what an event it was. Laura Jedeed details the launch of James O’Keefe’s latest book, American Muckraker, and her incredulity at what takes place oozes from her words. She describes “a 50-minute musical-theater production dedicated to telling O’Keefe’s story in song, dance, and strobe light.” Jedeed uses the visual prompts on stage (“A telephone repairman. Osama Bin Laden. A suit-and-tie journalist who interviews whistleblowers on YouTube”) to explain in detail the story they refer to, minus the reverence afforded the stage version. Jedeed admits to not thinking much of James O’Keefe’s work — his alt-right group, Project Veritas, attempts to discredit mainstream media and progressive groups — and, while still recognizing the problems with objective journalism, declares this “self-styled anti-elite crusader a lot like his musical theater: flashy, sometimes entertaining, and entirely pretend.” This essay aims to uncover O’Keefe’s end game — something I doubted would be revealed through a book launch — but in fact, the bizarre show O’Keefe dedicates to himself (and stars in) demonstrates a lot: “It isn’t about journalism. It isn’t even about fame. It’s about a boy who loves to dance and wanted to be part of a club that would not have him even as he railed against it.” —CW
On this day in 1910, President Taft began the tradition of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the Washington Nationals' Opening Day. #DCHistory https://t.co/XcTotTqCcq On this day in 1910, President Taft began the tradition of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 14, 2022
On July 9, 1978, the National Mall was packed with over 55,000 demonstrators who came from across the country to support what would have been the 27th amendment to the Constitution: the Equal Rights Amendment. #DCHistory https://t.co/kEhQ3wlR1f On July 9, 1978, the National …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 14, 2022
As Abraham Lincoln was nearing death, the owner of the Lansburgh & Bros. dry goods store decided to decorate the building black in mourning. This one act transformed the shop into one of the most booming department stores for the next 113 years #DCHistory …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 14, 2022
When two men entered the Crystal City branch of the Arlington Trust Company, 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 US history. #VAHistory #DCHistory https://t.co/Ewq51cG1Dx When…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 14, 2022
On this day in 1865, Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theater by John Wilkes Booth. But few remember that the original plan wasn't to kill Lincoln. In fact, it was to abduct the president! #DCHistory https://t.co/iadmk6SzKO On this day in 1865, Abraham Lincoln was shot at …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 14, 2022
John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators’ plan was larger than just the assassination of Lincoln. One co-conspirator, twenty year old Confederate soldier Lewis Powell, was chosen to assassinate the Secretary of State William H. Seward. #DCHistory https://t.co/wESxYplJVW Joh…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 14, 2022
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— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 14, 2022
Lewis Powell was one of the co-conspirators in the Lincoln assassination plot. He was later tried and hanged along with three other conspirators on July 7, 1865. Yet the remains of Powell's skull continued to have an interesting life of its own. #DCHistory …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 14, 2022
Commuters, streetcars, and busses at the 14th Street and Colorado Avenue NW terminal in 1955. https://t.co/7C1pu0WBnd Commuters, streetcars, and busses at the 14th Street and Colorado Avenue NW terminal in 1955. https://t.co/7C1pu0WBnd — Streets of Washington (@StreetsOfDC) …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 14, 2022
Today in History - April 14 https://t.co/mpJw8cqXLo Shortly after 10:00 p.m. on April 14, 1865, actor John Wilkes Booth entered the presidential box at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., and fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln. Continue reading. At about 11:40 PM, April…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 14, 2022
Quote of the Day: "The boisterous sea of liberty is never without a wave." - Thomas Jefferson
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 14, 2022
Upon becoming President in 1801, Thomas Jefferson was quick to do away with many of the high society diplomatic customs that his predecessors embraced. The new order shocked British minister Anthony Merry, a visiting dignitary. #DCHistory https://t.co/gHewQt7WgB Upon becomin…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 13, 2022
Enjoy the beautiful spring weather by taking a walking tour with DC History Center and Washington Walks! On April 30 we will explore the Capitol Riverfront, also known as Navy Yard. Click here to buy a ticket: https://t.co/Baz6CGlAWJ Enjoy the beautiful spring weather by takin…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 13, 2022
The Hay-Adams Hotel, known for its extravagance and exclusivity, is the one place “where nothing is overlooked but the White House." But there is one hotel guest who seems to cause some trouble: the ghost of Marion Hooper Adams. #DCHistory https://t.co/UpXPC6EjP9 The Hay-Ada…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 13, 2022
One of the most popular gifts US presidents have received over the years is cheese—giant wheels of them. The tradition of receiving giant wheels of cheese began in 1801 with Thomas Jefferson. #DCHistory https://t.co/dyapZBT9QD One of the most popular gifts US presidents have…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 13, 2022
This plan for utilizing the water power of the Ohio River at Louisville, Ky was made in 1875! It includes text on steam and water power cost, waterways discharging information, and several illustrations. Zoom in here: https://t.co/HhAtPgyYiS https://t.co/eEigFRo8jE This plan …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 13, 2022
On a broiling summer afternoon in 1978, the Women's Movement held what was then known as the largest parade for feminism in history on the National Mall. #DCHistory https://t.co/kEhQ3wlR1f On a broiling summer afternoon in 1978, the Women's Movement held what was then known …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 13, 2022
While Lancaster County, PA is well known for its Amish community, St. Mary's and Charles counties in Maryland have their own communities, dating back to 1939. "We are too full, too crowded for the land in Lancaster County," said one Reverend. #MDHistory https://t.co/thAhMBW2rR …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 13, 2022
On April 13, 1832 Sam Houston, a former Congressmen and Governor of Tennessee, beat a member of Congress with a wooden cane on Pennsylvania Avenue. #DCHistory https://t.co/Jkm4dZVsCY On April 13, 1832 Sam Houston, a former Congressmen and Governor of Tennessee, beat a member…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 13, 2022
Today in History - April 13 https://t.co/8vb6POcTPX Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743, at Shadwell in Albemarle County, Virginia. Continue reading. Although it did not become official until July 4, on April 13, 1818, a new flag was flown over the U.S. Capitol for …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 13, 2022
Elizabeth Keckley rose from slave to the Lincoln White House thanks to her supreme skill as a dressmaker. Her autobiography provides one of the most powerful accounts of the First Family's personal lives. #VAHistory #DCHistory https://t.co/SQsRh31nAg Elizabeth Keckley rose f…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 12, 2022
In the early days of the Civil War, thousands of slaves fled their masters in the south and passed through Union lines. Not knowing how to handle the freed persons, the Union placed them in "contraband" camps around the DC area. #VAHistory #DCHistory https://t.co/1Kk4jj4KDY …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 12, 2022
The moderately priced Lee House hotel opened on this day 100 years ago on the NW corner of 15th and L St NW. It remained in operation until Nov 14, 1979 and was soon demolished for an office building. Hat tip to @dcpl for reminding us. https://t.co/wCYGmrFuDP The moderately pr…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 12, 2022
Clara Barton was the founder of the American Red Cross and the first woman legally allowed on the battlefield in America. During the Civil War, she worked tirelessly to feed, comfort, and mend soldiers. #DCHistory https://t.co/mxoU8IQn34 Clara Barton was the founder of the A…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 12, 2022
Vintage postcard of the Catholic Sisters College Brady Hall at 4401 8th St NE in Brookland. Designed by Murphy & Olmsted, the building was completed in 1915. Large wings were added at the sides in 1919-1927. https://t.co/P3MZzdcwO4 Vintage postcard of the Catholic Sisters Coll…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 12, 2022
April 12, 1981: Launch of the First Shuttle Mission via NASA https://t.co/EwPbW6hLvd https://t.co/H45nCnfBye
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 12, 2022
During the Civil War, the army’s Commissary General argued that the Capitol Building was the only feasible location for a bakery large enough to feed Union troops. And in the Summer of 1861, the Capitol Bakery made 60,000 loaves, daily. #DCHistory https://t.co/arkUMsToQu Dur…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 12, 2022
This east-oriented 1876 panoramic map of San Francisco features beautifully rendered topography and detailed urban illustrations. Take a closer look here: https://t.co/rDCTuqrR6g https://t.co/mexmg2RCJ0 This east-oriented 1876 panoramic map of San Francisco features beautiful…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 11, 2022
The Congressional Cemetery was a place where politicians, heroes, celebrities, and local personalities were laid to rest. But much of its history is owed to local Washington residents and concerned citizens. #DCHistory https://t.co/Kic3mYNWo1 The Congressional Cemetery was a…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 11, 2022
Attention historians-in-training 📢 Are you researching LGBTQ+ DC or Black Washington? The DC History Center is excited to offer two Research Fellowships for individuals researching these topics! All applications due April 25. Click here to learn more: https://t.co/RvS2OusTQL …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 11, 2022
The first Union officer killed during the American Civil War was Col. Elmer Ellsworth. He was fatally shot during the Union effort to occupy Alexandria, Virginia. He was also a personal friend of Abraham Lincoln. #VAHistory #DCHistory https://t.co/nTTpmqJAD9 The first Union …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 11, 2022
As the American Civil War got underway, one Union ship became the target of a creative Confederate piracy plot. A key ingredient in the plot? Cross-dressing. #DCHistory #VAHistory #MDHistory https://t.co/AZ4quGPG4E As the American Civil War got underway, one Union ship becam…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 11, 2022
When Galaxies Collide via NASA https://t.co/U8QSoIePin https://t.co/NCWeFCje5R
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 11, 2022
We couldn't choose a favorite #mapmonster from the plethora in this fantastic Map of the Sea from 1572! How many sea monsters do you count? #MapMonsterMonday See the full map here: https://t.co/ePkj3qvyje https://t.co/GadGgs8T4N We couldn't choose a favorite #mapmonster from …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 11, 2022
Quote of the Day: "Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be." - Khalil Gibran
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 11, 2022
Elizabeth Magie created “The Landlord’s Game” to show the evil of monopolies. It turned into one of the most popular board games ever, but was never given full credit and compensation for her invention. #MDHistory #VAHistory https://t.co/rtIVB5gCpg Elizabeth Magie created “T…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 10, 2022
In addition to their duties as telegraph operators, three men were also responsible for making and breaking codes for the Union army, sometimes with President Lincoln standing right next to them. #DCHistory https://t.co/FUR4iAMbR6 In addition to their duties as telegraph ope…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 10, 2022
President Lincoln’s ability to use the telegraph greatly changed how quickly he could access information, but also what others were sending and receiving inside the capital. #DCHistory https://t.co/33GbEcDc2P President Lincoln’s ability to use the telegraph greatly changed h…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 10, 2022
Wedding announcements in the newspaper celebrate love and union, and for Joseph Pulitzer and Kate Davis, the newspaper had quite the tribute to their big day! #DCHistory https://t.co/BfpHLxJBEa Wedding announcements in the newspaper celebrate love and union, and for Joseph P…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 10, 2022
Two postcard views of the First Baptist Church at 16th and O St NW. The first building, designed by W. Bruce Gray in a Romanesque Revival style, was completed in 1889. The second, designed by Harold E. Wagner in modified Gothic Revival style, replaced it on the same site in …
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 10, 2022
Touring the U.S. to lecture on aestheticism, Oscar Wilde was the talk of the town wherever he went, with newspapers particularly charmed by his outfits. #DCHistory https://t.co/SukX7TlZiQ Touring the U.S. to lecture on aestheticism, Oscar Wilde was the talk of the town where…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 10, 2022
Levitt & Sons claimed it was a suburban paradise for its homeowners. Creating it meant using discriminatory policies that only allowed white buyers into its communities, including the one in Bowie, Maryland. #MDHistory https://t.co/njlpKRL1gf Levitt & Sons claimed it was a s…
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 10, 2022
Today in History - April 10 https://t.co/64sGhWRDTW The first official Arbor Day took place on April 10th, 1872. Continue reading. Click here to search Today in History for other historic moments.
— Kenneth Samson (@PangurBanC) Apr 10, 2022