Washington DC Events

1850 Sep 20 Final Compromise Bans Slave Trade in District of Columbia
The fifth law, enacted on September 20, 1850 prohibited the slave trade (but not slavery itself) in the District of Columbia. Significantly, before this particular measure could be passed...
1850 Oct 10 Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Is Completed And Opened
On October 10, 1850, the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal was completed and opened for business along its entire 184.5 mile length from Washington, DC to Cumberland, Maryland. Sections of the cana...
1861 Feb 22
to 1861 Feb 23
 The Baltimore Plot to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln
The Baltimore Plot was an alleged conspiracy in late February 1861 to assassinate President-elect Abraham Lincoln en route to his inauguration. Allan Pinkerton, eponymous founder of the P...
1864 Jul 11
to 1864 Jul 12
 Battle of Fort Stevens
Other Names: Washington Location: District of Columbia Campaign: Early’s Raid and Operations against the B&O Railroad (1864) Date(s): July 11-12, 1864 Principal Commanders: Ma...
1864 Jul 11
to 1864 Jul 12
 Lincoln Comes Under Confederate Fire at the Battle of Fort Stevens
Description: On July 11, Lt. Gen. Jubal A. Early’s exhausted Confederates reached the outskirts of Washington near Silver Spring. Skirmishers advanced to feel the fortifications which at ...
1877 Douglass is Appointed U.S. Marshal of the District of Columbia
Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), the most important African American figure of the 19th Century, is appointed Marshal of the District of Columbia by President Rutherford B. Hayes. This was...
1878 Douglass Purchases Cedar Hill House
Frederick Douglass purchased his final home in 1877, and named it Cedar Hill. He expanded the house from 14 to 21 rooms (including a china closet), and purchase additional land to expand ...
1910 Feb 8 W.D. Boyce founds the Boy Scouts of America
Boyce was lost on a foggy street in London in 1909 when an unknown Scout came to his aid, guiding him to his destination. The boy then refused Boyce's tip, explaining that he was a Boy Sc...
1916 Boy Scouts of America is Granted a Congressional Charter
The National Council is the corporate membership of the Boy Scouts of America and is administered by paid professional Scouters and volunteer Scouters. Members include the elected Nationa...
1916 Aug 25 National Park Service is Founded
Realizing the specialized nature of national park work and the desirability of unifying the parks into one integrated system, Secretary of the Interior Franklin K. Lane in 1915 induced th...
1922 Jan 29 Knickerbocker Theatre Roof Collapse
Accumulated snowfall from a blizzard collapses the Knickerbocker Theatre in Washington, D.C., on this day in 1922. The blizzard formed in the Carolinas on January 26 and moved into the...
1922 May 30 Lincoln Memorial Dedicated
"IN THIS TEMPLE AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS ENSHRINED FOREVER." —Lincoln Memorial
1954 Aug 24 The American Communist Party is Outlawed
"I HAVE just signed a bill which is designed to place into the hands of our law enforcement agencies, particularly the Attorney General and the FBI, better weapons for combatting the Commu..." —Dwight D. Eisenhower, remarking on the Communist Control Act of 1954
1993 Apr 22 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Opens on the National Mall in DC
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' living memorial to The Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM is dedicated to he...
1994 Feb 3 Ronald Reagan Makes Final Public Speech at a Tribute in Washington, D.C.
After leaving office in 1989, the Reagans purchased a home in Bel Air, Los Angeles in addition to the Reagan Ranch in Santa Barbara. They regularly attended Bel Air Presbyterian Church an...
1998 Jul 24 A Gunman Opens Fire at U.S. Capitol Building, Killing Two Police Officers
The United States Capitol shooting incident of 1998 was an attack on July 24, 1998 which led to the death of two United States Capitol Police officers. Detective John Gibson and Officer J...
2006 Jun 10 2006 Washington, D.C. Capital Pride Parade
**Capital Pride Parade -- Stepping off from 23rd and P streets NW, at 6:30 p.m. near the site of our earlier Pride festivals, the Pride Parade celebrates its official 25th Anniversary! Th...
2007 Jun 9
6:30PM
 2007 Washington, D.C. Capital Pride Parade
The ten day long Capital Pride Festival celebrates Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community pride. There’s dances, parties, events, and a Mr. and Miss Capital Pride competi...
2008 Feb 26 Senator Robert Byrd Admitted to Hospital After Falling at Home
On February 26, 2008, Byrd was admitted to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for observation following a fall at his home the day before. Byrd attended Senate sessions on that day, but comp...
2008 Mar 5 Senator Robert Byrd Readmitted to Hospital Due to Reaction from Antibiotics
On March 5, he was readmitted because of his reactions to antibiotics and the need for tests to determine a different course of medication, a statement from his office said.
2008 Jun 2 Senator Robert Byrd Hospitalized due to High Temperature
Robert Byrd, the longest-serving senator in history, was released from the hospital today after doctors treated him for a mild infection, his spokesman said. Byrd (D-W. Va.) became ill...
2008 Jun 14
6:30PM
 2008 Washington, D.C. Capital Pride Parade
Time again for the annual Capital Price parade and street festival celebrating pride in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) communities in Washington, DC.
2008 Nov 7 Senator Robert Byrd Steps Down as Appropriations Committee Chairman
U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd announced today that he will step down as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee as of Jan. 6. First elected to the Senate in 1958, Byrd is the longes...
2009 May 18 Senator Robert Byrd is Admitted to the Hospital After Experiencing a Fever due to an Infection
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), 91, has been hospitalized again, according to his office. The oldest and longest serving senator in U.S. history was admitted late Friday afternoon with a "...
2009 Jun 10 Gunman Opens Fire at Holocaust Museum, Killing Guard
Some 200 people attended an interfaith gathering Thursday at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to mourn the death of security guard Stephen Johns. Johns was killed Wednesday when a gu...
2009 Jun 13 2009 Washington, D.C. Capital Pride Parade
June 15 — Capital Pride, with ambitious goals and plans for their first Capital Pride, was successful beyond expectations and projection. Ten days of cultural and community events, partie...
2009 Jun 22 Two Metro trains collide in Washington D.C.
Authorities say seven people have been killed and 70 injured in a subway train collision in Washington DC. The city's mayor Adrian Fenty held a press conference where he revised an ear...
2009 Jun 30 Senator Robert Byrd Released From Hospital
Sen. Robert Byrd was released from the hospital Tuesday, after a six week stay that kept the 91-year-old West Virginia Democrat away from Capitol Hill. A statement from Byrd's office s...
2009 Jul 13 Sonia Sotomayor Begins US Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings
In about an hour, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin the confirmation hearing of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s first nominee to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor has said ...
2009 Sep 12 Opponents of Health-Care Reform March on Washington
"OBAMA WE HAVE WAKEN UP [sic] TO YOUR EVIL PLANS" —A Protester's Sign
2009 Oct 7 H1N1 Flu Vaccine Arrives in DC Area
Thousands of doses of swine flu vaccine began arriving in the Washington region Tuesday night as a private high school in Laurel became the first in the area to close for disinfection aft...
2010 Jun 27 Senator Robert Byrd Admitted to Hospital for Heat Stroke and Dehydration
Sen. Robert C. Byrd, who holds the record as the longest-serving member of Congress, is seriously ill in a Washington-area hospital. The West Virginia Democrat's office says the 92-yea...
2010 Jun 28
3:00AM
 Senator Robert Byrd Dies at Age 92
Robert C. Byrd, the longest-serving senator in U.S. history and an ardent defender of the chamber's traditions, died Monday. He was 92. Byrd was best known for his ardent defense of th...
2010 Jul 2 Senator Robert Byrd's Memorial Service
Both President Obama and Vice President Biden will travel to West Virginia on Friday to attend the funeral of Sen. Robert Byrd. The Memorial Service and Celebration of Life for the 92-...