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53 unusual facts about Washington, D.C.


18th Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 18th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, District of Columbia in 1942, by the E.W. Scripps Company, the last National Spelling Bee before the outbreak of World War II.

19th Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 19th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, District of Columbia in 1946, by the E.W. Scripps Company, the first National Spelling Bee after the outbreak of World War II.

20th Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 20th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, District of Columbia in 1947, by the E.W. Scripps Company.

22nd Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 22nd Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, District of Columbia in 1949, by the E.W. Scripps Company.

23rd Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 23rd Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, District of Columbia in 1950, by the E.W. Scripps Company.

25th Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 25th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, District of Columbia in 1952, by the E.W. Scripps Company.

27th Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 27th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, District of Columbia in 1954, by the E.W. Scripps Company.

33rd Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 33rd Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, District of Columbia in 1960, by the E.W. Scripps Company.

34th Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 34th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, District of Columbia in 1961, by the E.W. Scripps Company.

Afghanistan–Uzbekistan barrier

Days after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, when America announced the start of military operations against the Taliban regime based in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan fortified the border fence in the province of Surkhandaria to stop any illegal migrants or refugees crossing the border.

Anacostia Park

It is one of Washington, D.C.'s largest and most important recreation areas, with over 1200 acres (4.9 km2) at multiple sites.

Battery Kemble Park

Battery Kemble was completed during the Autumn of 1861, as part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington, also known as the Fort Circle.

Bomb Queen

This pleased politicians in Washington, D.C., due to the lowered crime rates in other states.

British Embassy, Washington

The embassy is situated in a compound that is home to both the ambassador's residence and the old and new chanceries.

Cash Asmussen

The following year he won the Washington, D.C. International Stakes and his first of two Turf Classic Invitational Stakes then gained his most success as a jockey racing in France where he went to ride under contract for the wealthy stable owner, Stavros Niarchos.

Crystal Heights

Crystal Heights or Crystal City was a proposal by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright for a hotel, apartment, and shopping complex in Washington, D.C., USA, at the corner of Florida and Connecticut Avenues N.W., in the vicinity of Dupont Circle.

Didarganj Yakshi

The statue's nose was damaged during a travelling exhibition, The Festival of India, en route to Smithsonian Institution and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., USA.

Discon

Discon is the name given to the two Worldcons held in Washington, D.C..

Edgar T. Wherry

He lived in Washington, D.C. from 1912 to 1930, part of this time working as an assistant curator of mineralogy for the U. S. National Museum, and also for the Bureau of Chemistry of the United States Department of Agriculture.

Edward B. Bunn

In partnership with Dr. Hurst Anderson, president of American University, Bunn developed an pan-institutional program for students in Washington, D.C. to take courses in several schools and allow credits to accumulate toward a degree in any school.

Erechim

City planners were inspired by urban concepts used in the design of Washington, D.C. (1791) and Paris (1850).

Forsyth Street

On the east side of the block from East Broadway to Canal Street, a number of so-called “Chinatown buses” (operated by different companies) start their routes to cities across the East Coast of the United States, including Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C..

Frank Rusch

Collaborators in the Alliance included the National Transition Network at Minnesota, the Academy for Educational Development in Washington, D.C., the National Alliance for Business, the National Council of Chief State School Officers, and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education.

Frederick Gutheim

He is noted for writing The Potomac, a history of the Potomac River and the 40th volume in the Rivers of America Series, and Worthy of a Nation a history of the development of Washington, D.C..

High Heel Drag Queen Race

The High Heel Drag Queen Race is an informal costumed drag queen race in Washington, D.C. Each year on the Tuesday before the Halloween holiday, thousands of spectators come to Dupont Circle to watch as 100 or so costumed drag queens show off their elaborate outfits and race down 17th Street.

Incredible Internet

In April 2008, members of the coalition were honored in Washington, D.C., for their contributions to online safety awareness and education.

Ingrid Lukas

In May 2013 she was selected by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Estonian Embassy to participate in the European Month of Culture in Washington, D.C..

Internet Association

Michael Beckerman is the President and CEO of The Internet Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing global Internet companies.

John B. Timberlake

They moved into a house in Washington, D.C. provided by her father, across the street from his hotel and tavern called the Franklin House.

John Simpkins

Simpkins was elected as a Republican to the Fifty-fourth and Fifty-fifth Congresses and served from March 4, 1895, until his death in Washington, D.C., on March 27, 1898.

L'Enfant

Pierre Charles L'Enfant, an architect and civil engineer credited with planning the city of Washington, D.C.

Lafayette Square

Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C., northernmost part of President's Park in Washington, D.C.

Malek Jandali

In July 2011 Jandali performed Watani Ana at a protest in Lafayette Park.

Medicine in the American Civil War

After the Battle of Bull Run, the United States government took possession of several private hospitals in Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Virginia, and surrounding towns.

National Business Aviation Association

National Business Aviation Association or NBAA, is a non-profit and nonpartisan 501(c)6 corporation based in Washington, DC, United States.

National Capital Parks-East

National Capital Parks-East (NCPE) is an administrative grouping of a number of National Park Service sites generally east of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., but also nearby in Maryland.

National Monuments Foundation

The National Monuments Foundation is also consulting with the Adams Presidential Library and Memorial Foundation for a memorial to commemorate the second and sixth presidents of the United States and their wives as well as winning the National Civic Art Society’s competition for a memorial to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, both in Washington, D.C.

Oregon Superintendent of Indian Affairs

Most agents reported to superintendents, while other reported directly to the central office in Washington, D.C. and relied on local military posts for law enforcement as it related to Indians.

Oxon Run Parkway

The Oxon Run Parkway, is a roadway and small park in the Washington Highlands neighborhood of Washington, D.C..

Party for the Grown and Sexy

Party for the Grown and Sexy is the debut EP by You, Me, and Everyone We Know, a rock band from Washington, D.C. It was released independently in 2006 and re-released on Rushmore Records with extra tracks on January 28, 2008.

Pierce, Butler and Pierce Manufacturing Company

William K. Pierce, 64, "formerly a millionaire," committed suicide by shooting himself through the head on April 5, 1915, in Washington, D.C., at the home of Major Charles P. Lynch, his brother-in-law, after the Syracuse manufacturing company "had lost a fortune in few years."

By January 1916, the industry was classified as "domestic engineering and mechanical contracting" and the company was listed as sellers of heating and steam in New York City, Brooklyn, Boston, Worchester, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C..

Pierre Bellocq

By 1954, Bellocq's work had achieved international recognition and he was contracted by Laurel Park owner John D. Schapiro to do drawings for the inaugural running of the Washington, D.C. International Stakes.

Robert Collet

Washington, D.C. International (1987)

In 1987, Collet achieved the extraordinary feat of winning three Group one races on three different continents with the same horse when Le Glorieux captured the Deutschland-Preis in Europe, the Washington, D.C. International in North America and the Japan Cup in Asia.

Roy Marlin Voris

In the Summer of 1947, Voris was attached to the Naval Bureau of Aeronautics in Washington, D.C. (where he spent the next two years); he also married his high school sweetheart, Thea.

Rudolph Lennhoff

In 1912 he attended the 15th International Congress on Hygiene and Demography, which opened 23 September 1912, in Washington, D.C..

Sam Boulmetis, Sr.

The winner of numerous important races, Boulmetis won the Arlington Classic twice and the prestigious Washington, D.C. International Stakes and Canadian International Stakes, forerunners to the Breeders' Cup races which drew the best horses to the United States and Canada from around the world.

So Young, So Insane

So Young, So Insane is the second EP by You, Me, and Everyone We Know, a rock band from Washington, D.C. The six-track record was released independently on November 18, 2008.

Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society

On 10 April 1967, a meeting was held in Washington, D.C. to introduce the charter membership and elect the Society officers and Executive committee.

Vir2L Studios

Vir2L Studios, was a video game developer headquartered in Washington, D.C..

Wilmington/Newark Line

Electrified operation was extended to Newark and beyond to Washington, D.C. on February 10, 1935.

Yadkin River Veterans Memorial Bridge

The bridge was not only a bottleneck for traffic moving between Charlotte and Greensboro (and between the larger metropolitan areas of Atlanta and Washington, D.C.); it was also structurally deficient and in need of replacement.


17th Scripps National Spelling Bee

The 17th Scripps National Spelling Bee was held in Washington, District of Columbia in 1941.

32nd meridian west from Washington

The 32nd meridian of longitude west from Washington is a line of longitude approximately 109°02′48″ west of the Prime Meridian of Greenwich.

Alzheimer's Association, Central New York Chapter

Regional offices are located in the Nichols Notch Building at 401 Hayes Avenue in Endicott; 258 Genesee Street in Utica; and the HSBC Bank Building at 120 Washington Street, Suite 419, in Watertown.

Any Bonds Today?

Barry Wood introduced the song (along with another Berlin composition called "Arms for the Love of America") on Arsenal Day, June 10, 1941, at the War College in Washington, D.C.; he also recorded the song in the same week for RCA Victor.

Ardeshir Zahedi

In the mid-1970s, Zahedi became known as a companion of the American movie star Elizabeth Taylor, with the two being dubbed "the hottest couple" in Washington D.C., according to the writer Barbara Howar.

Arvid Pardo

From 1972 to 1975 Pardo was coordinator of the ocean studies program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. From 1975 to 1990 he was on the USC faculty, teaching political science (1975–81) and international relations (1981–90).

Cary Sherman

He is an officer of the board of the Levine School of Music in Washington, D.C., and has also served in advisory roles for the Anti-Defamation League, BNA’s Patent, Trademark and Copyright Journal, the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts, The Computer Law Association, the Copyright Society, and The Computer Lawyer.

Chris Cillizza

Dana Milbank and Chris Cillizza appeared in a series of humor videos called "Mouthpiece Theater" which appeared on the Washington Posts website.

Columbia Bar

The Columbia Bar is part of a set of major marine coastal hazards along the Pacific Northwest coast, including Cape Flattery at the northwest tip of the Olympic Peninsula and Cape Scott, which is at the north tip of Vancouver Island.

Dixie Network

Marston also was elected to the National Association of Broadcasters Board of Directors in 1970 Edward B. Fritts, who began his broadcast career at WENK, Union City, Tennessee, was elected President of The National Association of Broadcasters, Washington, D.C., where he led the national trade association with distinction.

Doug Swift

Swift's blitz late in the second quarter of Super Bowl VII forced Washington Redskins quarterback Billy Kilmer to make a hurried throw, which Nick Buoniconti intercepted and returned into Washington territory to set up the Dolphins' second touchdown in a 14-7 victory, cementing Miami's 17-0 season.

East Washington Avenue Bridge

The East Washington Avenue Bridge was a movable Strauss underneath-counter weight deck-girder bascule bridge in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Edith Pfau

Pfau's education ministry included eleven years teaching at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, eleven years at Immaculata Junior College in Washington, D.C., and ten years at Providence University in Shalu, Taichung, Taiwan.

Ellsworthite

Bulletin of the National Research Council, Number 77, Physics of the Earth - I Volcanology, By the Subsidiary Committee on Volcanology, Published by the National Research Council of The National Academy of Sciences Washington, D.C., (1931)

Felix Grundy McConnell

Mcconnell was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth Congresses and served from March 4, 1843, until his death in Washington, D.C., September 10, 1846.

Fort Ellsworth

Over the seven weeks that followed the occupation of northern Virginia, forts were constructed along the banks of the Potomac River and at the approaches to each of the three major bridges (Chain Bridge, Long Bridge, and Aqueduct Bridge) connecting Virginia to Washington and Georgetown.

Got Live If You Want It

Got Live If You Want It is the third album of Washington, D.C. based band Dead Meadow.

Green Fire

The author of the novel Green Fire, on which the film was based, was Major Peter William Rainier 1890-1946, a South African whose great-great-grand-uncle was the person that Mount Rainier, Washington was named after (by the explorer George Vancouver).

Healy

Healy Hall, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States

Henk van den Breemen

The “Gang of five”, as they were called when the pamphlet was presented in Washington DC (January 2008), consisted of General (ret.) John Shalikashvili (USA), General (ret.) Dr. Klaus Naumann (Germany), Admiral (ret.) Jacques Lanxade and Field Marshal the Lord Inge (UK).

Inclusive capitalism

Allen Hammond is Vice President of Special Projects and Innovation at the World Resources Institute: a Washington, DC-based, non-profit, environmental, think tank created in 1982 through a $15 million donation by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation of Chicago (World Resources Institute website 2008).

Isa Genzken

Genzken's work is included in the collections of many institutions internationally, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh; the Generali Foundation, Vienna; the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C.; the Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis; the Museum Ludwig, Cologne; the Museum Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden; and the Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven.

Jack L. Tilley

The Sergeants Major of the Army, Daniel K. Elder, Center of Military History, United States Army Washington, D.C. 2003.

Japheth J. Omojuwa

Omojuwa has graced speaking platforms on universities and in cities across Nigeria and around the world from Washington to London, Lagos, Accra, Cape Town, Abuja, Rio de Janeiro, Berlin, New York, Cologne, Dortmund and other cities.

Jeffrey Gedmin

He earned his Masters degree in German Area Studies (Literature concentration) from American University in Washington, D.C. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from American University and also studied musicology for a year at the University of Salzburg in Austria.

Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

She attended Springhill Lake Elementary (Prince George's County Public Schools) in Greenbelt, Maryland just outside of Washington, D.C. Rowe-Finkbeiner moved to Columbia, Maryland where she attended Oakland Mills Middle School and Oakland Mills High School.

Kurt Schork

After Schork died, as per his personal wishes, upon cremation half of his ashes was buried next to his mother in Washington, D.C., and half at "Groblje LAV" (The Lion Cemetery) in Sarajevo, next to the grave of Boško and Admira, the central figures in Schork's acclaimed story.

KXLY

KXLY-TV, a television station (channel 4) licensed to Spokane, Washington, United States

Lauren Kessler

She is also author of Washington Post best-seller Clever Girl: Elizabeth Bentley, the Spy Who Ushered in the McCarthy Era, a biography of Elizabeth Bentley, and the Los Angeles Times best-seller and Oregon Book Award finalist The Happy Bottom Riding Club, a biography of aviator Florence Pancho Barnes.

Lawrence Edwards

Advocated for the New York City region as well as a Boston to Washington line by the Regional Plan Association, — the invention was praised by Secretary of Transportation John Volpe as well as editorials in The New York Times and professional and scientific journals.

Mauri S. Pelto

Mauri Pelto has been studying the glaciers in the North Cascades located in the U.S. state of Washington since 1984.

Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision

Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision is a 1994 documentary film made by Freida Lee Mock about the life of American artist Maya Lin, whose best-known work is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Michael Brunson

In 1973, Brunson became ITN Washington Correspondent, where he remained until 1977, covering Watergate and the 1976 US Presidential election between Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford.

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation

Washington, DC-based American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is using a three-year grant from MEAF for its Summer Internship Program.

New York University Law Review

The Law Review ranks fourth in Washington & Lee Law School's overall law review rankings, following Harvard, Yale, and Columbia.

Olin Kreutz

It was also the second consecutive year in which the Bears selected an offensive lineman from Washington, after Bob Sapp in 1997.

Ozette

Ozette, Washington, an unincorporated community in Clallam County, Washington, United States

Pat Goss

Goss is the master technician on the television program MotorWeek, where he hosts a segment called Goss' Garage, and hosts a weekend radio show about cars on WJFK-FM in Washington, DC.

Paul Schenck

The Schenck brothers work side by side on Capitol Hill in Washington where Robert is president of Faith and Action, an ecumenical mission, and Paul is chairman of the National Pro-Life Center.

Robert Kennicutt

He shared the 2009 Gruber Prize in Cosmology with Wendy Freedman of the Carnegie Institution of Washington and Jeremy Mould of the University of Melbourne School of Physics, for their leadership in the definitive measurement of the value of the constant of proportionality in Hubble's Law.

Robert Litwak

Robert Litwak is vice president for programs and director of International Security Studies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington D.C. He is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a consultant to the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Roderick N. Matheson

He traveled to Washington, D.C., for Abraham Lincoln's inauguration in 1861, intending to stay only a few weeks, but found himself swept up in the fever of approaching war.

Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania

It is widely held that the Flight 93 hijackers intended to use the craft to destroy the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C. The crash here was a result of a struggle over control of the plane between hijackers and passengers, who learned of the plane's intended fate through cellphone calls to and from family members.

The Higher Learning Foundation

The Higher Learning Foundation was a public charity located in Washington, D.C. Its goal was to improve college achievement possibilities for graduates of the District of Columbia Public Schools system (DCPS).

Ulysses S. Grant as peacetime general, 1865–1869

In May 1865, the Union League of Philadelphia purchased the Grants a house in that city, but Grant's work was in Washington.

Washington's 39th legislative district

This urban district is represented by state senator Kirk Pearson and state representatives Dan Kristiansen (pos. 1) and Elizabeth Scott (pos. 2), all Republicans.

WDAZ-TV

Owned by Forum Communications of Fargo, which also owns the Grand Forks Herald, WDAZ has facilities on South Washington Street in Grand Forks near Kmart and a news bureau and sales office on U.S. Highway 2 in Devils Lake.

Western pond turtle

Western pond turtles originally ranged from northern Baja California, Mexico, north to the Puget Sound region of Washington.