Robert Pohl worked for many years as a computer programmer but recovered from that and became a full time stay-at-home dad. With his son now in school, he has expanded his horizons and become a self-taught historian. He has written books about his house as well as Emancipation in the District of Columbia. You can reach Robert at Robert[at]thehillishome.com
Alcohol and Congress have gotten along just fine since the earliest days on the Hill, when the preferred meeting places for one and all were the local taverns. For some, heading across the street was apparently too much of a hassle, and thus they wanted more convenient places to tipple. They did not want anyone […]
I wrote of the Experimental Model Basin last week, and mentioned some of the tests that had been done there for the Navy. The basin was, however, also used by private citizens, as we will see in today’s episode. Stopping a ship has always been a problem. Anyone who has ever tried to smoothly berth […]
In writing about the Wind Tunnel at the Washington Navy Yard over the past few weeks, I have made passing mention of the Experimental Model Basin, which preceded the wind tunnel by a few years. A few words about that installation today. The late 19th century brought a revolution to engineering, with ever more scientific principles […]
Last week, I wrote about the wind tunnel at the Washington Navy yard. Today, we will look at one of the first products thereof – the Navy’s first seaplane. While the US airplane industry was slow in developing –especially in contrast to that of the Europeans– the outbreak of war in 1914 spurred the government […]
Last week while researching tunnels, I chanced upon another tunnel here on the Hill. It’s not quite the same as those connecting the various Capitol Hill buildings, but one that came in handy in creating a new generation of Navy airplanes after the First World War: A wind tunnel. Aviation was still a new technology […]