Given that France was the first ally that the United States had, it is remarkable that it was not until the Civil War that a French warship visited the capital of the United States. However, this is exactly what the newspapers of the time insisted was the case when the Gassendi visited the Washington Navy […]
One of my favorite stories to tell about the White House is how the Presidents are moved out and in between the time that the outgoing resident leaves for the inauguration and the newly-inaugurated President arrives late that evening. It was not always thus, of course, and so, many years ago, Capitol Hill hosted a […]
It’s August in D.C., and thus everyone –including me– is on vacation. The Library of Congress website is down. It’s time for a rerun. This is one of the earliest columns that I wrote for The Hill is Home, and a subject I return to every time I give a tour of the Capitol. ________ […]
I have previously written variously of new technologies that have been tested at the Washington Navy Yard over the years, from lights to radio. Unsurprisingly, there was also a great deal of interest in new ways of protecting and improving the ships that were being built there. One of the new technologies to be employed […]
It is not often that my research on the history of Capitol Hill ends up leading to the possible identity of Jack the Ripper, so I will certainly milk this connection for all its worth. It starts with Francesco Maria Scala, the Italian-born leader of the Marine Band for many years. Scala was born about […]