Timeline of Washington, D.C.

Major events in the history of the city of Washington, District of Columbia

The following is a timeline of the history of Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States.

18th century

  • 1751: Georgetown founded
  • 1752 – February: First survey of Georgetown completed.[1]
  • 1784 – October 7: Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts motions “that buildings for the use of Congress be erected on the banks of the Delaware near Trenton, or of the Potomac, near Georgetown, provided a suitable district can be procured on one of the rivers as aforesaid, for a federal town”.[2]
  • 1789 – Town of Georgetown, Maryland, chartered and incorporated; Georgetown University founded.[3]
  • 1790 - July 16: Residence Act enacted, selecting a site along the Potomac River as the future location of the permanent seat of the federal government of the United States.[4]
  • 1791
    • January 24: Federal District proclamation issued by President George Washington.[5]
    • Team led by Andrew Ellicott begins survey of the future boundaries of the original District of Columbia.[6]
    • L'Enfant Plan for design of the City of Washington introduced.[7]
    • September 9: Commissioners appointed by President Washington name the federal district as "The Territory of Columbia," and the federal city as the "City of Washington."[8]
  • 1792 – Construction of White House (presidential residence) begins.
  • 1794 – Tudor Place (residence) built in Georgetown.[9]
  • 1797 – "Bridge at Little Falls" crossing the upper Potomac River several miles northwest of Georgetown, opens at the future site of 19th century Chain Bridge.[9][10]
  • 1800
    • May 14 – November 1: Seat of Federal government of the United States relocated after ten years from second federal capital of Philadelphia (centered at Independence Hall (old Pennsylvania State House) to constitutionally designated ten mile square federal district entitled District of Columbia (on both sides of Potomac River). Originally called the "Federal City", it soon acquires namesake after President Washington, (especially after his recent death a few months earlier at nearby Mount Vernon in December 1799), known in 19th century as Washington city.[6][7][11]
    • Second President John Adams travels south from former second national capital at Philadelphia and is the first chief executive to occupy the President's House (future White House) in November with his wife Abigail to the unfinished mansion. The Adamses occupy the house for only the last four months of his term, having been defeated for reelection by incumbent Vice President Thomas Jefferson in the Election of 1800 until Jefferson's inauguration the following year on March 4, 1801.
    • United States Capitol building construction continues with partial completion of the north Senate wing where the United States Congress meets for its first sessions in Washington. Construction continues on south House of Representatives south wing. The Senate wing, completed first temporarily provides spaces to be used by both houses of the Congress, the beginnings of the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court for several years of continued construction work.
    • Washington Navy Yard established on the Eastern Branch (later known as Anacostia River) of the Potomac River waterfront south of the under-construction Capitol.[9]
    • Population: 14,093.[9]

19th century

1800s–1850s

1860s–1890s

20th century

Elections in the
District of Columbia
General elections
  • 1974
  • 1976
  • 1978
  • 1980
  • 1982
  • 1984
  • 1986
  • 1988
  • 1990
  • 1992
  • 1994
  • 1996
  • 1998
  • 2000
  • 2002
  • 2004
  • 2006
  • 2008
  • 2010
  • 2012
  • 2014
  • 2016
  • 2018
  • 2020
  • 2022
  • 2024
Mayoral elections
Council elections
  • 1974
  • 1976
  • 1977
  • 1978
  • 1980
  • 1982
  • 1984
  • 1986
  • 1988
  • 1990
  • 1992
  • 1993
  • 1994
  • 1996
  • 1997
  • 1998
  • 2000
  • 2002
  • 2004
  • 2006
  • 2008
  • 2010
  • 2012
  • 2013
  • 2014
  • 2016
  • 2018
  • 2020
  • 2022
  • 2024
Attorney General elections
  • v
  • t
  • e

1900s–1940s

1950s–1990s

21st century

See also

References

  1. ^ Richard Plummer Jackson (1878). The Chronicles of Georgetown, D.C., from 1751–1878. R. O. Polkinhorn. pp. 3–4.
  2. ^ "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 – 1875".
  3. ^ Kathleen Menzie Lesko; Valerie Babb; Carroll R. Gibbs (1991). Black Georgetown Remembered : A History Of Its Black Community From The Founding Of "The Town of George". Georgetown University Press. pp. 1–2. ISBN 9781626163263. OCLC 922572367.
  4. ^ "An ACT for establishing the Temporary and Permanent Seat of the Government of the United States". American Memory. Library of Congress. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Ernie Gross (1990). This Day in American History. Neal-Schuman. ISBN 978-1-55570-046-1.
  6. ^ a b c Laurence Urdang, ed. (1996). Timetables of American History. Touchstone. ISBN 978-0-7432-0261-9.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah Evelyn 2008.
  8. ^ (1) Steward, John (1898). "Early Maps and Surveyors of the City of Washington, D.C." Records of the Columbia Historical Society. 2: 53. OCLC 40326234 – via Google Books.
    (2) Crew, Harvey W.; Webb, William Bensing; Wooldridge, John (1892). IV. Permanent Capital Site Selected. Dayton, Ohio: United Brethren Publishing House. pp. 87–88, 101 – via Google Books. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Federal Writers' Project 1937: "Chronology"
  10. ^ (1) "History of the Chain Bridge". Johns Hopkins University Press. Archived from the original on April 2, 2005.
    (2) Kapsch, Robert J. (2004). Canals, Volume 1. W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-73088-3.
  11. ^ a b c d Britannica 1911.
  12. ^ Robert Cohen (2013). "History of the Long Railroad Bridge Crossing Across the Potomac River". DC Chapter, National Railway Historical Society. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  13. ^ a b c d Haydn 1910.
  14. ^ a b c d e Patrick Robertson (2011). Robertson's Book of Firsts. Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-60819-738-5.
  15. ^ a b c "Timeline of Washington, D.C. Railroad History". National Railway Historical Society, Washington, D.C. Chapter. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  16. ^ Aaron Brenner; Benjamin Day; Immanuel Ness, eds. (2015) [2009]. "Timeline". Encyclopedia of Strikes in American History. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-45707-7.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, US Census Bureau, 1998
  18. ^ (1) Reeves, p. 43.
    (2) Harvey, pp. 46–47.
  19. ^ John Perry (2010). Lee: A Life of Virtue. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson. pp. 93–94. ISBN 978-1595550286. OCLC 456177249 – via Google Books..
  20. ^ Morton, W. Brown III (February 8, 1971). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination: Smithsonian Institution Building". National Park Service. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h "On This Day", New York Times, retrieved January 4, 2016
  22. ^ a b Nell Irvin Painter (2006). "Timelines". Creating Black Americans: African-American History and Its Meanings, 1619 to the Present. Oxford University Press. p. 361+. ISBN 978-0-19-513755-2.
  23. ^ a b c d e Mike Tigas and Sisi Wei, ed. (9 May 2013). "Washington, DC". Nonprofit Explorer. New York: ProPublica. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  24. ^ "Conventions by Year (1869 National Convention of Colored Men held in Washington DC)". Digital Records. Colored Conventions Project. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
  25. ^ a b c d "US Newspaper Directory". Chronicling America. Washington DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n National Park Service 2008.
  27. ^ Charles Emerson, 1913: In Search of the World Before the Great War (2013) compares Washington to 20 major world cities; 144–160.
  28. ^ Jack Alicoate, ed. (1939), "District of Columbia", Radio Annual, New York: Radio Daily, OCLC 2459636
  29. ^ PhD, Duchess Harris, JD (2018-12-15). The March on Washington and Its Legacy. ABDO. ISBN 978-1-5321-7058-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  30. ^ Colin Lawson, ed. (2003). "Orchestras Founded in the 20th Century (chronological list)". Cambridge Companion to the Orchestra. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-00132-8.
  31. ^ "Riding the Rails: Timeline of the Great Depression". American Experience. USA: Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  32. ^ "Timeline of the Folger Shakespeare Library", Folgerpedia, retrieved April 30, 2016
  33. ^ Richard Green (2008). Chronology of International Organizations. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-35590-6.
  34. ^ a b Charles A. Alicoate, ed. (1960), "Television Stations: Dist. of Columbia", Radio Annual and Television Year Book, New York: Radio Daily Corp., OCLC 10512206
  35. ^ "Events", Civil Rights Digital Library, Athens, GA: Digital Library of Georgia (Timeline)
  36. ^ a b "Timeline: History of the Campaign for D.C. Voting Rights". The Washington Post.
  37. ^ John Bassett McCleary (2004). "Anti-War Events". The Hippie Dictionary: A Cultural Encyclopedia of the 1960s and 1970s. Ten Speed Press. pp. 602+. ISBN 978-1-58008-547-2.
  38. ^ a b c "Movie Theaters in Washington, DC". CinemaTreasures.org. Los Angeles: Cinema Treasures LLC. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
  39. ^ Ronald B. Frankum Jr. (2011). "Chronology". Historical Dictionary of the War in Vietnam. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7956-0.
  40. ^ Andrew F. Smith (2011). "Chronology". Fast Food and Junk Food: An Encyclopedia. Greenwood. ISBN 978-0-313-39393-8.
  41. ^ Christopher Freeze. "The Time a Stolen Helicopter Landed on the White House Lawn – Robert Preston's wild ride". Air & Space Magazine. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  42. ^ "Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: National Park Service: United States Department of the Interior. Washington, D.C.: Government of the District of Columbia Planning Office. pp. 191–192. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 7, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  43. ^ (1) Elsa Walsh; Barton Gellman (August 23, 1990). "Chasm Divided Jurors in Barry Drug Trial". The Washington Post.
    (2) Michael York; Tracy Thompson (October 27, 1990). "Barry Sentenced to 6 Months in Prison;Judge Says Mayor Gave Aid to Drug Culture'". The Washington Post. p. A01. Retrieved August 2, 2008.
  44. ^ "DC Mayor Election 1990". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
  45. ^ Michael Janofsky (November 9, 1994). "THE 1994 ELECTIONS: THE NATION THE CAPITAL; Barry Rebounds From Disgrace to Win Again in Washington". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2010.
  46. ^ (1) Michael Janofsky (April 8, 1995). "Congress Creates Board To Oversee Washington, D.C." The New York Times. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
    (2) "H.R. 1345 (104th): District of Columbia Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Act of 1995". GovTrack. Civic Impulse, LLC. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  47. ^ "Official Home Page of The District of Columbia". Archived from the original on December 19, 1996 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
  48. ^ Kristin A. Goss (2006). "Gun control organizations founded 1990-2002". Disarmed: The Missing Movement for Gun Control in America. Princeton University Press. ISBN 1-4008-3775-8.
  49. ^ "Washington (city), District of Columbia". State & County QuickFacts. US Census Bureau. Retrieved January 4, 2016.

Bibliography

  • Alfred Hunter, ed. (1853). Washington and Georgetown Directory. Washington DC: Printed by Kirkwood & McGill. ISBN 9781425540517 – via HathiTrust.
  • Andrew Boyd, ed. (1860). Boyd's Washington and Georgetown Directory. Washington DC: Taylor and Maury – via Internet Archive.
    • 1864
  • William Henry Overall, ed. (1870), "Washington", Dictionary of Chronology, London: William Tegg, hdl:2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t9m32q949, OCLC 2613202 – via HathiTrust
  • George Henry Townsend (1877), "Washington", A Manual of Dates (5th ed.), London: Frederick Warne & Co., hdl:2027/hvd.32044088047865
  • Boyd, Elizabeth S.; Boyd, Andrew; Boyd, William Henry (1887). Boyd's Directory for the District of Columbia. Washington DC: Wm. H. Boyd. hdl:2027/mdp.39015074642748.
  • Gannett, Henry (1888). "Washington (1.)" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (9th ed.).
  • Wilhelmus Bogart Bryan (1900). Bibliography of the District of Columbia. Washington: Government Printing Office.
    • 1901
  • Frederick L. Harvey (1902). History of the Washington National Monument and Washington National Monument Society. Washington, D.C.: Norman K Elliott Printing Co. OCLC 4909191. Retrieved April 19, 2017 – via Google Books.
    • 1903
  • Wilhelmus Bogart Bryan (1900). Bibliography of the District of Columbia. Washington: Government Printing Office.
  • Boyd, Elizabeth S.; Boyd, Andrew; Boyd, William Henry (1909). Boyd's Directory for the District of Columbia. Washington DC: R.L. Polk & Co. hdl:2027/mdp.39015006986833.
  • "Washington (District of Columbia)" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). 1911. pp. 349–352.
  • Benjamin Vincent (1910), "Washington", Haydn's Dictionary of Dates (25th ed.), London: Ward, Lock & Co., hdl:2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t41r6xh8t
  • Proctor, John Clagett (1922). "Washington (District of Columbia)" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 32 (12th ed.).
  • Federal Writers' Project (1937), "Chronology", Washington, City and Capital, American Guide Series, U.S. Govt. print. off., hdl:2027/mdp.39015007194775
  • Thomas C. Reeves (February 1975). Gentleman Boss. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 978-0-394-46095-6.
  • Howard Furer (1975). Washington, a chronological & documentary history, 1790-1970. American Cities Chronology Series. Oceana Publications. ISBN 0379006111.
  • Alan Lessoff (2000). "Washington, D.C". In Paul Finkelman (ed.). Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century. Charles Scribner's Sons. ISBN 0684805006.
  • David Goldfield, ed. (2007). "Washington, D.C.". Encyclopedia of American Urban History. Sage. ISBN 978-1-4522-6553-7.
  • Douglas E. Evelyn; Paul Dickson (2008). "Historical Timeline of Washington DC". On this Spot: Pinpointing the Past in Washington (3rd ed.). Capital Books. pp. 8–12. ISBN 978-1-933102-70-2.
  • "Washington, DC Timeline and Historic Plans: Illustrating the Evolution of the 'Monumental Core' of the Nation's Capital" (PDF). US National Park Service. 2008.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Washington, D.C..
  • "Washington, DC – Historical Timeline of the Nation's Capital". DCVote.org.
  • National Museum of African American History and Culture. "Collection Search: Washington, D.C." Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution. (Sortable by decade)
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