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The Haunting Legacy of Mary Surratt: The First Woman Hanged in the U.S.
Her final words before the execution were said to be, “Don’t let me fall.” Washington, D.C., Fort Lesley J. McNair holds a chilling past that lingers to this day. Beneath what now appears to be an ordinary tennis court lies a site of historical execution—where four individuals accused of conspiring in President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination…
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The History and Magic of the National Cherry Blossom Festival
“Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo presented the United States with 3,000 cherry trees as a symbol of goodwill” The National Cherry Blossom Festival, held annually in the nation’s capital, honors a special gift from Japan that has flourished for over a century. The story of Washington, D.C.’s cherry blossoms began in 1912, when Mayor Yukio…
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The Hope Diamond: A $350 Million Curse?
“From that moment, misfortune followed every owner, one by one.” At the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., sits one of the most famous gems in the world—the Hope Diamond. This breathtaking 45.53-carat deep-blue diamond sparkles behind glass, resting on a rotating pedestal, mesmerizing millions of visitors each year. While its beauty…
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The Real Story Behind The Exorcist: The Haunting Life of Ronald Edwin Hunkeler
“Despite his terrifying childhood experience, Ronald went on to live a relatively normal life, becoming an engineer at NASA.” The chilling tale of The Exorcist isn’t just a work of fiction; it has roots in a real-life case that took place in 1949. The 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty, which later became one of…
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Ben’s Chili Bowl
“Presidents have eaten here, including Barack Obama” Opened in 1958 by Ben and Virginia Ali, Ben’s has been a constant on U Street through segregation, the civil rights movement, the 1968 riots following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, and decades of change in Washington, D.C. While much of the neighborhood burned or closed during…
