Portal:Washington, D.C.
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Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with Maryland to its north and east. It was named after George Washington, the first president of the United States. The district is named for Columbia, the female personification of the nation.
The U.S. Constitution in 1789 called for the creation of a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress. As such, Washington, D.C., is not part of any state, and is not one itself. The Residence Act, adopted on July 16, 1790, approved the creation of the capital district along the Potomac River. The city was founded in 1791, and the 6th Congress held the first session in the unfinished Capitol Building in 1800 after the capital moved from Philadelphia. In 1801, the District of Columbia, formerly part of Maryland and Virginia and including the existing settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria, was officially recognized as the federal district; initially, the city was a separate settlement within the larger district. In 1846, Congress reduced the size of the district when it returned the land originally ceded by Virginia, including the city of Alexandria. In 1871, it created a single municipality for the district. There have been several unsuccessful efforts to make the district into a state since the 1880s; a statehood bill passed the House of Representatives in 2021 but was not adopted by the U.S. Senate. To become law it would have to be passed by the Senate and signed by president; it would have renamed the city Washington, Douglass Commonwealth and shrunk the Federal District to about the size of the National Mall.
Washington, D.C. anchors the southern end of the Northeast megalopolis. As the seat of the U.S. federal government, the city is an important world political capital. The city hosts the buildings that house federal government headquarters, including the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court Building, and multiple federal departments and agencies. The city is home to many national monuments and museums, located most prominently on or around the National Mall, including the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument. It hosts 177 foreign embassies and serves as the headquarters for the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization of American States, and other international organizations. Home to many of the nation's largest industry associations, non-profit organizations, and think tanks, D.C. is known as a lobbying hub, with K Street as the industry center. The city had 20.7 million domestic visitors and 1.2 million international visitors, ranking seventh among U.S. cities as of 2022. (Full article...)
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Did you know...
- ... that Ron Brown, the United States secretary of commerce, leased equipment to a TV station in Washington, D.C., whose owner turned out to be his lover?
- ... that the music for the Norse Lands DLC of Kingdom Two Crowns utilizes the hurdy-gurdy and moraharpa?
- ... that prior to attorney Stanley Woodward representing Donald Trump aide Walt Nauta and Oath Keeper Kelly Meggs, he represented tenants in D.C. who were facing eviction?
- ... that of more than 300 schools offering evening classes in the District of Columbia in 1907, only Frelinghuysen University admitted Black students?
- ... that a TV station in Washington, D.C., held on-air monkey races as part of its children's programming?
- ... that health economist Selma Mushkin estimated in the early 1970s that up to 50 percent of poor children in Washington, D.C., were affected by lead poisoning?
In the news
- 30 January 2025 – Kivu conflict
- Rwandan-backed M23 rebels say they will march on the DRC capital Kinshasa and install a new government as Congolese president Félix Tshisekedi calls for a mobilization of young males to reclaim lost territory. Congolese Defence Minister Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita says there will be no peace talks with the rebels. (AP)
- 30 January 2025 – 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision
- The District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department says no survivors are expected after the midair collision between an American Airlines airliner and a military helicopter last night over Washington, D.C., United States, making it the deadliest aviation disaster in the U.S. since American Airlines Flight 587 in 2001. (CNN)
- 29 January 2025 – 2025 Potomac River mid-air collision
- A PSA Airlines Bombardier CRJ-700 operating as American Eagle Flight 5342 collides with a U.S. Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., United States, killing at least 28 people between both aircraft and causing a shutdown of flights in and out of the airport. (WUSA-9) (NBC NEWS)
- 25 January 2025 – Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda tensions (2022–present)
- DR Congo severs its diplomatic relations with Rwanda as Rwandan-backed rebels advance on the city of Goma, the capital of the DRC's North Kivu province. (The Guardian)
- 20 January 2025 – Second presidency of Donald Trump
- Donald Trump and JD Vance are inaugurated as the 47th president and 50th vice president of the United States in Washington, D.C., with Trump becoming the first president since Grover Cleveland to serve non-consecutive terms. (AP)
- 18 January 2025 – Protests against Donald Trump
- In Washington, D.C., the Women's March holds a protest rebranded as the People's March against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his inauguration on Monday. Women's March protests are also held in several cities in the United Kingdom. (Reuters) (WRC-TV) (BBC News)
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