The Compass: Washington, D.C.

As the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C., offers visitors a bounty of world-class attractions including iconic memorials, monuments, and museums, surrounded by diverse and historic neighborhoods with strong ethnic and cultural roots.  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌    ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  

 

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Your navigation into the weekend Washington, D.C.

As the capital of the United States, Washington, D.C., offers visitors a bounty of world-class attractions including iconic memorials, monuments, and museums, surrounded by diverse and historic neighborhoods with strong ethnic and cultural roots. Join us this week as we discover how cherry blossoms came to the U.S., learn about the 18th-century contest to build the White House, and celebrate the Fourth of July with classic Americana photos from the Nat Geo archive. Let’s explore Washington, D.C.

HISTORY

PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDY DUNAWAY, USAF/GETTY Why isn't Washington, D.C. a state? It started with a drunken mob. More than 200 years ago, Congress took legislative control over the nation's new capital. Residents have been fighting it ever since. LEARN MORE SHARE

PHOTOGRAPH BY REX A. STUCKY, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION How cherry blossoms came to the United States The Japanese sakura trees made their way to America's capital with help from a few unlikely adventurers and advocates. READ MORE PHOTOGRAPH BY THE WHITE HOUSE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION Inside the 18th-century contest to build the White House In 1792, leading architects entered a competition to build the President's House, George Washington judged it, and the winner built an American icon. READ MORE

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SOURCES: VIVEK SHANDAS AND OTHERS, CLIMATE, 2019; NOAA To prepare for rising temperatures, scientists map urban ‘hot spots’ Heat islands can run 17 degrees F hotter than a city’s cooler areas. Studying them now may yield ideas for mitigating future warming. READ MORE SHARE

PHOTOGRAPH BY REBECCA HALE 12 tools that keep the White House bees buzzing The White House beekeeper maintains the health of the honeybee colony—and keeps the Secret Service informed of its activities. READ MORE SHARE

U.S. HISTORY & CULTURE

PHOTOGRAPH BY FINE ART IMAGES, HERITAGE IMAGES/GETTY How a public health crisis nearly derailed the American Revolution George Washington confronted a smallpox epidemic with a belief in science—and a controversial plan. READ MORE SHARE

PHOTOGRAPH BY GADO IMAGES, ALAMY STOCK PHOTO How the Founding Fathers understood U.S. citizenship In the decades before the 14th Amendment, how did the new nation wrestle with questions of blood and birthright? READ MORE PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPY MUSEUM The letter that won the American Revolution In 1777, George Washington faced a losing war. Then he created America's first espionage operation. READ MORE

PHOTOGRAPH BY BRENDAN HOFFMAN, GETTY A virtual Congress? America’s founders would have approved A yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia almost caused a constitutional crisis when George Washington considered moving the seat of government. READ MORE SHARE

PHOTO FEATURE Classic Americana photos to celebrate the Fourth of July VIEW THE SLIDESHOW

WHERE WILL WE JOURNEY TO NEXT? Be sure to check your inbox next week to find out.

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