How the District of Columbia Got Its Name

Photo of vintage map of Washington D.C. courtesy 123rf.com

On this day in 1790 the city of Washington in the District of Columbia, was established as the seat of American government with the signing of the Residence Bill.  The city, Washington, was named in honor of President George Washington during his presidency.  The district, District of Columbia, was a feminine form of Columbus, which was used after the Revolutionary War in patriotic poetry and songs describing America and her being a land of freedom.


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The Whitest Marble in the World

Photo of the Lincoln Memorial courtesy 123rf.com

The marble used in the beautiful Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D. C. comes from my home state, Alabama.  Alabama marble is the state stone, and is mentioned in the state song (yes, states have representative stones like they have state flowers, state birds, etc.).  This marble is used in banks and other buildings throughout the United States and the world.  It has been called the whitest marble in the world, and rivals the wonderful Italian marble.  For more information click here1 and click here2 and click here3.  What did you learn today?

aka Decoration Day

Photo of Arlington National Cemetery with the Washington Memorial in the background courtesy 123rf.com

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day, and there was a hymn dedicated to Southern women who decorated the graves of the Confederate dead.  For more information click here and click here.  What did you learn today?

Beginnings: U.S.A. and C.S.A.

Map of Southern United States courtesy Gutenburg.org

On this day in 1789, George Washington and John Adams were elected first president and vice-president of the United States of America. 

Sixty-two years later, on this day in 1861 delegates from six Southern states met in Montgomery, Alabama to form the Confederate States of America.  Two weeks later, on February 18 the provisional Congress of the C.S.A. made Jefferson Davis provisional president.

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