This Week in DC History: Jan. 14 – 21

America’s capital city hosts so many significant events that it only makes sense that there are notable historical anniversaries every week of the year of local and national renown. Here are some notable occurrences in and around the District during this week in the city’s history.

Federal Express Union Station train wreck

Jan. 15, 1953

Days before President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s first inauguration, a large electric passenger train lost its braking power and crashed into Union Station. With hundreds of passengers on board the overnight train from Boston known as the Federal Express, the conductor didn’t become aware of the brake issue until the train was just two minutes away from the station. Miraculously, the train did not derail and no one was killed on board or at the station.

18th Amendment is ratified; Prohibition takes effect

Jan. 16, 1919

On this day, Congress ratified the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes” across the nation. Those who wished to imbibe had to hide their wine, beer and spirits and consume their drinks in private. Because Congress exercised authority over the District, however, the nation’s capital had been declared dry on Nov. 1, 1917 — though researchers such as local historian Garrett Peck say the law was widely ignored, with some 3,000 speakeasies located here. Nationally, Prohibition wouldn’t be repealed for over a decade, when the 21st Amendment was ratified in 1933.

Mayor Marion Barry arrested in sting operation

Jan. 18, 1990

DC’s second mayor under home rule, Marion Barry, was first elected in 1978 after his upset win in the Democratic primary over incumbent Walter Washington and DC Council Chairman Sterling Tucker. Twelve years later, in the midst of his third term as mayor, Barry was arrested at the downtown Vista International Hotel on charges of possession of cocaine as part of a longtime undercover operation by the FBI and DC police. Council members said at the time that Barry’s arrest was “shattering,” and would cause “a dramatic change in the political landscape.” In August, he was convicted on one misdemeanor charge of cocaine possession but acquitted on a second charge; the jury was deadlocked on 12 other charges. He didn’t run for re-election as mayor in 1990 (and lost his bid for an at-large council seat, with the election coming one week after his sentencing), but after serving six months in prison he was elected in 1992 as the Ward 8 council member. Barry went on to win one more term as mayor in 1994. He later returned to the council as Ward 8’s representative from 2005 until his death in 2014.

First January inaugural address

Jan. 20, 1937

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the first president to be inaugurated on Jan. 20 instead of March 4, a change prompted by the 20th Amendment. In the second of President Roosevelt’s four inaugural addresses, he highlighted the gains of his administration following four years of the Great Depression. “To maintain a democracy of effort requires a vast amount of patience in dealing with differing methods, a vast amount of humility,” Roosevelt told the crowd that braved the rain that day. “But out of the confusion of many voices rises an understanding of dominant public need. Then political leadership can voice common ideals, and aid in their realization.” Besides the change in timing, the 1937 inauguration also marked the first time the vice president was sworn into office outside on the same platform. Following the ceremony, FDR and the first lady hosted a White House luncheon in the State Dining Room and East Room.

Women’s March on Washington

Jan. 20, 2018

Last year on Jan. 20, the National Mall was flooded with thousands of protesters donning pink hats and homemade signs. The event came one day shy of one year from the first Women’s March, which organizers positioned as a retort to President Donald Trump’s inauguration the day before. During the second annual march, Nancy Pelosi — then the House minority leader — was one of more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers who spoke onstage, advocating for women’s rights and legal reforms. A third annual march will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 19, on the National Mall at 12th Street.