The Metrobus system launched on Feb. 4, 1973, when the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority completed its purchase of the four privately owned bus systems in the region. The switchover brought the original version of Metrobus' signature red, white and blue paint job. (Photo courtesy of DC Department of Transportation)

This Week in DC History: Jan. 29 — Feb. 5

By Kalina Newman On Feb 4, 2019 Last updated Feb 4, 2019

DC has been the home of so many significant events over the years that anniversaries are bound to spring up frequently. This week, we dive into some notable occurrences that took place in and around the District in years past.

Boss Shepherd statue returns to Wilson Building

Jan. 29, 2005

In response to a prolonged campaign by the Association of the Oldest Inhabitants of the District of Columbia, DC officials returned a statue of Gov. Alexander Robey Shepherd to the Wilson Building, the seat of the District’s government. Shepherd (who was born on Jan. 30, 1835) was territorial governor of the District of Columbia from 1873 to 1874 and head of the Board of Public Works before that; his investments in infrastructure included paving the streets, providing street lights and planting 64,000 trees, according to a biography on the association’s website. Linda Cropp and Anthony Williams — then the DC Council chairman and mayor, respectively — took part in the Jan. 29, 2005, ceremony, as did Jack Evans, the Ward 2 council member (then and now). Earlier that month, association members — frustrated over Shepherd’s “exile” to a government facility on Shepherd Parkway SW in 1979 to facilitate reconstruction of Pennsylvania Avenue and Freedom Plaza — had rallied at the same spot “to seek the return of the statue to a place of prominence.”

First ANC election is held

Feb. 3, 1976

In 1973, Congress approved the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which authorized the establishment of advisory neighborhood commissions — non-partisan, neighborhood bodies that provide DC officials with formal input on a range of policies such as zoning, public safety and recreation. DC voters backed the idea the next year, and legislation setting up the commissions went into effect in October 1975. The first ANC election for the unpaid posts was held on Feb. 3, 1976. Because it was the first of its kind, there were quite a few vacancies: In total, there were no declared candidates for 118 out of the 367 available seats, according to a 1997 article in The Washington Post. Today there are a total of 40 ANCs and 296 commissioners across the District; the commissions range in size from 12 single-member districts to just two. Each commissioner represents approximately 2,000 residents, with the city’s single-member districts redrawn after each census to ensure equitable distribution.

Freshman found dead at Gallaudet University

Feb. 3, 2001

On Feb. 3, 2001, 19-year-old Gallaudet University freshman Benjamin Varner was found stabbed to death in his fourth-floor dorm room. A week later 20-year-old Gallaudet freshman Joseph Mesa Jr. was charged with Varner’s murder. He was also charged with the death of another Gallaudet student, who had been found dead the previous September. Mesa, originally from Guam, confessed to the murders and admitted he was motivated by robbery. Gallaudet, located in Northwest, is a federally chartered private university for the deaf and hard of hearing. “We are united in fear, but we are united in courage,” Gallaudet provost Jane Fernandes told ABC News at the time of the murder. “We will not let this have any lasting effect on our community.” In July 2002, Mesa was sentenced to two terms of life without parole for the slayings. A Washington Post article quoted the Superior Court judge’s comments from the bench: “There’s a dark side to his being, and I don’t see any meaningful prospect of that being erased.”

Metrobus system debuts

Feb. 4, 1973

Even though DC’s bus services date back to 1921, they were handled by private companies for the first five decades. Launched in 1967, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) was tasked with developing and operating “a balanced regional transportation system in the national capital area.” After starting construction on a rail system, WMATA acquired four regional bus systems in 1973, starting with the purchase of D.C. Transit Inc. and WV&M Coach Co. for $38.2 million on Jan. 14. Then, on Feb. 4, WMATA established the Metrobus service we know today upon finalizing its purchase of AB&W Transit Co. for $10.7 million and WMA Transit Co. for $4.5 million, acquiring 620 buses in the process. Many of the pre-existing bus routes remain even today, but the creation of Metrobus as a public entity brought immediate changes: a standard rate, the elimination of transfer charges, the expansion of senior discounts, and the introduction of Metrobus’ signature red, white and blue paint job. The first bus-passenger shelter was installed the next year in July. Currently, Metrobus covers 1,500 square miles across the greater DC area, with more than 12,000 stops.