This Week in DC History: Feb. 11 – 17

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.

The Beatles perform live at the Washington Coliseum

Feb. 11, 1964

After the Beatles introduced Beatlemania to the United States with their welcome-to-America appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the band headed to DC for their first American concert. The band performed at the Washington Coliseum, now a flagship REI store. Beatles historian Bruce Spizer told The Washington Post for a 50-year retrospective in 2014 that “it was one of the most exciting live performances the Beatles ever gave.” The band played a 35-minute set of their early hits, such as “She Loves You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

Groundbreaking held for Lincoln Memorial

Feb 12, 1914

On this day, a groundbreaking ceremony on President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday marked the start of construction work at the site of the Lincoln Memorial; one year later, another ceremony celebrated the laying of the cornerstone. Designed by architect Henry Bacon, the new memorial occupied a muddy stretch of land known then as the Potomac flats. Workers had to dig 40 feet before construction could begin. Work continued steadily until the outbreak of World War I, when labor and material shortages forced a slowdown. The memorial was formally dedicated eight years later in 1922.

Celebrity activists arrested at White House while protesting Keystone Pipeline

Feb. 13, 2013

Forty-eight activists engaged in civil disobedience at the gates of the White House to protest the Keystone XL pipeline, which was designed to transport crude oil from Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast. Actress Daryl Hannah (Kill Bill, Blade Runner) was among those arrested, along with climate scientist James E. Hansen. Some protesters tied themselves to gates with plastic handcuffs while others refused to move despite requests from police officers. The protesters had to pay a $100 fine and were released later that afternoon, according to The Washington Post.

Statue honoring women’s suffrage is unveiled at the U.S. Capitol

Feb. 15, 1921

At a ceremony attended by representatives of over 70 women’s organizations, Congress formally unveiled a gift from the National Woman’s Party: a statue depicting suffrage heroes Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. The previous August, ratification of the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote — the result of nearly 75 years of protest. Artist Adelaide Johnson created the sculpture, formally called “Portrait Monument,” from an 8-ton block of marble from Carrara, Italy. Mysteriously, it includes a vague but conspicuous uncarved block of marble, rumored to be reserved for the first woman president. According to Atlas Obscura, Johnson left the statue incomplete to symbolize “a kind of unknown soldier of the women’s movement.” It wasn’t until May 1997 that Congress moved the statue from the Capitol Crypt to the Rotunda, where it remains to this day (and where the original unveiling took place). Congressional leaders weren’t willing to spend the estimated $75,000 cost of moving it, so a coalition of women’s groups raised the money.