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115-503: The main benefit of joining the Yankee Network was that it offered its affiliates as much as 17 hours of daily programming. Yankee affiliates were provided with access to some of the best-known Boston vocalists and orchestras, as well as nationally-known entertainers who were appearing in Boston or Providence. For example, a concert by opera star Mary Garden was broadcast, as was a concert by

230-488: A cascading waterfall with Italian Renaissance -style architecture. Modern , Postmodern , contemporary , and other non-classical architectural styles are also seen in the city. The National Museum of African American History and Culture deeply contrasts the stone-based neoclassical buildings on the National Mall with a design that combines modern engineering with heavy inspiration from African art . The interior of

345-499: A referendum on D.C. statehood resulted in an 85% support among Washington, D.C., voters for it to become the nation's 51st state . In March 2017, the city's congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced a bill for statehood. Reintroduced in 2019 and 2021 as the Washington, D.C., Admission Act , the U.S. House of Representatives passed it in April 2021. After not progressing in

460-524: A single municipality for the remaining portion of the district. There have been several unsuccessful efforts to make the district into a state since the 1880s; a statehood bill passed the House of Representatives in 2021 but was not adopted by the U.S. Senate . To become law it would have to be passed by the Senate and signed by president; it would have renamed the city Washington, Douglas Commonwealth and shrunk

575-454: A USO tour. The tour took them to military bases in Italy and North Africa. Over the years, the duo also became known for their philanthropy, performing numerous benefit concerts for worthy causes. One of their favorite causes was promoting religious tolerance: Hum, who was Jewish, and Currier, a Catholic, received a number of awards, including an Achievement Award for promoting brotherhood, given by

690-540: A book in 1935 about the first year of the Yankee News Service. The Yankee News Service used the slogan "News while it IS News," intended as a jab at the newspapers, which disseminated news at a slower pace than radio. That was also the title of the book about the creation of the news service. In addition, on February 20, 1938, the Yankee Network debuted its own radio weather service, to provide up-to-date weather information to affiliates. The first chief meteorologist of

805-431: A complaint about WNAC. Flynn asserted that these stations were being used to air one-sided political viewpoints and broadcast attacks (including editorials) against local politicians that Shepard opposed. The FCC requested that Shepard provide details about these programs, and to appease the commission, the Yankee Network agreed to drop the editorials. But Flynn created a company called Mayflower Broadcasting and tried to get

920-560: A full-time reporter, Pete Tully, to Washington, D.C. to cover Congress. The Yankee Network also earned praise for its coverage of natural disasters in New England, such as in April 1936, when heavy rainstorms caused flooding in western Massachusetts, or in September 1938, when a hurricane devastated much of Southern New England. Yankee affiliate WMAS in Springfield was instrumental in keeping

1035-408: A garden-lined grand avenue about 1 mile (1.6 km) long and 400 feet (120 m) wide in an area that is now the National Mall inspired by the grounds at Versailles and Tuileries Gardens. In March 1792, President Washington dismissed L'Enfant due to conflicts with the three commissioners appointed to supervise the capital's construction. Andrew Ellicott , who worked with L'Enfant in surveying

1150-451: A market that Yankee did not serve at that point. WAAB, which made its debut broadcast from Worcester on December 13, 1942, was now the Mutual and Yankee affiliate in central Massachusetts. In mid-December 1942, it was suddenly announced that the Yankee Network was being sold; the news caught most people in Boston's broadcasting community by surprise, as it was not generally known that the network

1265-496: A modern glass exterior and heavy curvature. CityCenterDC is home to Palmer Alley, a pedestrian-only walkway, and houses several apartment buildings, restaurants, and luxury-brand storefronts with streamlined glass and metal facades. Outside Downtown D.C., architectural styles are more varied. Historic buildings are designed primarily in the Queen Anne , Châteauesque , Richardsonian Romanesque , Georgian Revival , Beaux-Arts , and

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1380-434: A reception and testimonial was held in their honor; 800 people attended, including John B. Hynes, the mayor of Boston; Big Brother Bob Emery, popular children's show host; and many other local dignitaries, including members of the clergy. Although Zides and Currier ceased performing as a duo the following year, they did come out of retirement once in a while to perform at a special occasion, such as in 1963, when they sang for

1495-431: A relatively high homelessness rate, despite its high living standard compared to many American cities. Washington, D.C., is divided into four quadrants of unequal area: Northwest (NW) , Northeast (NE) , Southeast (SE) , and Southwest (SW) . The axes bounding the quadrants radiate from the U.S. Capitol. All road names include the quadrant abbreviation to indicate their location. House numbers generally correspond with

1610-769: A satirical version of the Hum and Strum theme song, aired on the Bob and Ray show of December 1, 1950.) In the late 1940s, when television began to overtake radio, Hum and Strum were able to easily make the transition, getting their own program on WBZ-TV in 1949. By 1953, the popular duo had been entertaining audiences for 29 years, and were on the air at WJAR-TV in Providence. In 1955, more than three decades since their broadcasting career began, their program moved to WMUR-TV, Manchester NH. When they announced in late 1958 that they would be retiring from show business after thirty-five years together,

1725-577: A snowstorm in January 1772. Hurricanes or their remnants occasionally impact the area in late summer and early fall. However, they usually are weak by the time they reach Washington, partly due to the city's inland location. Flooding of the Potomac River , however, caused by a combination of high tide, storm surge, and runoff, has been known to cause extensive property damage in the Georgetown neighborhood of

1840-657: A special committee charged with beautifying Washington's ceremonial core. What became known as the McMillan Plan was finalized in 1901 and included relandscaping the Capitol grounds and the National Mall, clearing slums, and establishing a new citywide park system. The plan is thought to have largely preserved L'Enfant's intended design for the city. By law, the city's skyline is low and sprawling. The federal Height of Buildings Act of 1910 prohibits buildings with height exceeding

1955-627: A stream valley that bisects the city. Established in 1890, it is the country's fourth-oldest national park and is home to a variety of plant and animal species, including raccoon, deer, owls, and coyotes. Other National Park Service properties include the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park , the National Mall and Memorial Parks , Theodore Roosevelt Island , Columbia Island , Fort Dupont Park , Meridian Hill Park , Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens , and Anacostia Park . The District of Columbia Department of Parks and Recreation maintains

2070-570: A typical advertisement for one of their live shows referred to them as "radio's leading harmony team." In addition to continuing their regular performances on WBZ, and occasionally on WNAC, they played various night clubs, including a long engagement at the Cocoanut Grove in 1938. By the early 1940s, the joined the USO; they had already been entertaining the troops at New England military bases, but in 1944, they went overseas with other performers as part of

2185-468: A variety of Victorian styles. Rowhouses are prominent in areas developed after the Civil War and typically follow Federal and late Victorian designs. Georgetown 's Old Stone House , built in 1765, is the oldest-standing building in the city. Founded in 1789, Georgetown University features a mix of Romanesque and Gothic Revival architecture . The Ronald Reagan Building is the largest building in

2300-861: Is generally popular among tourists and locals. In 2007, six of the top ten buildings in the American Institute of Architects ' ranking of America's Favorite Architecture were in the city: the White House , Washington National Cathedral , the Jefferson Memorial , the United States Capitol , the Lincoln Memorial , and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial . The neoclassical , Georgian , Gothic , and Modern styles are reflected among these six structures and many other prominent edifices in

2415-480: Is in plant hardiness zone 8a near downtown, and zone 7b elsewhere in the city. Summers are hot and humid with a July daily average of 79.8 °F (26.6 °C) and average daily relative humidity around 66%, which can cause moderate personal discomfort. Heat indices regularly approach 100 °F (38 °C) at the height of summer. The combination of heat and humidity in the summer brings very frequent thunderstorms, some of which occasionally produce tornadoes in

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2530-448: Is known as a lobbying hub, with K Street as the industry center. The city had 20.7 million domestic visitors and 1.2 million international visitors, ranking seventh among U.S. cities as of 2022. The Algonquian -speaking Piscataway people , also known as the Conoy, inhabited the lands around the Potomac River and present-day Washington, D.C., when Europeans first arrived and colonized

2645-470: Is sea level at the Potomac River. The geographic center of Washington is near the intersection of 4th and L streets NW. The district has 7,464 acres (30.21 km ) of parkland, about 19% of the city's total area, the second-highest among high-density U.S. cities after Philadelphia . The city's sizable parkland was a factor in the city being ranked as third in the nation for park access and quality in

2760-515: Is the capital city and federal district of the United States . The city is on the Potomac River , across from Virginia , and shares land borders with Maryland to its north and east. It was named after George Washington , the first president of the United States . The district is named after Columbia , the female personification of the nation . The U.S. Constitution in 1789 called for

2875-492: The Anacostia River to the east. Washington, D.C.'s street grid was extended, where possible, throughout the district starting in 1888. Georgetown's streets were renamed in 1895. Some streets are particularly noteworthy, including Pennsylvania Avenue , which connects the White House to the Capitol; and K Street, which houses the offices of many lobbying groups. Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue , located on

2990-568: The Boston Herald-Traveler Quarter Century Club. After their retirement, Zides became the public relations director for eight Boston-area bowling alleys, while Currier moved to Ft. Lauderdale, where he occasionally performed as a solo act. Max Zides died in 1975. Thomas Currier died in 1986. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C. ,

3105-623: The Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which ended slavery in the district, freeing about 3,100 slaves in the district nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation . In 1868, Congress granted the district's African American male residents the right to vote in municipal elections. By 1870, the district's population had grown 75% in a decade to nearly 132,000 people, yet the city still lacked paved roads and basic sanitation. Some members of Congress suggested moving

3220-685: The Continental Congress and under the Articles of Confederation . New York City was the first capital upon the adoption of the Constitution , succeeded by Philadelphia , which was capital from 1790 to 1800. On October 6, 1783, after the capital was forced by the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 to move to Princeton, Congress resolved to consider a new location for it. The following day, Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts moved "that buildings for

3335-739: The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801 , which officially organized the district and placed the entire territory under the exclusive control of the federal government. The area within the district was organized into two counties, the County of Washington to the east and north of the Potomac and the County of Alexandria to the west and south. After the Act's passage, citizens in the district were no longer considered residents of Maryland or Virginia, which ended their representation in Congress. On August 24, 1814, during

3450-656: The National Mall , including the Jefferson Memorial , the Lincoln Memorial , and the Washington Monument . It hosts 177 foreign embassies and serves as the headquarters for the World Bank , the International Monetary Fund , the Organization of American States , and other international organizations. Home to many of the nation's largest industry associations, non-profit organizations, and think tanks , D.C.

3565-533: The Northeast megalopolis . As the seat of the U.S. federal government , the city is an important world political capital . The city hosts the buildings that house federal government headquarters, including the White House , the Capitol, the Supreme Court Building , and multiple federal departments and agencies . The city is home to many national monuments and museums , located most prominently on or around

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3680-477: The Potomac River forms the district's border with Virginia and has two major tributaries, the Anacostia River and Rock Creek . Tiber Creek , a natural watercourse that once passed through the National Mall , was fully enclosed underground during the 1870s. The creek also formed a portion of the now-filled Washington City Canal , which allowed passage through the city to the Anacostia River from 1815 until

3795-428: The U.S. East Coast . The city has a total area of 68.34 square miles (177 km ), of which 61.05 square miles (158.1 km ) is land and 7.29 square miles (18.9 km ) (10.67%) is water. The district is bordered by Montgomery County, Maryland , to the northwest; Prince George's County, Maryland , to the east; Arlington County, Virginia , to the west; and Alexandria, Virginia , to the south. The south bank of

3910-523: The WNAC staff, led by announcer Ben Hadfield. In addition to religious services and educational talks, there were also cultural programs, including excerpts from "The Green Pastures," a play starring black actor Richard B. Harrison; and talks by the region's mayors, governors, and other political leaders. For sports fans, they could hear Boston Braves and Boston Red Sox baseball games, announced by Fred Hoey. College football, broadcast live from various schools in

4025-616: The War of 1812 , British forces invaded and occupied the city after defeating an American force at Bladensburg . In retaliation for acts of destruction by American troops in the Canadas , the British set fire to government buildings in the city, gutting the United States Capitol , the Treasury Building , and the White House in what became known as the burning of Washington . However, a storm forced

4140-600: The Washington Metro stations and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden are designed with strong influence from the 20th-century Brutalism movement. The Smithsonian Institution Building is built of Seneca red sandstone in the Norman Revival style. The Old Post Office building, located on Pennsylvania Avenue and completed in 1899, was the first building in the city to have a steel frame structure and

4255-515: The 1850s. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal starts in Georgetown and was used during the 19th century to bypass the Little Falls of the Potomac River, located at the northwest edge of the city at the Atlantic Seaboard fall line . The highest natural elevation in the district is 409 feet (125 m) above sea level at Fort Reno Park in upper northwest Washington, D.C. The lowest point

4370-473: The 2018 ParkScore ranking of the park systems of the nation's 100 most populous cities, according to Trust for Public Land , a non-profit organization. The National Park Service manages most of the 9,122 acres (36.92 km ) of city land owned by the U.S. government. Rock Creek Park is a 1,754-acre (7.10 km ) urban forest in Northwest Washington, which extends 9.3 miles (15.0 km) through

4485-525: The Bobby Norris Orchestra, which was also picked up by the Mutual Network; as well as various sports events, including Red Sox and Braves play-by-play, often announced by Jim Britt , who had been hired as a sportscaster by the Yankee Network in 1939. In mid-1941, it was announced that the network would soon change from its affiliation with NBC to a full-time affiliation with Mutual. In March 1942,

4600-502: The Boston Braves home games. Also, some announcers refused to cross the picket lines, requiring management to do some of the announcing during the strike. The pay dispute, which made the national news, took sixteen days to resolve and required the help of an arbitrator. The strike finally ended after the proposed wage cuts were canceled and a new salary agreement was reached, at which time the engineers and announcers returned to work. In

4715-504: The British to evacuate the city after just 24 hours. Most government buildings were repaired quickly, but the Capitol, which was largely under construction at the time, would not be completed in its current form until 1868. In the 1830s, the district's southern territory of Alexandria declined economically, due in part to its neglect by Congress. Alexandria was a major market in the domestic slave trade and pro-slavery residents feared that abolitionists in Congress would end slavery in

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4830-510: The District from its founding. The building of Washington likely relied in significant part on slave labor, and slave receipts have been found for the White House, Capitol Building, and establishment of Georgetown University. The city became an important slave market and a center of the nation's internal slave trade . After its survey, the new federal city was constructed on the north bank of

4945-480: The District of Columbia. Shepherd authorized large projects that modernized the city but bankrupted its government. In 1874, Congress replaced the territorial government with an appointed three-member board of commissioners. In 1888, the city's first motorized streetcars began service. Their introduction generated growth in areas of the district beyond the City of Washington's original boundaries, leading to an expansion of

5060-512: The FCC to award him WAAB's license; however, the FCC refused. Instead, in 1941, the commission made a ruling that came to be known as the Mayflower Decision which declared that radio stations, due to their public interest obligations, must remain neutral in matters of news and politics, and they were not allowed to give editorial support to any particular political position or candidate. The decision

5175-540: The Federal District to about the size of the national mall. Designed in 1791 by Pierre Charles L'Enfant , the city is divided into quadrants , which are centered around the Capitol Building and include 131 neighborhoods . As of the 2020 census , the city had a population of 689,545. Commuters from the city's Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the city's daytime population to more than one million during

5290-444: The Potomac River, to the east of Georgetown centered on Capitol Hill . On September 9, 1791, three commissioners overseeing the capital's construction named the city in honor of President Washington. The same day, the federal district was named Columbia, a feminine form of Columbus , which was a poetic name for the United States commonly used at that time. Congress held its first session there on November 17, 1800. Congress passed

5405-583: The Providence Symphony Orchestra. Dance music was often played by bandleader Joe Rines and his orchestra, or by other popular bandleaders like Dok Eisenbourg. The Yankee Network also had its own 22-piece orchestra, led by Charles R. Hector. Among other popular entertainers heard on the Yankee Network in the early 1930s were pianist, songwriter and bandleader Gus Arnheim, and local favorites " Hum and Strum ." The Yankee Network broadcast radio plays, featuring its own drama troupe, made up of members of

5520-455: The Residence Act, the exact location was to be selected by President George Washington , who signed the bill into law on July 16, 1790. Formed from land donated by Maryland and Virginia, the initial shape of the federal district was a square measuring 10 miles (16 km) on each side and totaling 100 square miles (259 km ). Two pre-existing settlements were included in the territory,

5635-464: The Senate, the statehood bill was introduced again in January 2023. The bill would have made D.C. into a state with one representative and two senators, with the name Washington, Douglas Commonwealth (thus keeping the same abbreviation Washington, D.C.). The legalities, reasons, and impact of statehood have been heavily debated in the 2020s. Washington, D.C., is located in the Mid-Atlantic region of

5750-881: The United States Constitution was ratified in 1961, granting the district three votes in the Electoral College for the election of president and vice president, but still not affording the city's residents representation in Congress. After the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, riots broke out in the city , primarily in the U ;Street, 14th Street, 7th Street, and H Street corridors, which were predominantly black residential and commercial areas. The riots raged for three days until more than 13,600 federal troops and Washington, D.C., Army National Guardsmen stopped

5865-673: The Winthrop (MA) Council of Christians and Jews; and a citation of merit award from the Dorchester/Blue Hills chapter of B'Nai B'rith, during Brotherhood Week. In 1947, Hum and Strum began to make some records, cutting eighteen songs for the Stellar Recording Company. Most were standards or popular songs of that era, and several became local hits in New England, thanks to radio and jukebox airplay. They also recorded an Irish novelty song that they had performed live (Tom Currier

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5980-717: The Yankee Network Weather Service was Salvatore Pagliuca, who had formerly worked at the Blue Hills Observatory and the Mount Washington Observatory . Throughout the early-to-mid 1930s, the Yankee Network continued to expand, picking up affiliates in such cities as Springfield, Massachusetts ; Hartford, Connecticut ; and Manchester, New Hampshire . The network also received support from advertisers, who saw it as an effective way to reach an audience that extended throughout New England. In 1935,

6095-447: The Yankee Network also started to carry some Mutual programs. Meanwhile, there were some changes in Boston radio that affected the Yankee Network. CBS had begun purchasing stations, in addition to providing network programming. In early 1936, CBS purchased Boston's WEEI , making it necessary for Shepard's WNAC to affiliate with a different network, NBC 's Red Network . The change officially took place in late September of that year. In

6210-517: The Yankee Network centralized its executive offices and studios in a new headquarters, 21 Brookline Avenue in Boston. The move followed a $ 25,000 renovation of the facilities. Also included in the building were studios and offices of WNAC and WAAB , the network's Boston stations. One area where the expansion was noticeable was in the news department, which was praised by national magazines like Variety for its coverage of state legislatures, as well as coverage of news-makers throughout New England. There

6325-416: The Yankee Network expanded into TV, it experienced some labor problems. In early May 1949, all of the network's eighty engineers, both from radio and television, went out on strike , to protest what were said to be steep wage cuts the ownership was asking them to take. Managers and other executives kept the stations on the air, but some remote broadcasts had to be canceled, including the scheduled telecasts of

6440-421: The Yankee Network was no longer as influential as it had once been. After experimenting with various formats (including talk radio , big band , and a brief attempt to play some of the softer top 40 hits), Yankee found itself struggling for a niche. Affiliates had dwindled: a majority of stations now preferred to have their own local staff, rather than relying on a regional network. Further, flagship station WNAC

6555-478: The Yankee Network's FM properties, there was a major obstacle. The Yankee Network faced a powerful opponent—the Radio Corporation of America (RCA—the majority owner of NBC), which saw FM as a threat to its established AM radio business. RCA was also concerned that Yankee's technique of "networking" their service around New England via inexpensive, off-air FM relays instead of AT&T phone lines, would open

6670-526: The Yankee Network, George Steffy. In December 1948, John Shepard Jr., who had run the Shepard Department Stores and provided early financial support for his son John III's radio venture, died at age 91. John Shepard III died from heart disease in mid-June 1950, at age 64. Meanwhile, television had come to Boston in early June 1948, when WBZ-TV debuted; the Yankee Network's TV station, WNAC-TV made its debut several weeks later, on June 21. But as

6785-560: The Yankee News Service, to provide his affiliates with regular local and regional news reports. It replaced the newscasts previously provided by reporters from the Boston Herald-Traveler , Boston American , and Boston Daily Record . Shepard hired Richard D. Grant, a former print journalist from the Boston Evening Transcript , to be in charge of the news broadcasts. Editor in chief was Leland Bickford, who co-wrote

6900-508: The already-implemented L'Enfant Plan , with the new McMillan Plan leading urban development in the city throughout the movement. Much of the old Victorian Mall was replaced with modern Neoclassical and Beaux-Arts architecture ; these designs are still prevalent in the city's governmental buildings today. Increased federal spending under the New Deal in the 1930s led to the construction of new government buildings, memorials, and museums in

7015-408: The amount of hourly newscasts, added more news bulletins, and sent out members of its Boston staff to post news headlines on billboards around the city. In August 1959, the Yankee Network de-affiliated itself from Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS), allowing 27 Yankee stations to affiliate directly with MBS. But despite its reputation for news, easy-listening music, and shows that homemakers enjoyed,

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7130-498: The area. Blizzards affect Washington once every four to six years on average. The most violent storms, known as nor'easters , often impact large regions of the East Coast . From January 27 to 28, 1922 , the city officially received 28 inches (71 cm) of snowfall, the largest snowstorm since official measurements began in 1885. According to notes kept at the time, the city received between 30 and 36 inches (76 and 91 cm) from

7245-556: The capital farther west, but President Ulysses S. Grant refused to consider the proposal. In the Organic Act of 1871 , Congress repealed the individual charters of the cities of Washington and Georgetown , abolished Washington County , and created a new territorial government for the whole District of Columbia. These steps made "the city of Washington...legally indistinguishable from the District of Columbia." In 1873, President Grant appointed Alexander Robey Shepherd as Governor of

7360-432: The capital moved from Philadelphia . In 1801, the District of Columbia, formerly part of Maryland and Virginia and including the existing settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria , was officially recognized as the federal district; initially, the city was a separate settlement within the larger district. In 1846, Congress returned the land originally ceded by Virginia , including the city of Alexandria. In 1871, it created

7475-585: The capital. In the Compromise of 1790 , Madison, Alexander Hamilton , and Thomas Jefferson agreed that the federal government would pay each state's remaining Revolutionary War debts in exchange for establishing the new national capital in the Southern United States . On July 9, 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act , which approved the creation of a national capital on the Potomac River . Under

7590-494: The city's 900 acres (3.6 km ) of athletic fields and playgrounds, 40 swimming pools, and 68 recreation centers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture operates the 446-acre (1.80 km ) United States National Arboretum in Northeast Washington, D.C. Washington's climate is humid subtropical ( Köppen : Cfa ), or oceanic ( Trewartha : Do bordering Cf downtown). Winters are cool to cold with some snow of varying intensity, while summers are hot and humid. The district

7705-455: The city's classical-style architecture include buildings constructed in the French Second Empire style, including the Eisenhower Executive Office Building , and the modernist Watergate complex . The Thomas Jefferson Building , the main Library of Congress building, and the historic Willard Hotel are built in Beaux-Arts style , popular throughout the world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Meridian Hill Park contains

7820-421: The city, was then tasked with completing its design. Though Ellicott revised the original L'Enfant plans, including changing some street patterns, L'Enfant is still credited with the city's overall design. By the early 20th century, however, L'Enfant's vision of a grand national capital was marred by slums and randomly placed buildings in the city, including a railroad station on the National Mall. Congress formed

7935-530: The city. Many of the government buildings, monuments, and museums along the National Mall and surrounding areas are heavily inspired by classical Roman and Greek architecture. The designs of the White House, the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court Building , Washington Monument , National Gallery of Art , Lincoln Memorial, and Jefferson Memorial are all heavily drawn from these classical architectural movements and feature large pediments, domes, columns in classical order, and heavy stone walls. Notable exceptions to

8050-406: The city. Precipitation occurs throughout the year. The highest recorded temperature was 106 °F (41 °C) on August 6, 1918, and on July 20, 1930. The lowest recorded temperature was −15 °F (−26 °C) on February 11, 1899 , right before the Great Blizzard of 1899 . During a typical year, the city averages about 37 days at or above 90 °F (32 °C) and 64 nights at or below

8165-420: The creation of a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress . As such, Washington, D.C., is not part of any state , and is not one itself. The Residence Act , adopted on July 16, 1790, approved the creation of the capital district along the Potomac River. The city was founded in 1791, and the 6th Congress held the first session in the unfinished Capitol Building in 1800 after

8280-477: The district . Alexandria's citizens petitioned Virginia to retake the land it had donated to form the district, a process known as retrocession . The Virginia General Assembly voted in February 1846, to accept the return of Alexandria. On July 9, 1846, Congress went further, agreeing to return all territory that Virginia had ceded to the district during its formation. This left the district's area consisting only of

8395-490: The district over the next few decades. Georgetown's street grid and other administrative details were formally merged with those of the City of Washington in 1895. However, the city had poor housing and strained public works, leading it to become the first city in the nation to undergo urban renewal projects as part of the City Beautiful movement in the early 20th century. The City Beautiful movement built heavily upon

8510-515: The district, though the chairman of the House Subcommittee on District Appropriations, Ross A. Collins of Mississippi , justified cuts to funds for welfare and education for local residents by saying that "my constituents wouldn't stand for spending money on niggers." World War II led to an expansion of federal employees in the city; by 1950, the district's population reached its peak of 802,178 residents. The Twenty-third Amendment to

8625-580: The door to many less well-funded groups establishing competition to RCA's established network, NBC. RCA, under general manager David Sarnoff , successfully pressured the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to move the FM radio spectrum from 42–50 MHz to 88–108 MHz in 1945. This required massive hardware retooling at all FM broadcasters. Some affiliates dropped out, forcing the Yankee Network to lease phone lines from AT&T to fill in

8740-562: The early-to-mid 1950s, the Yankee Network continued doing what it had become known for: providing local news, daytime programs aimed at housewives, music from local orchestras, and live sports broadcasts. Among the most popular personalities on the Yankee Network during this time were Bill Hahn and Ruth Mugglebee, who hosted a daily homemaking and cooking show (in 1955, Bill Hahn got a different female co-host, Duncan MacDonald; news commentator and (print reporter) Bill Cunningham; and Louise Morgan, who had begun her career on radio at WNAC in 1943 and

8855-456: The emphasis at many radio stations had shifted to playing records. As the top-40 hit format proliferated, in an effort to attract the growing youth audience, WNAC and the Yankee Network stayed with the older music; this earned them praise from a number of newspaper columnists, many of whom were also getting older and found top-40 unpleasant. For them, WNAC's and the Yankee Network's emphasis on "great standards " and songs with "beautiful melodies"

8970-463: The federal level, politically disenfranchised since the city's residents do not have voting representation in Congress; the city's residents elect a single non-voting congressional delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives. The city's voters choose three presidential electors in accordance with the Twenty-third Amendment , passed in 1961. Washington, D.C. anchors the southern end of

9085-666: The first to use electrical wiring in its design. Notable contemporary residential buildings, restaurants, shops, and office buildings in the city include the Wharf on the Southwest Waterfront , Navy Yard along the Anacostia River , and CityCenterDC in Downtown . The Wharf has seen the construction of several high-rise office and residential buildings overlooking the Potomac River . Additionally, restaurants, bars, and shops have been opened at street level. Many of these buildings have

9200-404: The freezing mark (32 °F or 0 °C). On average, the first day with a minimum at or below freezing is November 18 and the last day is March 27. Washington, D.C., was a planned city , and many of the city's street grids were developed in that initial plan. In 1791, President George Washington commissioned Pierre Charles L'Enfant , a French-born military engineer and artist, to design

9315-447: The holes between stations. The added costs to broadcasters and the obsolescence of all FM radios at the time set back FM broadcasting for a decade or more. Despite the setback with FM, the Yankee Network seemed to be doing well. There were a number of popular programs, including "Ruth Moss Interviews," featuring conversations with local and national celebrities; a variety show called "Yankee House Party," featuring organist Frank Cronin and

9430-540: The late 1930s, Shepard had become interested in frequency modulation (later known as FM). In 1937 a plan was developed envisioning that 90% of New England could be provided with FM programs by building mountaintop stations, consisting of a 50 kilowatt transmitter on Mount Asnebumskit at Paxton, Massachusetts , plus 5 kilowatt stations on Mount Washington in New Hampshire and Mount Mansfield in Vermont. (Later plans dropped

9545-439: The late 1950s, on the stage, on radio, and then on television. Max Zides (Hum) and Tom Currier (Strum) met at Boston's High School of Commerce; they were both Class of 1921. At Commerce, they were on the track team together, and they became friends. But it was not until a few years later that they became a vocal duo. Before that happened, Zides, who played the ukulele, was performing as a solo artist over WBZ radio. His day job

9660-463: The need for the national government not to rely on any state for its own security. Article One, Section Eight of the Constitution permits the establishment of a "District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States". However, the constitution does not specify a location for

9775-417: The network debuted six new studios, including one especially equipped for FM, as well as several with better acoustics and new musical instruments for the Yankee Network's orchestras; one studio featured a custom-designed organ, said to be the largest in use at any radio station. In 1938, a former Yankee Network employee named Lawrence J. Flynn challenged the license of Shepard's WAAB in Boston, and also lodged

9890-409: The network, he was now in poor health; the day-to-date operation of the network was being handled by Executive Vice President and General Manager Linus Travers, a veteran of the network who had worked for Shepard since being hired in 1927 as an announcer and commercial manager. When Travers was promoted to an executive position at Mutual in September 1948, he was replaced by another long-time employee of

10005-496: The new capital. He enlisted the help of Isaac Roberdeau, Étienne Sulpice Hallet and Scottish surveyor Alexander Ralston to help lay out the city plan. The L'Enfant Plan featured broad streets and avenues radiating out from rectangles, providing room for open space and landscaping. L'Enfant was also provided a roll of maps by Thomas Jefferson depicting Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Strasbourg, Paris, Orleans, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Turin, and Milan. L'Enfant's design also envisioned

10120-541: The north and south sides of the National Mall, respectively, are home to many of Washington's iconic museums, including many Smithsonian Institution buildings and the National Archives Building . Washington hosts 177 foreign embassies ; these maintain nearly 300 buildings and more than 1,600 residential properties, many of which are on a section of Massachusetts Avenue informally known as Embassy Row . The architecture of Washington, D.C., varies greatly and

10235-404: The number of blocks away from the Capitol. Most streets are set out in a grid pattern with east–west streets named with letters (e.g., C Street SW), north–south streets with numbers (e.g., 4th Street NW), and diagonal avenues, many of which are named after states . The City of Washington was bordered on the north by Boundary Street (renamed Florida Avenue in 1890); Rock Creek to the west, and

10350-553: The parent broadcasting system based in the studios of WEAF in New York. Shepard's FM network officially made its debut in December 1940 when W1XOJ in Paxton was permanently linked with W1XER on Mount Washington. Because of their superior audio quality, the FM stations became known for broadcasting live classical music concerts. But while John Shepard III was making plans to further expand

10465-563: The port of Georgetown , founded in 1751, and the port city of Alexandria, Virginia , founded in 1749. In 1791 and 1792, a team led by Andrew Ellicott , including Ellicott's brothers Joseph and Benjamin and African American astronomer Benjamin Banneker , whose parents had been enslaved, surveyed the borders of the federal district and placed boundary stones at every mile point; many of these stones are still standing. Both Maryland and Virginia were slave states , and slavery existed in

10580-472: The portion originally donated by Maryland. Confirming the fears of pro-slavery Alexandrians, the Compromise of 1850 outlawed the slave trade in the district, although not slavery itself. The outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 led to the expansion of the federal government and notable growth in the city's population, including a large influx of freed slaves. President Abraham Lincoln signed

10695-551: The proposed Mount Mansfield station). With the help of the inventor of FM, Major Edwin H. Armstrong , the Yankee Network inaugurated the nation's first FM radio network, beginning with an early January 1940 demonstration of an FM inter-city relay, linking Shepard's experimental FM station W1XOJ in Paxton, Massachusetts, to an FM transmitter at station W1XPW in Meriden, Connecticut (now WHCN ), to Armstrong's W2XMN in Alpine, New Jersey , to

10810-513: The public informed, broadcasting weather reports and news coverage around the clock until the storm had ended; and later, WMAS raised funds for on-going disaster relief in the region. Despite John Shepard's affiliation of his Yankee Network stations with CBS, he still became involved in the founding of a new network, which came to be known as the Mutual Broadcasting System , and he served on its board of directors. Beginning around 1936,

10925-526: The region in the early 17th century. The Nacotchtank , also called the Nacostines by Catholic missionaries , maintained settlements around the Anacostia River in present-day Washington, D.C. Conflicts with European colonists and neighboring tribes ultimately displaced the Piscataway people, some of whom established a new settlement in 1699 near Point of Rocks, Maryland . Nine cities served as capitals to

11040-496: The region, was also a popular feature. In addition to providing local and regional programming, the Yankee Network was also affiliated with the Columbia Broadcasting System (later known as CBS), which provided national programs to complement Yankee's New England focus. By 1931, the network was also offering regular news broadcasts, on the half-hour, making use of reporting by some of Boston's newspapers. But by 1933,

11155-409: The relationship between print and radio had become contentious, with newspapers no longer willing to provide news to radio stations. The so-called "Press-Radio Agreement" limited the number of newscasts radio stations could broadcast to only two a day, and listeners were very upset that they could no longer hear regular news on the air. In early March 1934, John Shepard III organized his own news bureau,

11270-442: The sale of WLAW, the higher-powered 680 frequency became available and WNAC moved there; the 1260 AM frequency was purchased by Victor C. Diehm, a station owner from Hazleton, Pennsylvania , and christened WVDA. After operating station WVDA in Boston, Diehm would later go on to become president of the Mutual network. As top-40 radio became dominant on AM in the late 1950s, the Yankee Network continued to program for an audience that

11385-414: The top 3 nationally among all radio performers. During 1933-34, Hum and Strum returned to Cleveland, where they had become very popular when they performed on the air in 1929. This time, they mostly sang over station WTAM. They then returned to Boston, resuming their regular performances over WBZ, and doing live performances throughout New England. The duo were always well-received, wherever they played:

11500-576: The two men were unpretentious, and genuinely enthusiastic about entertaining their listeners. In the late 1920s, Hum and Strum were being heard on stations outside of Boston, including performances on the NBC Blue Network. Beginning in early July 1929, they performed in Cleveland on station WHK as the Oxiton Joy Boys, sponsored by a company that made mouthwash. One 1929 listeners' poll ranked them in

11615-565: The use of Congress be erected on the banks of the Delaware near Trenton , or of the Potomac , near Georgetown , provided a suitable district can be procured on one of the rivers as aforesaid, for a federal town". In Federalist No. 43 , published January 23, 1788, James Madison argued that the new federal government would need authority over a national capital to provide for its own maintenance and safety. The Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 emphasized

11730-442: The violence. Many stores and other buildings were burned, and rebuilding from the riots was not completed until the late 1990s. In 1973, Congress enacted the District of Columbia Home Rule Act providing for an elected mayor and 13-member council for the district. In 1975, Walter Washington became the district's first elected and first black mayor. Since the 1980s, the D.C. statehood movement has grown in prominence. In 2016,

11845-532: The width of the adjacent street plus 20 feet (6.1 m). Despite popular belief, no law has ever limited buildings to the height of the United States Capitol or the 555-foot (169 m) Washington Monument , which remains the district's tallest structure. City leaders have cited the height restriction as a primary reason that the district has limited affordable housing and its metro area has suburban sprawl and traffic problems. Washington, D.C., still has

11960-407: The workweek. The Washington metropolitan area , which includes parts of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia , is the country's seventh-largest metropolitan area , with a 2023 population of 6.3 million residents. A locally elected mayor and 13-member council have governed the district since 1973, though Congress retains the power to overturn local laws. Washington, D.C., residents are, on

12075-474: Was Vin Maloney, who like Saunders, fulfilled a wide range of functions for WNAC and the Yankee Network, including announcing, news-reading, and covering sports. The Yankee News Service remained popular throughout the 1950s, and listeners relied on it for local news and sports; this was especially true in the summer of 1957, when Boston's newspapers went on strike. WNAC, WNAC-TV, and the entire Yankee Network increased

12190-548: Was at the Loew's State Theater in Boston, where they were paid $ 100 a week. They were soon playing other key venues, like Boston's Keith-Albee Theatre, and The Palace in New York. In one of their early vaudeville performances, they shared the bill with George Burns and Gracie Allen. Hum and Strum built a loyal following by developing a formula that served them well throughout their career: audiences liked their close vocal harmonies, and appreciated their humorous banter; critics noted that

12305-426: Was for sale. The purchaser was General Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio , led by its president William O'Neil. The new owner agreed that John Shepard III would stay on at the head of the Yankee Network for the next five years. In 1947, the Yankee Network's flagship station, WNAC, celebrated its 25th anniversary, but this milestone was commemorated in a very low-key manner. While Shepard continued on as head of

12420-637: Was now aging. In fact, at many stations, the programming content was undergoing a number of changes: for one thing, few stations had live orchestras any more. With television becoming popular, many programs previously heard only on radio moved over to TV. Even soap operas, long a staple of network programming on radio, ceased in 1960. Also during this time period, many stations stopped relying on syndicated programs from NBC, CBS, ABC , or Mutual and began to do their own programming: in Boston, for example, WBZ ended its long affiliation with NBC to program its own music, using live and local announcers. Just like with WBZ,

12535-527: Was now also seen on WNAC-TV hosting a fashion and celebrity interview program. In the summer of 1953, WNAC in Boston was able to switch to a better frequency, after Lawrence, Massachusetts , radio station WLAW (owned by the Lawrence Eagle and Tribune newspaper) decided to cease broadcasting, and its owner, Irving E. Rogers, sold the station. WLAW had been occupying 680 kHz with 50,000 watts, while WNAC had been at 1260 kHz with 5,000 watts. Thanks to

12650-456: Was of Irish ancestry); the song was issued on a Boston label, Copley Records, around the same time period at the Stellar sides. Meanwhile, Hum and Strum discovered they had two unexpected fans: radio comedy duo Bob and Ray. Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding enjoyed listening to them on Boston radio, and even did a parody of Hum and Strum during a "Matinee with Bob and Ray" program. (The parody, including

12765-471: Was preparing to switch to a top-40 hit music format (under the call letters WRKO ). The Yankee Network's parent company, RKO General , announced the network would be disbanded. It officially ceased operation on February 26, 1967. Hum and Strum Hum and Strum were a popular vaudevillian musical duo from the Boston, Massachusetts area. Their singing career began in the early 1920s and lasted through

12880-399: Was some early controversy over John Shepard's policy of inserting brief "plugs" (sponsor mentions) into the newscasts, but Shepard defended the practice as necessary in order to support the broadcasts. Gradually, as the network hired more staff and was able to cover stories more extensively, the complaints diminished. By 1939, the Yankee Network was said to be the first regional network to send

12995-486: Was very comforting. The Yankee stations, especially flagship WNAC, played the music that the older audience enjoyed, avoiding songs that were popular with young people and focusing on " easy listening " music. One popular announcer during this time was Gus Saunders, who was also well known as the host of another of the Yankee Network's cooking programs; in addition, Saunders announced some of the network's sports events, such as Boston's BAA Marathon . Another popular announcer

13110-512: Was very unpopular with broadcasters, who saw it as a form of censorship . But despite widespread dissatisfaction, the FCC did not officially reverse the Mayflower Decision until 1949. In 1941, the FCC ruled that owners could not own more than one station in the same city. Shepard owned two Boston stations: WNAC and its sister station WAAB. To comply with the FCC's ruling, Shepard needed to move WAAB. He decided to relocate it to Worcester,

13225-863: Was working in the advertising department of the Boston Globe, but he hoped to become a full-time radio performer. One day, at the offices of a music publisher, Zides ran into Currier, who would later play piano for Hum and Strum. At the time, Currier was driving a truck, but he too hoped to get a break and work in the entertainment business. They decided to form a vocal duo, which became known as Hum and Strum. Zides and Currier first began performing together over greater Boston's pioneering radio station WGI at Medford Hillside in April 1924. They quickly became regulars on Boston radio, mostly performing on WBZ, but sometimes being heard on WEEI. They were hard-working musicians: in addition to singing on radio, they regularly performed in area clubs; their first series of performances

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