Boundary Stones

Did the Hope Diamond Curse a Washington, D.C. Family?

According to legend, the Hope Diamond has a centuries-old curse and brings disaster to everyone who possesses it. But that didn't deter Washington, D.C. socialites Evalyn Walsh McLean and her husband Ned. After they bought the diamond from the Cartier Jewelry Company in 1911, Evalyn proclaimed, "Bad luck objects, for me, are lucky." For the next 36 years, fate would test that theory.

Did the Hope Diamond Curse a Washington, D.C. Family?

4m 43s

  • How Smokey Bear Became an Icon and a Real Life Neighbor in Washington DC: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    How Smokey Bear Became an Icon and a Real Life Neighbor in Washington DC

    4m 9s

    In 1950, an orphaned bear cub was rescued from a wildfire in New Mexico and brought to Washington to live at the National Zoo. Named "Smokey" after the popular Forest Service character, the cub became a real life advocate for fire prevention and got so much fan mail that the U.S. Postal Service gave him his own private D.C. zipcode.

  • Washington, D.C.’s First Election Riot: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Washington, D.C.’s First Election Riot

    2m 46s

    Even in Washington, D.C.'s long and complex history of suffrage, the deadly election riot of June 1, 1857, stands out. That was the day anti-immigrant rioters — armed with sledgehammers, pistols, and even a cannon — attempted to win an election through brutal violence at the polls, clashing with police and forcing President James Buchanan to order out the United States Marines.

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