1. In 1842, the famous American author Herman Melville arrived in Washington D.C. During his time there, he visited the White House and met with President John Tyler.

2. On August 9, 1969, hundreds of anti-Vietnam War protestors staged a peaceful sit-in at the Justice Department headquarters in D.C. Police arrested more than 200 people who refused to leave the building.

3. In 1945, President Harry Truman signed the United Nations Charter, a treaty establishing the international organization. The signing took place at the U.S. Department of State in Washington D.C.

4. On August 9, 1974, President Richard Nixon resigned from office amidst the Watergate scandal. He announced his resignation in a nationally televised speech from the Oval Office.

5. In 1936, the D.C. Transit System became the first public transportation company in the country to hire a female bus driver. Charlotte Weaver began her career with the company on August 9 of that year.