1. In 1790, Congress approved a permanent location for the District of Columbia in a bill signed by President George Washington.

2. On July 7, 1863, during the Civil War, Congress passed a special act granting freedom to former slaves who had served in the Union Army.

3. In 1900, the United States Census revealed that the population of the District of Columbia had reached 278,718, an increase of 31.4% since the previous census in 1890.

4. On July 7, 1932, the Bonus Army, a group of WWI veterans and their families, clashed with police and military forces while protesting for early payment of bonuses that they had been promised but not yet received.

5. In 1976, the District of Columbia became the first place in the United States to allow residents to vote in a presidential election without having to wait for the electoral college to cast its votes, thanks to the ratification of the 23rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.