metro area: washington / arlington / alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
ford’s theatre
from abraham lincoln posted in history by speedy_dee
The Ford's Theatre is where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865. The murder has yet to be solved...
view full location details...the ambassador hotel
from the lost scrapbook, evan dara posted in literature by nevereatshreddedwheat
—CBS flew us in on the following Saturday afternoon and put us up in the Ambassador Hotel—
– The Lost Scrapbook p. 287
Former location of the Ambassador Hotel in Washington D.C. I'm not sure when this particular story was supposed to take place, but the Ambassador was torn down in 1979.
view full location details...arlington national cemetery
from ira hayes, johnny cash, bob dylan posted in music by pete_nice
Ira Hayes was a Pima Native American and a US Marine during World War II. The Pima Indian Reservation struggled to grow successful crops in Arizona after the government diverted most of the water supply, and Ira joined the Marines to be able to send money home to his family.
On February 19, 1945, Hayes was part of the 5th Marine Division that landed on Iwo Jima. On February 23, 1945, he was one of the five men portrayed in the iconic picture of Marines raising the second American flag on Suribachi (Ira is the one in back with the outstretched fingers).
Hayes became a celebrity because of the photo. He was pulled out of combat and put on a Bond Tour to raise money for the war. He constantly deferred attention to his fallen comrades, but starred in the John Wayne film, Sands of Iwo Jima as himself.
Ira Hayes accumulated 52 arrests for public drunkenness in the ensuing years. In 1955, he died in a ditch of alcohol poisoning and exposure.
A folk song, "The Ballad of Ira Hayes" was written by Peter La Farge. The song was covered by Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and Johnny Cash (Cash's version went to #3 of the Billboard charts).
view full location details...dischord house
from minor threat, fugazi posted in music by crabapple
Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson moved into this bungalow in 1981, and Dischord Records has been associated with it since then. It served as the practice space and residence of Minor Threat, including some of the seminal photos associated with them taken on the porch. The band split the $525 rent, but couldn't afford to pay for heating oil, so they would sit around in sleeping bags.
Ian MacKaye eventually gained ownership for the house, and today it serves as an office space for Dischord Records.
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