George Washington

"I am well acquainted with Gen.l W. who is a man of very few words but when he speaks it is on purpose [and] what I have often admired in him is he [has] always avoided saying anything of the actions in which he has engaged in the last war. [H]e is uncommonly modest, very industrious - prudent." Charles Willson Peale to Edmond Jennings, August 1775

The Strange Case of George Washington’s Disappearing Sash

How an early (and controversial) symbol of the American republic was lost to the annals of history

"America is lost!" wrote George III.

Now We’ll Finally Get to See the American Revolution Through the Eyes of King George

A treasure trove of nearly 350,000 documents, about to be released to the public, reveals new insights about how George III lost the colonies

The West Front of Mount Vernon, by Edward Savage, 1787-1792

In a Groundbreaking Exhibit at Mount Vernon, Slaves Speak and History Listens

Life at the home of George Washington is told anew

A late-18th century painting of George and Martha Washington with their adoptive children, George Washington Parke Custis and Nelly Custis, as well as one of their slaves.

George Washington’s Biracial Family Is Getting New Recognition

The National Park Service is finally acknowledging the first president’s biracial family

The key to the Bastille, as held in Mount Vernon's collections.

How the Key to the Bastille Ended Up in George Washington’s Possession

A gift from an old friend is one of Mount Vernon’s most fascinating objects

An exterior rendering of the museum, set to open in April 2017.

A New Museum Is Bringing Relics of the Revolutionary War Into Public View for the First Time in Decades

Scheduled to open next year in Philadelphia, the museum will immerse visitors into the time when the American colonies became the United States

George Washington's bedpan

The Strange Saga of George Washington’s Bedpan

Even the most mundane of objects associated with the Founding Father have a story

The Cape Hatteras Light of North Carolina, on the Atlantic Ocean.

The Lonely, Lifesaving Job of Lighthouse Keepers, Revealed at the National Lighthouse Museum

A new museum in Staten Island tells the stories of men and women who ran lighthouses throughout America’s history and shows off some unique antiques

Red Rocks Park, Jefferson County, Colorado.

The Parks Service Just Added Four New National Historic Landmarks

Masonic memorials, bison jumps and parks

How George Washington Did His Hair

Despite the powder and curls it wasn't a wig at all

'Presidents’ Day' Doesn't Actually Exist

Despite what furniture stores and car dealerships tell you, officially, we’re really just celebrating George Washington’s birthday

A slave cabin at Mount Vernon, George Washington's estate in Virginia.

George Washington Used Legal Loopholes to Avoid Freeing His Slaves

One of his slaves fled to New Hampshire to escape becoming a wedding present

George Washington by Charles Willson Peale

The First State of the Union Address: Way Shorter, Way Less Clapping

In his First Annual Message to Congress, George Washington outlined the country’s most pressing issues and kicked off a flexible annual tradition

George Washington's only complete set of dentures, made out of lead, human teeth, cow teeth and elephant ivory.  

George Washington Didn’t Have Wooden Teeth—They Were Ivory

Washington's teeth were made of a lot of things, but not wood

A view of the Tidal Basin with the Jefferson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr., Memorials.

The Best View of Washington is Now Open to the Public

Take in views of our nation's capital from the Washington Monument, more than 500 feet about the National Mall

Patience Wright, c. 1782. Artist unknown.

The Madame Tussaud of the American Colonies Was a Founding Fathers Stalker

Patience Wright remained independence-minded in her correspondence with Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson

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When LBJ Ordered Pants From the White House

Johnson liked his Haggar slacks slack—and colorfully described a special custom-cut

The 5.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Washington, D.C. on August 23 caused damage to the Washington Monument.

Scaling the Washington Monument

Mountaineering park ranger Brandon Latham talks about how engineers investigated the monument from hundreds of feet above the ground

On February 4, 1789, the 69 members of the Electoral College made George Washington the only chief executive to be unanimously elected.

George Washington: The Reluctant President

It seemed as if everyone rejoiced at the election of our first chief executive except the man himself

Many of George Washington's decisions during his long career were made only after careful readings of the existing cartographical materials.

George Washington and His Maps

In his journey from surveyor to soldier to leader, our first president used cartography to get a feel for the young nation

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