Tomorrow the National Archives will release the 1940 census data, the first ever full census to go directly to a digital format. more ›

David Rubenstein, the billionaire venture capitalist and philanthropist, unveiled at the National Archives this morning his copy of the Magna Carta, the 13th-century English document that set the groundwork for our system of common law. more ›

In this morning's roundup, we noted that Leslie Charles Waffen, a former National Archives employee, was scheduled to appear in a Maryland court on charges that he stole almost a thousand “sound recording items” belonging to the federal government. Today, Waffen admitted he stole the items, but that really isn't the most interesting part of the story. more ›

If you're an American history buff, you'll want to check out this video by the Nationals Archives, which details historians' efforts to try and figure out what President Richard Nixon and his chief of staff H.R. "Bob" Haldeman were talking about during an 18 1/2-minute gap in a recording made shortly after five men were arrested for breaking into the Watergate complex in 1972. more ›

Superstar Chef José Andrés will temporarily shut down Penn Quarter's Café Atlántico this summer to open a pop-up restaurant paying tribute to the history of American cooking. more ›

The Washington Post noted this morning that the National Archives will soon ban photography by visitors who have come to see the Declaration of Independence and other founding documents in their main exhibition hall. Currently, photography -- with no flash -- is permitted in the hall. After the change, professional photographers and media can still arrange with the Archives to take pictures; tourists will be allowed to bring their cameras (and cell phones, video cameras, etc) into the hall but will be warned by the guards if they use them, and escorted out of the building if they ignore the warning. more ›

On this grim, gray Sunday, Washingtonians have a couple of options. They can stay in and root for their NFC East brethren, the Dallas Cowboys, as they face off against the dread Minnesota Vikings. Barring that -- and I understand some Redskins are unable to acknowledge NFC East solidarity -- the National Mall offers a number of warm, dry, and brightly lit rooms for appreciating national treasures. K's Clicks features an inviting image from the National Archives. more ›

• David Ferriero has been named the new Archivist of the National Archives, the tenth such figure to hold the position. As such, he must regularly square off against Nicolas Cage, keep an eye out for Tom Hanks, and stay abreast of Ben Stiller's whereabouts.
• This sure is the most horrifying story I've read in ages.
• The macaron is the new cupcake. If Metrocurean says so, I will believe it. Then I will continue to favor my dessert of choice, the half-smoke.

Commenter Lionel M. Hutz linked to a video yesterday in our post about the 1-year jail sentence handed down to the former Metrobus driver who struck and killed two women in February. Rusty over at why.i.hate.dc also linked to it this morning, and since then, the DCist Staff email list has been filled with a lot of phrases like "Wow", "Holy crap!" and "That's the single most horrific piece of video I've seen in a... more ›

Being somewhat of a history buff, I remember being bummed when I first moved to D.C. to discover the National Archives were closed for renovations. A few years later, the doors opened again, and finally seeing these amazing, centuries old documents in person is something I won't forget. Flickr user FrogMiller took this crystal clear photo (with no flash, of course) of Mr. Hancock's famous signature. EXIF. more ›

>> Don't miss our full preview and interview with Bonde do Role, playing tonight at the Black Cat with Plastic Little and local experimental audio/visual artist Edie Sedgwick. $10, 8 p.m. >> >> DC9's got The Daybreak Line and The Beanstalk Library, who we recently profiled in a Three Stars piece, and Athens, GA's The Winter Sounds. $8, 9:30 p.m. >> I have vivid memories of watching the significantly creepy 1960 TV version of... more ›

>> Tragedy strikes the best little bar in Arlington! According to a MySpace bulletin, some miscreant has run off with Galaxy Hut's kareoke equipment, effectively squashing DCist Amanda's favorite way to spend a Thursday night. Why would someone do such a thing? Especially since wherever they take it is sure to have an inferior beer selection to the equipment's original home. Do your part and go spend some money at G Hut so they can... more ›

FRIDAY: >> At 11 a.m. today or noon tomorrow, grab the kids and a box or twelve of tissues and head down to the National Archives for a screening of An American Tail. Part of their celebration of Jewish American Heritage Month, they're sharing the story of Fivel and his cheese-paved streets with the next generation. We can only assume they'll watch it over and over like we did, each time hoping Fivel doesn't go... more ›

People have been asking us: What's that big film crew doing downtown today? Why must my commute be ruined by greedy Hollywood movie producers? The answer: Why it's National Treasure: Book of Secrets, the sequel to the polarizing Nicholas Cage swashbuckler, of course. Here's the details on the filming for today, though circuses of production vehicles will likely be popping up elsewhere around the city for a while longer. The D.C. Department of Transportation (DDOT),... more ›

The recently flooded National Archives is closed but still active, hosting some neat events on this, our nation's birthday. Earlier this morning, a crowd of sweaty people gathered at the Archives to hear historical figures (or at least their reenactors) read the Declaration of Independence. Announced by a town crier, the historical impersonators of the documents' framers, Thomas Jefferson (suitably fire-haired), Ben Franklin, and John Adams, as well as two injured Iraq war soldiers and... more ›

DCist is happy to share news this week of area events and exhibits by our fellow bloggers. First off, Lenny Campello of DC Art News, opens a show of his recent drawings on Friday at the Georgetown Fraser Gallery. There's a reception for the show that night from 6-9 p.m. A drawing from the exhibit is shown at right. more ›

When we tried to learn more about the Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and Culture, we couldn't find much information about it. Sure, there's plenty of media and other mentions on the web and a bare-bones website, but the Smithsonian isn't sure quite where it will go, let alone precisely what exhibits will be on display. more ›

Good morning Washington, the good weather is continuing, according to Capital Weather. This photo, by Matthew Bradley posted in DCist Photos via Flickr, shows somebody repairing a security camera at the National Archives. more ›

Don't forget to check out DCist's Arts Agenda and Weekly Music Picks for additional entertainment events, including gallery crawls and gypsy punk band Gogol Bardello Saturday at the Black Cat. FRIDAY: >> Everyone is buzzing about The Music/Kasabian show at the 9:30 Club tonight, but if you miss it, you can head to DC9 afterwards for the official Kasabian afterparty -- just show your handstamp from the 9:30 Club and you can get in free... more ›

Love documentary film? If so, you're in luck. The National Archives has teamed up with the Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film and the Academy of Motion Picture to present all of the 2005 Oscar-nominated documentaries and short films for free in their William G. McGowan Theater. more ›

We're still a week away from Inauguration Day, and we're already being warned about how road closures and security perimeters could disrupt the normal goings on of the city. Some might ask: "Is worth going to anyway?" (A bigger question is, will President Bush -- as Jimmy Carter is seen doing in the National Archives photo above -- walk the parade route in a post 9/11 world?) more ›

You've got to give them credit to try to make the most of an opportunity. The tourism boards of Washington D.C. and Philadelphia have teamed up to launch movietour.org, a website offering travelers discounts on hotels and travel and an itinerary to encourage people to explore some sites featured in the film National Treasure. more ›

Good morning, Washington. As you can see from this photo outside this DCist's apartment, it's pretty foggy out. And please pardon Cornucopia (some call her Ariel) here, an overzealous neighbor may have gone a little overboard with the holiday decorations. It's caused quite the stir on 39th Street NW. Anyhow, we hope your commutes weren't too frustrating. WMATA to Go After Local Jurisdictions for Money: In order to meet its $1 billion budget proposal, WMATA... more ›

First Sandy Berger's sock incident at the National Archives, then Nicholas Cage breaks into Archives, now there's a missing portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt from the Archives' collection, according to WTOP. But there are other items missing, including dozens of presidential pardons. The Archives admits that the FDR portrait may be sitting in a landfill after being accidentally thrown out, but other items have turned up on eBay. more ›

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, official repository of government records, unveiled today a new exhibit of some of their collections. more ›

Those who love (or despise) Dan Brown's literary crack, some more details about his new book, which will be set in Washington, are coming to the surface. The NY Times reports that during a reporters roundtable, Brown's publisher let the title of the book slip. The "Da Vinci Code" author's new book is titled "The Solomon Key," which we're Googling right now to see what it may be tied to. more ›