London Mevaa, a 17-year-old from Prince George’s County, sang the song at its premiere performance.

Maj. Nathaniel Michler ignored half of his directive in drawing up what would become the fourth national park.

About 500 people rallied and marched through D.C. Friday night in an emotional appeal to stop the killing of civilians in Syria, saying “Aleppo didn’t fall, we did.”

It’s amazing what turns up in your yard when you live near a Civil War battlefield.

The White House made good on its pledge to respond to the secession petitions that reached the requisite number of signatures on its “We the People” site, and said that no one will be allowed to secede this time.

It hasn’t even been a week since the election, and already Americans in 20 states have decided they’ve had enough with the grand experiment in democracy that is these United States.

History buffs and Civil War aficionados are in for a treat this weekend, with events marking the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest single day in the entirety of the war between the states.

War, photography and the NEXT GENERATION in this week’s Arts Agenda.

Local videographer and DCist reader Raymond Schillinger read our post about yesterday’s celebration of aeronaut Thaddeus Lowe’s 1861 military balloon reconnaissance demonstration in front of the Smithsonian Castle, and sent in this video he recorded during the event, including a nice time-lapse of the balloon being inflated.

As I type, a huge balloon is being inflated on the National Mall. Has a challenge for a hot air balloon race around the world been issued? Sadly, no. But the real reason is pretty interesting, in its own way.