1. On July 14, 1790, President George Washington signed the Residence Act, which established the federal district and capital city of Washington, D.C. The act designated a 10-mile square area along the Potomac River as the permanent site for the nation's capital.

2. In 1864, during the Civil War, Confederate forces under General Jubal Early launched an unsuccessful raid on Washington, D.C. The attack, known as the Battle of Fort Stevens, was the only time that Confederate forces directly threatened the city.

3. On July 14, 1902, Congress passed the Reclamation Act, also known as the Newlands Act. This landmark legislation authorized the federal government to fund and oversee large-scale irrigation projects in the arid West. Many of these projects, such as the Hoover Dam and the Grand Coulee Dam, helped transform the region's economy and ecology.

4. In 1939, the National Air and Space Museum opened as part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The museum houses one of the world's largest collections of historic aircraft and spacecraft, including the Wright Brothers' Flyer and the Apollo 11 command module.

5. On July 14, 1969, President Richard Nixon signed an executive order that established the White House Office of Consumer Affairs. This office was created to ensure that consumer interests were represented throughout the federal government, and it has since played a key role in advocating for consumer protection and education.