1. In 1790, Congress approved the establishment of a federal district as the permanent capital of the United States, which would later be called the District of Columbia.

2. In 1830, the cornerstone was laid for the Smithsonian Institution, a world-renowned museum and research complex in Washington, D.C.

3. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the National Industrial Recovery Act, which established the National Recovery Administration and aimed to stimulate economic recovery from the Great Depression.

4. In 1960, the first parking meter installed in the District of Columbia went into operation, sparking controversy and protests from motorists who saw it as a government intrusion.

5. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities and requiring accessibility standards in public places, buildings, and transportation. Washington, D.C. played a key role in the disability rights movement and hosted the famous Capitol Crawl protest in support of the ADA.