1. In 1790, the Residence Act was signed by President George Washington, officially establishing the District of Columbia as the new capital of the United States.

2. On July 31, 1861, the Union Army established Camp Lincoln in Washington, D.C. as a training and recruitment center for the Civil War. The camp was named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln.

3. In 1945, the USS Indianapolis departed from the Washington Navy Yard on its final mission, delivering components for the atomic bomb to Tinian Island. The ship was later sunk by a Japanese submarine, resulting in the largest loss of life at sea in U.S. Navy history.

4. On July 31, 1964, the Civil Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

5. In 2016, an interactive art exhibit called "The Beach" opened on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The exhibit featured a large pit filled with nearly one million translucent plastic balls, creating a unique and immersive sensory experience for visitors.