1. The District of Columbia Market House opened on October 23, 1801, providing a central location for farmers and merchants to sell their goods. The Market House stood at the center of Washington until it was destroyed in a fire in 1871.

2. On October 23, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln appointed Samuel P. Chase as the Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Chase was a vocal opponent of slavery and had served as Treasury Secretary under Lincoln before his appointment to the Supreme Court.

3. The historic Carnegie Library in Washington D.C. opened its doors to the public on October 23, 1903. The library was built with funds donated by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and served as a public reading room and community gathering place for over 70 years.

4. The Washington Senators won their first World Series championship on October 23, 1924, defeating the New York Giants in Game 7. The Senators would go on to win only one more championship, in 1925, before relocating to Minnesota in 1960.

5. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington D.C. on October 23, 1982, honoring the thousands of U.S. military personnel who lost their lives in the Vietnam War. The memorial consists of two black granite walls inscribed with the names of over 58,000 service members who died or went missing in action during the war.