An incredibly important place

My trip to DC revealed history I wasn't expecting

Following an evening walk to the spectacular Lincoln Memorial, I decided to have a little Wikipedia session. My other half was looking in a shop, so I sat on a bench outside and browsed.

Shamefully, I didn’t know much about how the 16th POTUS died, and I was shocked to find out the details.

Then I was shocked even more to learn that the place I was sat, was literally just around the corner from Ford’s Theatre, where the terrible event took place.

President Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, by John Wilkes Booth, a well-known actor and Confederate sympathiser. The assassination occurred while Lincoln was attending a play at Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. Booth entered the president's box and shot him in the back of the head. Lincoln was immediately taken to a nearby house where he passed away the following morning. The assassination sent shockwaves through the country, as Lincoln was widely loved and respected as a leader who had successfully guided the nation through the Civil War. Booth was eventually tracked down and killed by Union soldiers, but the effects of Lincoln's assassination were felt for years to come.

The assassination of Lincoln had a profound impact on American history. It not only robbed the country of a beloved leader but also triggered a period of intense national mourning and set the stage for a contentious and difficult process of rebuilding and reconciliation after the Civil War. In addition to its historical significance, Lincoln's assassination has also been the subject of intense scrutiny and speculation.

And so there I was, a few moments later, standing in the street right outside Ford’s Theatre on one side, and the house where he died a few hours later on the other. In places where moments of historic significance happened, I feel like a certain energy remains, and I could certainly feel it.

Watch the video of me outside Ford’s Theatre:

On some of my viewers’ advice, we ended our trip to DC at the Old Ebbit Grill, right outside the White House. It was pretty good, and the food was warm and comforting on a cold winter’s evening.

The whole experience of being in DC is quite remarkable. One one hand, you have the beautiful parks and monuments around the city, and the history and major world events that surrounded them. On the other, in historic and in recent times, whenever any big world event happened, be it war, terrorist attacks, and in a more positive tone, peace accords, deals and celebrations, DC is the place where it all happens. Through those things, I feel like the entire city has a certain type of energy.

As the robot-man said, I’ll be back.

Next stop, Philadelphia.

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Slainte,

Shaun