Learn more about names, locations, and stories from the US capital
That Washington DC was founded in 1791, has little more than 600 million inhabitants and is a seat of Executive, Legislative and Judicial powers of the United States of America all we already know. However, have you ever wondered from where came the name of the Potomac River, that bathes the city? Or that the White House cost less to be built than Britney Spears’ mansion? Oh Yeah! Learn more about other curiosities on our week list
- What’s your name
Washington DC is bathed by the Potomac River – and is very proud of it by calling it “River of Nation”. The name Potomac is a European pronunciation of Patowmeck, term used for the people who inhabited a region to name the stream. Patomweck means “That which is given to us”.
- President Britney Spears
According to an official US Government Accountability Report, a White House construction cost $ 232.3 thousand, converted to current values, totaling $ 3.279 billion. It sounds like a lot, but the value is less than half of the $ 7.9 million requested by pop star Britney Spears to sell her mansion in Thousand Oaks, California.
- Adults only
By hosting many government institutions, diplomatic missions and businessmen, Washington DC is a very professional city. This is reflected in the average age of capital, where 17% of residents are under 18 years of age. In the rest of the country, this number rises to 24%.
- What is DC?
An acronym DC that accompanies Washington means District of Columbia. The name is a tribute to one of the colonists’ names of the newly occupied lands on this side of the Atlantic: Columbia, in allusion to Christopher Columbus.
- Vocation for capital
The region in which the capital is located has been inhabited for more than four thousand years, according to archaeological records. When European explorers arrived at the site in 1608, led by John Smith of Jamestown, they met the Nacotchtank people. This indigenous nation was known by a local pole, attracting merchants from regions such as New York.