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250 Years of America | A WTOP Retrospective

As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, WTOP presents “250 Years of America,” a multipart series examining the innovations, breakthroughs and pivotal moments that have shaped the United States since 1776.

WTOP journalists bring you powerful stories and expert insights across seven defining pillars of American progress: federal workforce, defense, energy, transportation, healthcare, technology and homeownership.

Together, these stories trace how the country has grown, adapted and built lasting legacies over two and a half centuries.

“250 Years of America” offers a timely look at where we’ve been, how we got here and what they mean for America’s future — and ours.

 

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America 250: Theodore Roosevelt's 14,000-mile journey changed the future of public lands

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America 250: Catherine Bauer’s vision for affordable housing continues to resonate today

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'Leave the fireworks to the professionals,' say DC area fire chiefs

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America 250: The original 'hackers': How a model railroad club helped shape computer culture

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America 250: How GPS transformed transportation and reach destinations more safely and efficiently

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America 250: The history of school health programs

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Smithsonian to open exhibit on American nature, geology, culture for 250th anniversary

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America 250: Wartime rationing: How World War II changed Americans’ relationship with fuel

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America 250: The cloud revolution: How commercial cloud computing changed the US military

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Where foodies can celebrate America’s 250th birthday in DC

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Judge rules Trump can stage UFC fights on the White House's South Lawn this weekend

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America 250: Why federal workers first got healthcare

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America 250: The inventors behind common household items

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America 250: The strange story of phreaking: How hobbyists hacked the phone system and shaped the digital age

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How you can sail the Potomac on a Revolutionary War tall ship this weekend

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Things to do in the DC area: Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, Taste of Springfield ... and more!

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DC prepares for possibly the busiest summer in history

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America 250: How transportation deregulation laws changed America

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UFC fighters say they're honored to compete in front of President Trump on card at the White House

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America 250: Pediatric oral health and why baby teeth matter

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America 250: How energy made skyscrapers possible

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'Great American State Fair' to take over National Mall with Trump as headliner

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America 250: The ethical fault line in the age of drone warfare

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America 250: ӣƵing the storm — from storm flags to satellites

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America 250: From Colonials to Mid-Century Modern: The history behind DC’s home styles

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How past presidents celebrated milestone US independence anniversaries

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America 250: Red teaming: The Cold War-era tactic now used to test cybersecurity defenses

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America 250: The creation of Amtrak

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America 250: The evolution of aging and senior healthcare in America

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Garth Brooks, dog-friendly fun and military tributes in store for National Archives Festival

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'Maybe we'll never take it down': Trump compares White House UFC arena to Eiffel Tower, says it could be permanent

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America 250: How petroleum became the backbone of modern materials

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America 250: Cyber Command and the new battlefield

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America 250: The flood that shook a nation

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America 250: Habitat for Humanity celebrates 50 years

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America 250: The creation of the FAA

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Jonathan Alger to step down after 2 years as American University's president

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The Commodores, Flo Rida and more artists kick off Great American State Fair on National Mall

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America 250: From death sentence to treatment, the evolution of heart disease care

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America 250: Powering the modern era: Oil’s role in World War I

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Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride 250 brings veterans to DC

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America 250: The Age of Precision: How guided weapons changed war

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America 250: How the federal workforce evolved from paper pushers to the cloud 

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America 250: How people ordered their ready-to-assemble homes from a catalog

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America 250: Locked pouches and the Pony Express: How 1860s mail security mirrors today’s digital encryption

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America 250: The creation of the jet engine

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America 250: The history of American disability rights and healthcare access

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America 250: From folk remedy to fuel: The rise of 'Seneca Oil'

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