The amazing city known as Washington D.C. was founded on July 16,1790. It was established by the Constitution of the United States to serve as the nation’s capital.
President George Washington chose the exact site along the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers. The city was officially founded on 1790 after both and Maryland ceded land to this new "district". To design the city, he chose Pierre Charles L’Enfant, who presented a vision for a bold, modern city. He planned a grid system, at which the center would be the Capitol building.
Even before coming of age, Washington, DC was nearly destroyed. During the War of 1812 against Great Britain, the enemy invaded the city and burned much of it to the ground. The newly built White House, The Capitol, and the Library of Congress (including all the books) were all also burnt to the ground. But in the end, the United States of America won the war.
After the devastation, the city remained small, especially in terms of people living there. Soon, it would become smaller in physical size too. In 1847, the portion of the city that had originally belonged to Virginia became smaller, after the voters of Alexandria elected to DC, feeling that they had been left out of development on the other side of the river. You can still see some surviving, original markers for the District today.
You can still see some surviving, original markers for the District today.