List of District of Columbia symbols

This is a list of symbols of the District of Columbia.

Location of the District of Columbia in the United States

Insignia

Further information: List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insignia

Type	Symbol	Adopted	Image	Ref.
Flag	Flag of the District of Columbia	1938^[1]		^[2]
Seal	Seal of the District of Columbia	1871		^[1]
Coat of arms	Coat of arms of the District of Columbia	1871
Motto	Justitia omnibus (Latin for "Justice for all")	1871	—	^[1]

Species

Type	Symbol	Description	Adopted	Image	Ref.
Bird	Wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina)		1967^[1]
Crustacean	Hay's Spring amphipod (Stygobromus hayi)		2016		^[3]
Dinosaur	Capitalsaurus	This description is an excerpt from List of informally named dinosaurs § Capitalsaurus.[edit] "Capitalsaurus" is the informal genus name given to a tailbone belonging to a large theropod dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous. It was discovered on January 28, 1898, by construction workers excavating a sewer at the intersection of First and F Streets SE. The only known specimen, it was assigned two different species designations – Creosaurus potens and Dryptosaurus potens – and eventually overturned each time. In the 1990s, the paleontologist Peter Kranz asserted that it represented a unique type of dinosaur and assigned it the name "Capitalsaurus". He successfully campaigned through local schools to make "Capitalsaurus" the official dinosaur of Washington, D.C., which became law in 1998.^[4]^[5] A year later, the district further recognized F Street at the discovery site as Capitalsaurus Court. It designated January 28, 2001, as Capitalsaurus Day.^[4]^[6]	1998		^[7]
Fish	American shad (Alosa sapidissima)	^[8]	2016		^[3]
Flower	'American Beauty' rose (Rosa 'American Beauty')	^[1]
Fruit	Cherry		2006		^[9]
Mammal	Big brown bat		2020		^[10]
Tree	Scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea)		1960^[1]

Geology

Type	Symbol	Description	Adopted	Image	Ref.
Rock	Potomac bluestone	Potomac bluestone is a metamorphic rock that has been used extensively in the construction of the District of Columbia. It was used as the foundation of the White House, U.S. Capitol, and Washington Monument. Many old houses in the Northwest quadrant, notably the Old Stone House, are constructed out of the rock.	2014		^[11]

Culture

Type	Symbol	Description	Adopted	Image	Ref.
Beverage	Rickey	At the place of origin of the cocktail, Jack Evans, a city councillor, and Eleanor Holmes Norton, the House delegate for the district, unveiled a plaque honoring the Rickey. It was proclaimed "Washington, D.C.'s native cocktail". July was also declared as Rickey Month in the district. Various news outlets subsequently described the Rickey as the city's official cocktail.^[12]	2011		^[13]
Dance	Hand dancing	Hand dancing is a form of swing dance that is derived from the Lindy Hop and the jitterbug. It is characterized by coordinated footwork, spins, and traveling, where the dance partners communicate moves using hand-based connection. Residents of the District of Columbia invented the dance form in the 1950s, but it fell out of favor in the disco era. A Smithsonian Institution exhibit declaring the dance a national art form led to its resurgence in the 1990s.^[14]	1999		^[15]
March	"Our Nation's Capitol" by Anthony A. Mitchell	In 1959, Anthony A. Mitchell (pictured), the assistant conductor for the U.S. Navy Band, wrote "Our Nation's Capitol". Robert Enoch McLaughlin, the president of the Board of Commissioners declared it the district's official march in 1961, saying to The Washington Post, "I found it so stirring that for the first time since I left the Naval Academy, I felt like marching." Words were added later by Dixon Redditt.^[16]	1961		^[17]
Music	Go-go	Go-go music, a type of funk music with an emphasis on rhythmic patterns and melodic call-and-response sessions, originated within the district's African-American community during the mid-1960s to late-1970s. Chuck Brown (pictured), considered the "godfather of go-go", described it as music with a groovy beat that just "goes and goes", coining the name. Strict curfew laws from the 1980s that targeted youth who attend go-go clubs caused the culture to suffer.^[18] Upon recognizing the music as an official symbol, the D.C. Council repealed the curfew laws and required the mayor to develop a preservation plan.^[19]	2020		^[19]
Song	"Washington" by Jimmie Dodd		1951		^[20]

See also

• Outline of the District of Columbia

References

1. District of Columbia. "DC Symbols". Retrieved December 28, 2019.
2. Code of the District of Columbia § 1–151.
3. "Fisheries and Wildlife Omnibus Amendment Act of 2016". D.C. Law No. 21-282 of May 19, 2017. Council of the District of Columbia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
4. Black, Riley (December 28, 2010). "'Capitalsaurus,' a D.C. Dinosaur". Smithsonian. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
5. "Official Dinosaur Act of 1998". D.C. Law No. 12-155 of September 30, 1998. Council of the District of Columbia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
6. "Designation of Capitalsaurus Court and Technical Correction Amendment Act of 1999". D.C. Law No. 13-41 of October 20, 1999. Council of the District of Columbia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
7. "Official Dinosaur Act of 1998". D.C. Law No. 12-155 of September 30, 1998. Council of the District of Columbia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
8. "Fishing in the district". DOEE. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
9. "Official Fruit of the District of Columbia Act of 2006". D.C. Law No. 16-171 of September 29, 2006. Council of the District of Columbia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
10. "Big Brown Bat Official State Mammal Designation Act of 2020". D.C. Law No. 23-160 of December 23, 2020. Council of the District of Columbia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
11. "DC Rocks, So We Need One Act of 2014". D.C. Law No. 20-220 of March 11, 2015. Council of the District of Columbia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
12. For example:
    • Liu, Jamie R. (July 14, 2011). "Rickey Named Official D.C. Cocktail". DCist. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
    • ""Rickey" Declared D.C.'s Official Cocktail". WJLA-TV. July 14, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
    • "Rickey to Be D.C.'s Cocktail". The Washington Post. July 14, 2011. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
    • Nichols, Amanda (August 25, 2011). "The Rickey Was Declared DC's Native Cocktail at the JW Marriott Washington, DC". GlobeNewswire. Retrieved December 30, 2022.
13. "Rickey Recognition Resolution of 2011". Resolution No. ACR19-0097 of September 2, 2011. Council of the District of Columbia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
14. Johnson, Rebecca. . The American Observer. American University. 9 (7). Archived from the original on November 6, 2004. Retrieved September 4, 2008.
15. "Hand Dancing Is the Official Dance of the District of Columbia Resolution of 1999". Resolution No. ACR13-225 of December 7, 1999. Council of the District of Columbia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
16. Kelly, John (June 6, 2010). "Dreaming of Taking the District by Song". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
17. Schudel, Matt (March 29, 2009). "He Served His Country With Music". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
18. Lang, Marissa J. (February 19, 2020). "Go-go Is Signed into Law as the Official Music of D.C.". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
19. "Go-Go Official Music of the District of Columbia Designation Act of 2020". D.C. Law No. 23-71 of April 11, 2020. Council of the District of Columbia. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
20. Kelly, John (May 30, 2010). "In 1950s, Jimmie Dodd's 'Washington' Won Contest to Be District's Official Song". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 31, 2022.