Subjects – House Chamber
Constantino Brumidi’s fresco of the British Surrender at Yorktown
October 17, 1781
On this date, General George Washington accepted Lord Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown, marking the penultimate battle of the Revolutionary War.
The first woman to speak in the House Chamber
January 12, 1806
Dorothy Ripley became the first woman to speak in the House Chamber when she delivered a sermon on this date
The debate over the rule to ban hats on the House Floor
September 14, 1837
On this date, the House adopted a rule stipulating that no Member could wear a hat on the floor during a session of the House.
The funeral of Congressman Joab Lawler of Alabama
May 09, 1838
On this date in the 25th Congress (1837–1839), a funeral in the old House Chamber (present day Statuary Hall) was held for Representative Joab Lawler of Alabama.
The rare privilege of the House Floor awarded to former First Lady Dolley Madison
January 08, 1844
The House of Representatives extended a rare honor to former First Lady Dolley Madison.
The opening of the current House Chamber
December 16, 1857
On this date, the House of Representatives met in its current chamber for the first time at the opening of the 35th Congress (1857–1859) despite unfinished work on the heating apparatus and the central stairwell leading to the room.
The first African American to speak in the House Chamber
February 12, 1865
On this date, Preacher Henry Highland Garnet became the first African American to speak in the House Chamber when he addressed a crowd of worshippers.
Albert Bierstadt’s paintings The Discovery of the Hudson and A Scene in the Rocky Mountains
December 06, 1874
On this date, Albert Bierstadt made a bold move, mounting an unauthorized exhibition of his paintings, The Discovery of the Hudson and A Scene in the Rocky Mountains, in the House Chamber.
The Opening of the 2nd Session of the 46th Congress
December 01, 1879
On this date, the 2nd Session of the 46th Congress (1879–1881) convened.
Legislative signal bells in the House of Representatives
July 24, 1888
The House of Representatives approved a resolution to add legislative signal bells to the House wing of the Capitol to keep Members informed of House Floor proceedings.
Early efforts to ban smoking in the House Chamber
January 10, 1896
On this date, the House of Representatives officially banned smoking in the House Chamber.
The closure of the House public galleries during the 1918 influenza pandemic
October 07, 1918
On this date, the House public galleries were closed due to the severity of the “Spanish” influenza pandemic.
A gunman in the House Gallery in 1932
December 13, 1932
On this date, 25-year-old Marlin Kemmerer, a department store clerk from Allentown, Pennsylvania, brandished a gun in the visitors’ gallery on the west side of the House Chamber, demanding 20 minutes to speak on the nation’s economic depression.
The first major radio broadcast of a Joint Meeting
March 04, 1939
On this date, more than 400 radio broadcasters from the United States and Canada covered the proceedings in the House Chamber marking the 150th anniversary of the first meeting of Congress.
The opening of the House Radio Gallery
July 24, 1939
On this date, the House and Senate radio galleries formally opened.
The portrait of Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn of Texas
August 16, 1941
Speaker Sam Rayburn’s portrait by British artist Douglas Chandor was received by the House of Representatives.
The first meeting of the House in its temporary quarters in the Ways and Means Committee room
July 05, 1949
On this date, the House of Representatives called to order its first meeting in its temporary quarters in the Ways and Means Committee room.
The Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru addressed a House Reception
October 13, 1949
Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru of India addressed a House Reception.
A visitor asks the Speaker for a moment to lecture the House
January 13, 1955
Grace Jackson Clark, an unemployed stenographer from New Kensington, Pennsylvania, walked uninvited onto the House Floor to ask Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas for time to address the chamber.
The first electronic vote
January 23, 1973
On this date, at the start of the 93rd Congress (1973–1975), the House held its first electronic vote.