This Day in History: President Washington laid the cornerstone of the Capitol building on this day in 1793.
The United States Capitol cornerstone laying was the ceremonial placement of the cornerstone of the United States Capitol on September 18, 1793. The cornerstone was laid by president of the United States George Washington, assisted by the Grand Master of Maryland Joseph Clark, in a Masonic ritual.
Washington, accompanied by three Worshipful Masters carrying sacrifices of corn, wine, and oil, then struck the stone three times with a gavel, as prescribed by Masonic custom. Washington exited the trench to ritual chanting by the assembled Masons and a 15-gun salute (one gun for each U.S. state) from the Alexandria Volunteer Artillery. Clark then delivered a short invocation, after which a 500 pounds ox was slaughtered and roasted. According to Frazer in his The Golden Bough, "The object of the sacrifice is to give strength and stability to the building."
The Capitol Building has often been the scene of violence over the years:
Not long after the completion of both wings, the Capitol was partially burned by the British on August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812.
On January 30, 1835, President Andrew Jackson was almost assassinated while stepping outside the Capitol Building.
On April 23, 1844, House-Speaker John White was involved in a physical confrontation on the House floor with Democratic Congressman George O. Rathbun. During the disturbance, an unknown visitor fired a pistol into the crowd, wounding a police officer.
On July 2, 1915, prior to the United States' entry into World War I, Eric Muenter (aka Frank Holt), a German professor who wanted to stop American support of the Allies of World War I, exploded a bomb in the reception room of the U.S. Senate.
Many like the point out that the January 6 riot at the Capitol was the worst event to ever happen at the Capitol, but there are have been far more serious attacks to happen there.
"A Puerto Rican terrorist group opened fire during debate in the House of Representatives in 1954, wounding five members in 'the most severe assault in the history of the Capitol building.' The Weather Underground exploded a bomb in the Senate in 1971; another left-wing group carried out a similar attack in 1983; and a gunman opened fire at a Capitol checkpoint in 1998, killing two Capitol Police officers. In 2017, a left-wing gunman opened fire on Republicans during a baseball practice, wounding several, including a Capitol Police officer; though the attack did not take place at the Capitol building itself, it was the most serious political violence in recent years. And earlier this month, a radical Nation of Islam follower drove into two Capitol Police, killing Officer William Evans." Source
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