Hats in the ring: Snippet of Press Club history

Hats in the ring: Two future U.S. presidents first announced they would seek that office at the National Press Club.

Democrat Jimmy Carter told an audience there in 1974 he planned to run in 1976. Then in 1975, Ronald Reagan announced at the Club that he would challenge President Gerald Ford for the Republican nomination, also in 1976.

Reagan lost, but bounced back to become the GOP nominee -- and win the presidency over Carter -- in 1980.

After 30 weeks, this is the last of former Club President Art Wiese's capsules of National Press Club history. Wiese, who served as president in 1979, was responsible for the renovation of the Club in the early 1980s. In honor of his passing last year, the Wire has been running his snippets each week.

We welcome your ideas on unusual, amusing, controversial or otherwise special Club events to turn into new snippets.