This Week in National Press Club History

Sept. 10, 2013: Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, tells a Club luncheon that “a virus anywhere is just a plane ride away.” In July 2014, Frieden returns to the Club to address major concerns about the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa.

Sept. 11, 1953: The future emperor of Japan, 20-year-old Crown Prince Akihito, visits the Club and says, “Through the press of the United States, I wish to express my sincere appreciation for the warm welcome extended to me both by the government and the people of this country.” Another royal visitor, His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, addresses a Club luncheon more than a half century later and warns of the challenges of climate change, decreasing biodiversity, and growing water shortages. He also reveals his favorite among the films made by his mother, Grace Kelly: “Rear Window,” which he describes as “magical.” Both royals were preceded in Club appearances by Prince Albert I in 1913.

Sept. 11, 2001: The Club goes into lockdown mode as the U.S. is attacked by terrorists, providing journalists working in the building with free meals throughout the day.

Sept. 11, 2011: Women journalists of the Civil War are celebrated in a panel marking the 150th anniversary of the war.

This Week In National Press Club History is brought to you by the History & Heritage Committee, which preserves and revitalizes the Club’s history through panel discussions, events, lobby displays and a comprehensive oral history project.

For more information or to join the conmittee, contact Chair Gilbert Klein at [email protected].