Trump's Impeachment Was the Hottest Tourist Attraction in Washington
WASHINGTON — Some Americans still feel the need to witness history in person.
When Andrew Johnson became the first president to be impeached in in 1868, a first-hand account was the only account. Radio was still 30-odd years away from being invented, television another 30 after that, and anyone who wanted to take in the historic vote as it happened had to head to the Capitol to watch it themselves. Plenty of people did. From the New York Times, via Steven Portnoy of CBS News:
As early as 8 o’clock this morning, two hours before the House met, spectators began to wend their way to the galleries, and in an hour they were full to overflowing and if three thousand were seated, at least ten thousand were turned away, unable to obtain admission. … The crowd in all parts of the Capitol was immense, and the early comers stood and sat their ground, eating their lunches during some dull speaker’s tirade.”
On Wednesday, Donald Trump became the third president to suffer Johnson’s fate, and though technology has rendered an in-person viewing unnecessary, the House Chamber’s spectator gallery was near packed for the entirety of the marathon day of debate. Though a crowd of thousands wasn’t waiting to get into the Capitol, a consistent line of 10 or so excited soon-to-be spectators stood outside the the second-floor gallery throughout the day.
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-impeachment-tourists-929074/
