Did you ever wonder where our iconic cherry blossoms come from?
Our cherry blossoms were a gift from Japan over a century ago to celebrate the friendship between our two countries.
The first trees actually came here 1910, but had insects all over them and were diseased so President Taft gave the ok for them to be burned.
In 1912, we received three thousand trees in good condition..
The cherry blossoms, which are Japan's national flower, symbolize hope and peace.
In 1938, they were a symbol of opposition a group of women chained themselves together near the cherry blossoms to protest the clearing of the trees to make way for the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. It was called the Cherry Tree rebellion. Some trees were torn down overnight.
Decades later, the cherry blossoms are one of DC's most popular tourist attractions and the cherry blossom festival brings in 1.5 million people.
