Washington, D.C
This Day in History: March 27, 1912: First cherry blossom trees planted in Washington, D.C.
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WPTA) – On March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and the wife of Japan’s ambassador to the U.S. planted the first two cherry trees in Washington, D.C.
The more than 3,000 trees were a gift from the mayor of Tokyo, a symbol of international friendship between the two cities.
The two women planted the trees along the northwest wall of the Tidal Basin, where they still stand today.
By 1938, the trees had become so popular that when construction began on the Jefferson Memorial, around 150 society ladies chained themselves to the trees to protect them. President Franklin Roosevelt dubbed the incident the “Cherry Tree Rebellion” and promised the women the trees would be transplanted instead.
D.C. is now home to nearly 4,000 cherry trees.
Today marks the start of the four-week-long Cherry Blossom Festival, the longest-running festival in the city. The festival will celebrate 100 years next year.
Copyright 2026 WPTA. All rights reserved.