History
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Washington, D.C.'s annual spring cherry blossom celebration grew from Japan's 1912 gift of 3,020 cherry trees, presented to honor friendship between Japan and the United States. The effort followed decades of advocacy by Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore and support from botanist David Fairchild, after an earlier 1910 shipment had been destroyed. On March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda planted the first two trees at the Tidal Basin, and further plantings established one of the city's defining spring landscapes. The festival emerged gradually, became a national annual event by 1935, resumed after World War II, and now draws more than 700,000 visitors each year.
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Arlington, Virginia · United States
