It's National Cherry Blossom Festival Time!

According to the Library of Congress American Memory Project’s Today in History website, “On March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted two Yoshino cherry trees on the northern bank of the Potomac River” in Washington, D.C. This event began the idea that grew into the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which takes place every Spring. The trees bloom at a different time every year, but the Peak Bloom Period usually covers late March to early April. Visitors plan their visit around these dates annually.

You can find a history of the festival on its official website. For historical photographs of the festival, use the search box on the American Memory website to search all Library of Congress online collections for “cherry blossom festival”.