On this day in Arlington history: Nov 4, 1873, Robert “RD” Davis Ruffin was elected to be the Alexandria (now Arlington) County sheriff. He became the 1st African-American to take the oath as sheriff in Virginia. Ruffin also was a lawyer and member of the House of Delegates (1875–1876) & achieved financial success in real estate.

On this day in Arlington history, October 30, 1938, Arlington and the DC region and indeed much of the east coast were still reacting to Orson Wells’ “War of the Worlds” radio broadcast from the previous evening. Most people who were within radio range of the New York City Broadcast were still not sure if aliens had invaded a small town in New Jersey.

On this day in Arlington history, October 26, 1957: Car dealers O'Brien and Rohall advertised in the Washington Post that they were now selling a brand new Ford car model: the Edsel. Their lead advertising line was: “Arlington’s landmark of automotive value takes on a great new name!