This week in National Press Club history

October 20, 1999: J. K. Rowling, author of the sensationally popular Harry Potter series, signs copies of her books at a sold-out NPC fundraiser.

October 22, 1984: The Fourth Estate Restaurant opens on the 13th floor to club members, and later welcomes the public.

October 23, 1991: Poet, playwright and dissident Vaclav Havel, first democratically-elected President of Czechoslovakia in forty-one years, explains his country’s privatization plans in the post-Soviet era, and warns of growing tensions in Yugoslavia that could lead to civil war. Shirley Temple Black, once the most famous child star in Hollywood, and now U. S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, accompanies Havel to the luncheon.

October 23, 2008: Pop star Billy Joel reminisces about his life and career, and performs some of his hits to a sell-out luncheon crowd.

October 23, 2009: At a National Press Club luncheon, Grammy-winning musician, actor and foundation head Ludicris (aka Christopher Bridges) encourages individuals to participate in community philanthropy, especially youth programs.

October 25, 1996: Former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev appears before a capacity crowd at the Club. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev preceded him in a visit in 1959 long before the collapse of the USSR, and the first President of the new Russian Republic Boris Yeltsin appears in 1981.

October 26, 1999: Michael Lewis, author of "The Blindside" and "Moneyball," discusses his latest novel at a book rap.

This Week In National Press Club History is brought to you by the History & Heritage Committee, which preserves and revitalizes the Club’s history through lobby displays, events, panel discussions and its extensive oral history project.

For more information on the Committee’s activities, or to join it, contact Chair Gilbert Klein at [email protected].