It had not yet been 24 hours since President Ronald Reagan was wounded in an assassination attempt—wounds far more serious than the public was told at the time. But on the morning of March 31, 1981, the three men he relied on most in these early days of his administration came to see him in … Continue reading A Shaky, but Official, Signature
When Ronald Reagan survived the attempt on his life on March 30, 1981, and went on to serve two full four-year terms, he broke what some people call “the year-ending-in-zero” curse. It goes like this: Every President elected in a year ending in zero since 1840 had died in office. William Henry Harrison, elected in … Continue reading Reverse the (Zero) Curse
Today marks 100 years since the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire—a blaze that lasted 18 minutes and left 146 workers dead. Among the many in New York City who witnessed the tragedy was Frances Perkins, who would later become FDR's Secretary of Labor, making her the first woman to serve in a Presidential cabinet. As Secretary … Continue reading A Factory Fire and Frances Perkins
Victory tastes as sweet as Guinness to Laura B, whose caption referencing both the Irish holiday and the lingo of LOL cats won her 15% off at our eStore. Slainte to you, Laura B! And for once, the caption to our mystery photo shows things are just as they seem: "A patron of Sammy's Bowery Follies, a downtown … Continue reading Thursday Photo Caption Contest
Someone who read my post on Squirrel Appreciation Day alerted me to World Sparrow Day, which was Sunday, March 20. This inspired me to dive back into Online Public Access (OPA) on the National Archives web site. I typed in "sparrow," and amid many references to the U.S. Marines, missiles, and Sparrows Point shipyard were a couple of photographs of the … Continue reading Roosting in the records
If Grover Cleveland were alive today, he would need to blow out 174 candles. And of course, he would need to be careful not to set his mustache alight as he bent toward the mighty blaze of his birthday cake. Grover Cleveland's election marked a turning point in Presidential facial hair. The beard was going … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Happy Birthday, Grover Cleveland!
Congratulations to Dave M! Our guest judge Lynn Bassanese of the Roosevelt Presidential Library chose your caption, as FDR "was a real Navy man and enjoyed an occasional cocktail so we think he would approve of our choice." It's unlikely President Roosevelt would have enjoyed the wartime cocktail being ladled out, though. The original caption … Continue reading Thursday’s Caption Contest
Today's post about women is from guest blogger Donne Kampel, who will be speaking at our Fourth Annual Forum on Women in Leadership. Kampel recently published Learning Leadership: Women Presidents of Colleges and Universities. Enjoy! *************** My book’s first life was as a dissertation. Women and leadership was my primary research interest but a focus for the … Continue reading View from the top: Women in academic leadership 2011
Edward Bates was living quietly and comfortably in 1860. He had been out of public life for two decades but now was being courted by backers for the highest office in the land. The new Republican Party's nomination for President of the United States was wide open, and a number of contenders were vying for … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday—Edward Bates
Because this contest's photograph came from John F. Kennedy Library, we asked their curator, Stacey Bredhoff, to be our guest judge. So Joyce, say "thank you" to Stacey for picking your caption as the winner. We can't arrange a meeting with Johnny Depp, but we can send you a 15% discount to the National Archives eStore. … Continue reading Thursday Caption Contest
