With Independence Day around the corner, we caught up with a few of this year's speakers to get their thoughts on the Declaration of Independence, their connection to history, and celebrating at the National Archives. Four descendants from the original signers will read the Declaration of Independence this year. Three are members of the Society of the Descendants … Continue reading Descendants of the signers to read the Declaration of Independence on July 4
We waded into your captions like a man driving a car into a lake! How to choose between splashy captions that referenced Secret Service men wearing floaties, the Aflac duck, James Bond, or water taxis? Waterlogged with indecision, we turned to Liza Talbot, who in turn turned to the crew of the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library. … Continue reading Thursday Photo Caption Contest: June 28
This is part of a series, written by Jim Zeender, devoted to letters written by the Founding Fathers in their own words and often in their own hand. Jim is a senior registrar in Exhibits. The leadership of John Adams in the independence movement and the publication of his “Thoughts on Government” in the same … Continue reading In their own words: John Adams and Ben Franklin, Part IIa
Nothing is sweeter than a girl and her dog . . . competing for treats? We enjoyed your captions suggesting the competition between a girl and her same-size canine companion, but like this little girl, the winner seemed just out of our grasp. So we turned to guest judge Sarah Malcolm, who writes for the … Continue reading Thursday Photo Caption Contest: June 21
This is part of a series, written by Jim Zeender, devoted to letters written by the Founding Fathers in their own words and often in their own hand. Jim is a senior registrar in National Archives Exhibits. John Adams of Massachusetts and Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania crossed paths during “critical moments” in the earliest days … Continue reading In their own words: John Adams and Ben Franklin, Part I
With a little archival magic, NARA staff bring historic films "out of the dark" and back into the public eye. This post is from Archives Specialist Marcia Kolko from the Motion Picture Sound and Audio office. Now on a small screen near you: A movie about…movies! NARA’s own Motion Picture, Sound and Video office and Preservation … Continue reading National Archives specialists brings movies “Out of the Dark”
We got a kick out of your captions, especially the suggestion that Fala might still be alive, stored in an archival box for preservation. (Who knows, there are all kinds of things in our holdings, from nuclear plugs to mole skins!) We had a hard time choosing this week's winner from among the slighty salacious "drawers" … Continue reading Thursday Photo Caption Contest: June 14
His parents were victims of the Nazis when he was only four, and he and his uncle spent two years hiding in the forests of Poland, waiting until the end of World War II. But the ordeal of Michael Pupa was far from over. He became a “displaced person,” or DP, moving from one DP … Continue reading An Orphan of the Holocaust
This is the first part of a series, written by Jim Zeender, devoted to letters written by the Founding Fathers in their own words and often in their own hand. As a registrar in the Exhibits Division of the National Archives for over 25 years, I have had the good fortune to work with many … Continue reading In their own words: President George Washington
It's the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts, and thousands of girls and young women have descended on Washington, DC, for the Girl Scout Rock the Mall event this weekend. It seems like the perfect time confess my own history crush, a woman who was very involved in the Girl Scouts: Lou Henry Hoover. Actually, … Continue reading History Crush: Lou Henry Hoover
