We chortled our way through your captions last week! Finally, unable to decide between references to white shoes, Project Runway, or Baltimore, we turned to our guest, Susan Cooper, Director of Communications at the National Archives. Congratulations to Rebecca! Susan thought that her quote by Cecil Beaton best communicated the spirit of this picture. Indeed, … Continue reading Thursday’s Caption Contest
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. In the summer of 1942, the Allies' war against Japan was in dire straits. China was constantly battling the occupying Japanese forces in its homeland, supplied by India via the Burma Road. Then Japan severed that supply artery. Planes were … Continue reading The OSS and the Dalai Lama
If you have been reading Pieces of History, you know that the National Archives holds many unusual records. But when I started working here, I was excited to learn that we hold the papers of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, at the Hoover Presidential Library. The childhood adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder, especially her first … Continue reading Little house in the big archives
We're excited to pass the winning torch to our reader Michael P., whose caption met the high standard of our guest judge, National Archives editrix Maureen MacDonald. Congratulations, Michael P! You can use your 30% discount at the Archives eStore to buy something to read by lantern light. The actual caption on the photo in the Kennedy Library is … Continue reading Thursday’s Photo Caption Contest
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. These days, the average NFL player receives about $1.2 million a year, not a bad paycheck for throwing around the old pigskin. After all, that's three times what the President makes (though he does get free limo rides), and plenty … Continue reading Green Bay Packer, Detroit Lion, or US President?
January 31, 1865, was a busy day for the war-torn United States. The House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery. Meanwhile, Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of the Confederate armies. On January 31, 1919—50 years to the day after slavery was abolished—Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia. On April 10, 1947—82 years after the … Continue reading Baseball and the 13th Amendment
I am convinced that if, in the future, our country is to meet the unparalleled opportunity to win friends and advance the cause of peace and freedom, thousands of additional Americans will have to step forward and say, "I will serve." —from the statement of Robert Sargent Shriver, given in Chicago, IL, on May 17, 1961 … Continue reading Sargent Shriver and his Peace Corps guerrillas
In 1943, you wrote a letter to President Roosevelt. In 2011, the National Archives featured your letter on YouTube! How would you feel? L. J. Weil feels pretty good, actually. “Wonderful! It’s great to be honored this way,” he said when National Archives staff reached him at his home in Lousiana. Weil's letter to the … Continue reading The few, the proud, the letter-writers to the Marines
On today's date in 1964, "Introducing the Beatles" was released. It was the Beatles' first album in the United States. For Janelle Blackwell, the album would have dire consequences, aging her 65 years. In April of 1964, she wrote to the U.S. Labor Department, ending her letter with the statement "I'm 15 and I feel like … Continue reading “I’m 15 and I feel like 80”
If you think the Constitution is just a few pieces of parchment in a glass case, think again! It may have been written 223 years ago, but it's still making headlines. This morning, the Constitution was on the front page of the printed Washington Post. This week has been a big one for the Constitution in the news—the document received … Continue reading How much do you know about the Constitution?
