Today's post comes from Tammy Williams, Archivist and Social Media Coordinator at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum. These days, everyone seems to be struggling with their hair. Hair salon closures due to the coronavirus pandemic have men with shaggy hair, or just shaving it all off, and women contemplating at-home trims. But … Continue reading “I never wanted to do anything as badly in my life:” Bess Truman Bobs Her Hair
Today’s post comes from Meg Phillips, External Affairs Liaison at the National Archives. The week of June 8 is International Archives Week, chosen to celebrate the founding of the International Council on Archives (ICA) on June 9, 1948. (Read more about the origin of the ICA and NARA’s role in it here.) This is a … Continue reading International Archives Week 2020
Today's post comes from Lori Norris, an archives technician a the National Archives at College Park. As we face the uncertainty of the current COVID-19 pandemic, one helpful invention has eased the anxieties of staying at home and assists us daily with our new teleworking lives. Wi-Fi, or wireless fidelity, allows us to stay plugged … Continue reading The World War II-Era Actress Who Invented Wi-Fi: Hedy Lamarr
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Visit the National Archives website to learn more about related records and resources. APA Heritage Month is an opportunity to...contribute to the wider understanding of what it means to be an American. - Alex Villaseran, archives technician and APA Unity co-chair Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month was … Continue reading Asian/Pacific American History: Learning our Legacy
Today's post comes from John LeGloahec, an archives specialist with the Electronic Records Reference Services at the National Archives. Recently the Electronic Records Division has made available, through the National Archives Catalog, the scanned images of Governors Island Maps and Plans and Architectural and Engineering Drawings, which comprises more than 11,000 Tagged Image Format Files … Continue reading Is it Governor’s Island or Governors Island?
Today’s post comes from Dorothy Dougherty, Programs Director at the National Archives at New York City. “Dear Mother,” starts the letter from Harriet B. Denby, to her mother-in-law, Elizabeth Denby of Augusta, Georgia. This beautiful handwritten four-page letter reminds us about compassion, gratitude, and the enduring lessons mothers teach us about love. Letter from Harriet … Continue reading Letter from Harriet B. Denby, Augusta, Ga. to “Dear Mother,” September 22, 1864
National Archives News recently posted a two-part story on the Civil War pension file of Hugh Thompson, the “Lost Soldier of Chickamauga.” Today’s post, from Dena Lombardo, an intern in the Public and Media Communications office, tells more of the story. Recently, National Archives staff uncovered the largest Civil War pension file in our holdings. … Continue reading FOUND: Civil War Pension file for the “Lost Soldier of Chickamauga”
Otto Von Bismarck is known for unifying Germany in 1871 and serving as its first chancellor. Before unification, the region was a collection of small German-speaking states. As chancellor, Bismarck focused on building a powerful united country with a strong national identity, thus making the new Germany a major European powerhouse. He was in office … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: On the Trail of Otto Von Bismarck
This is the fifth installment of a series about unratified constitutional amendments. Today we’re looking at an amendment that was first introduced nearly 100 years ago and we’re still talking about today: The Equal Rights Amendment. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed constitutional amendment that would guarantee equal rights under the law regardless … Continue reading Unratified Amendments: The Equal Rights Amendment
This post, by Megan Huang in the National Archives History Office, was originally published in 2018 marking the centenary of the 1918 influenza. It has been updated with additional images. Masks as protection against influenza. Street cleaner wearing the influenza mask, 10/16/1918. (National Archives Identifier 45499357) The 1918 influenza pandemic was a pandemic in the … Continue reading Wear a Mask and Save Your Life: The 1918 Flu Pandemic
