Weather has been front-page news across the country for the last couple of weeks. Winter storms have left up to 50 inches of snow in places, and even in Dallas, TX, snow and ice made the Packers and Steelers feel right at home at the Super Bowl. What’s the outlook for sunshine, snow, or rain in … Continue reading Cloudy with a chance of records
"Charge 1 . . . Gross neglect of Duty." "Charge 2 . . . Disobedience of Orders." On January 28, 1831, a court-martial convened at the U.S. Military Academy found the defendant guilty of these charges and "adjudg[ed] that the Cadet E. A. Poe be dismissed." So ended Edgar Allan Poe's short career at West … Continue reading Edgar Allan Poe’s military career? Nevermore!
Jan Wilson, it's been a long wait, but you can now claim the honor of being our last captioner of 2010 and our first declared winner of 2011. President Truman was a practical (and frugal) guy, so why wouldn't he be able to step up and give tips on Christmas tree gadgetry? As far as … Continue reading Thursday’s Photo Caption Contest
While poking around the web while I ate my lunch, I discovered that today is Squirrel Appreciation Day! I know many gardeners can't stand the little beasts, and when we tried to grow tomatoes a couple of summers ago, I didn't feel too friendly toward them, either. But usually I'm quite taken by these fluffy-tailed guys. … Continue reading Have you hugged a squirrel today?
Martin Luther King, Jr., would have been 82 on January 15, and yesterday we observed the national holiday in his honor. The above photograph shows a January 18, 1964, White House meeting between four civil rights leaders—Roy Wilkins, James Farmer, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Whitney Young—and President Lyndon Johnson. A civil rights bill was stuck in the … Continue reading January 18, 1964 – Martin Luther King, Jr. & LBJ
It's always exciting to uncover a new piece of history, and even more exciting to discover a whole new treasure trove of thousands of pieces of history. Today the John F. Kennedy Library is launching a new Digital Archives that contains over 200,000 digitized documents; 300 reels of audiotape containing over 1,200 individual recordings of telephone … Continue reading Explore the new Digital Archives at the Kennedy Library
As frigid temperatures cover much of the country, and many areas are still dealing with record amounts of snow, my thoughts turn to the polar explorers of the early 20th century. They didn't have Goretex jackets with superwarm linings, satellite communications, or portable computers. Our "Pieces of History" blog takes its name from a regular … Continue reading Exploring the polar regions
Researching in original records often provides the researcher with surprises. Usually the surprise takes the form of an unknown letter, a reference to your topic in an unexpected place, or a lead that directs you to a new set of records to mine. Once in a great while, the surprise is something no one could … Continue reading Mole in place at the Archives
Lynn Ansfield, with her short, historically on-the-nose caption took the top honors in the last photo caption contest. Congrats, Lynn, you've won 30% off at the National Archives eStore just in time for the holidays! The Truman Library contains this photo of President Truman receiving a Thanksgiving turkey from members of the Poultry and Egg … Continue reading Thursday’s Photo Caption Contest
We may be a litttle short-staffed on this quasi-holiday, but I couldn't let Facial Hair Friday go by without a nod to some historic beards. Today's honoree is Gen. Albion P. Howe, veteran of the Mexican War and the Civil War. When a captain in the U.S. Army, Howe served under Col. Robert E. Lee at … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: “Howe” do they do it?
