In honor of Lady Bird Johnson's 100th birthday on December 22, 2012, the Lyndon B. Johnson Library unveiled a newly redesigned space to give visitors a new look at the 36th president. The library houses 45 million pages of historical documents, 650,000 photos, one million feet of film, 2,000 oral histories, and 5,000 hours of recordings from … Continue reading LBJ Library opens new exhibits after multi-million dollar renovation
If you thought the Presidential election was over and all the votes were counted, you’re wrong. The formal election is Monday, December 17, when “electors” meet in their respective state capitals to cast their votes for President and Vice President. Although the names Barack Obama and Mitt Romney appeared on the November ballot, you were … Continue reading The Election isn’t over yet…
“As soon as I left the session, I knew that this would be a ground-breaking project for us,” said Bettina Cousineau, Exhibits Specialist at the Gerald Ford Library and Museum. Cousineau was at this summer’s Association of Midwest Museums Conference in Indianapolis, IN, and attended the session "Wikimedia: Commons and GLAM" presented by Lori Phillips, … Continue reading Ford Library participates in Wikimedia’s GLAM project
This is what President Harry Truman had for Thanksgiving in 1947. (Click to enlarge.) What dishes are going on your table this year? My favorite holiday is Thankgiving. No dispute. After all, it's a holiday that basically crafted entirely around the consumption of turkey. I'm not entirely sure that this is what Lincoln had in … Continue reading A White House Thanksgiving
These days, pundits, candidates, and party activists like to cite the Constitution of the United States as the moral and legal backing for whatever they’re proposing. But the Constitution is silent on a lot of things you probably thought it said. Here are eight examples. The President can veto a proposed amendment to the Constitution. … Continue reading No, it’s not in the Constitution
When Harry S. Truman Library Director Mike Devine flew to Seoul, South Korea, the last thing he expected to see was an enormous outdoor exhibit featuring photos from the holdings of the National Archives. “In the last decade or so, we’ve had quite a number of researchers from Korea to the Truman Library to copy … Continue reading Korean War exhibit in Seoul features National Archives images
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
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”
As the Girl Scouts of the USA prepare to celebrate their 100th anniversary, we will be featuring stories from NARA staff who were former Girl Scouts. This post is from Director of Preservation Programs Doris Hamburg. Happy 100th birthday, Girl Scouts! Juliette Gordon Low began the first Girl Scout troop in 1912 in Savannah with just a … Continue reading 100 Years of Girl Scouts: Preservation Programs Director shares her Girl Scout story
In the wake of the 150th anniversary of the Homestead Act, the Exhibits Division's senior registrar, Jim Zeender, and archivist Greg Bradsher flew out to America’s heartland to share a document that made it all possible. Last month, they visited the Homestead National Monument of America, four miles west of Beatrice, NE, to install the … Continue reading Homestead Act still stirs excitement 150 years later
