Strange-but-true stories from the Great Depression era
We've got lots of artists in the building today. If you visit the National Archives Building from December 2 to 6, you can partake of history and do your Christmas shopping and support local artists and support the programs of the National Archives! The holiday fair is officially titled "The Way We Worked" American Artisans Fair. Local … Continue reading Artists at work in the National Archives
One of the themes throughout our "What's Cooking Wednesday" posts has been war and food rationing. American citizens were asked to grow their own food, ration sugar, and eat less meat so that there would be more supplies for soldiers fighting overseas and for people with little food left in their war-torn country. As a result, … Continue reading What’s Cooking Wednesday: Flour Sack Art
Eleanor Roosevelt was born on October 11, 1884. She was the niece of former President Theodore Roosevelt, and later became the wife of future President Franklin D. Roosevelt (her fifth cousin). She is known for her role as First Lady during the Great Depression and World War II. She was the first woman in that … Continue reading Eleanor Roosevelt, what’s in your wallet?
Today's an eggs-ellent day in Washington, DC, for young people! It's the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, where hundreds of children gather to roll eggs and play games on the South Lawn of the President's House. But the tradition did not start at the White House. It began on the lawns and terraces of the … Continue reading An Egg-centric White House Tradition
Today marks 100 years since the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire—a blaze that lasted 18 minutes and left 146 workers dead. Among the many in New York City who witnessed the tragedy was Frances Perkins, who would later become FDR's Secretary of Labor, making her the first woman to serve in a Presidential cabinet. As Secretary … Continue reading A Factory Fire and Frances Perkins
I was worried I would never find love at the National Archives. When Scribd.com approached my office about promoting Prologue magazine by creating a collection of romantic records for their Valentine's Day "Eat Say Love" event, I was very doubtful. Would I be able to find enough romance in the records to put together a … Continue reading Romance in the Records
Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving, as usual, on the fourth Thursday of November. Today shoppers are hitting the stores for "Black Friday" super discounts to kick off holiday shopping. But until 1939, Thanksgiving Day was traditionally the last Thursday in November. That year there were five Thursdays in the month, and concern about a shortened shopping season prompted … Continue reading Thanksgiving: Another FDR Experiment
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. When the sweeping laws of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal were enacted, it did not take long for the laws to get challenged in the courts. From Social Security to a spate of other laws meant to revamp an economy … Continue reading New Deal faces old court
