Strange-but-true stories from World War II
October is American Archives Month! We’re celebrating the work of archivists and the importance of archives with a series of blog posts highlighting our “Archives Across America.” Today’s post comes from Alex Champion, archivist at the National Archives in College Park, MD. The dramatic, fiery fate of the German rigid airship LZ-129, the Hindenburg, in … Continue reading Beyond the Hindenburg: Airships Throughout History
October is American Archives Month! We’re celebrating the work of archivists and the importance of archives with a series of blog posts highlighting our “Archives Across America.” Today’s post comes from Sarah Navins from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, New York. Franklin D. Roosevelt's mind saw in maps. His love of maps can … Continue reading FDR’s White House Map Room
October is American Archives Month! We’re celebrating the work of archivists and the importance of archives with a series of blog posts highlighting our "Archives Across America." Today’s post comes from Michael Wright and Joseph Ryan from the National Archives at Fort Worth. On December 5, 1945, five Grumman Avenger aircraft, carrying 14 sailors and … Continue reading “Uncertain as to in what position lay the Peninsula of Florida”: The Official Record and the Loss of Flight 19
Today's post comes from Marie Taylor, Preservation Technician with Preservation Programs at the National Archives. Have you ever wondered what Elvis did during his time in the military? How about Humphrey Bogart, Sammy Davis Jr., or even legendary boxer Joe Louis? Many people forget or simply don’t know that these famous individuals served in our … Continue reading New in our Catalog: Famous Faces in the Military
Today’s post comes from Jim Worsham, editor of Prologue, the quarterly magazine of the National Archives. As the nation began assembling its troops to fight World War I in Europe, Capt. Dwight D. Eisenhower desperately wanted a combat assignment. And “Ike” never passed up an opportunity to put in for one, even being reprimanded for … Continue reading Where were our World War II leaders during World War I?
Every year I struggle with how I can show appreciation for my mom on Mother’s Day. This year I'm going retro and “making” my mom a gift by highlighting some of the National Archives holdings that relate to Mother’s Day. Although it was celebrated in several states for years, the first time Mother’s Day became … Continue reading Happy Mother’s Day!
Today’s post comes from Sonia Kahn in the National Archives History Office. Visit the National Archives website for a full list of events and activities related to the 100th anniversary of World War I. The draft—the lottery no one wants to win. On April 6, 1917, the United States formally joined World War I, which … Continue reading The origins of America’s Unlucky Lottery
Today’s post comes from Jim Worsham, editor of Prologue, the quarterly magazine of the National Archives. Four months after Japan’s surprise attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the aircraft carrier USS Hornet sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge and out of San Francisco Bay into the Pacific on a secret mission. On the Hornet’s deck sat … Continue reading The Doolittle Raid: America’s First Strike Back on Japan
Since the National Archives was established more than 80 years ago, millions of people from the United States and abroad have visited our historic building in Washington, DC. Ten of those visitors were sitting U.S. Presidents. In 1933, before there was a building, President Herbert Hoover became the first President to visit when he laid … Continue reading From 1600 to 700 Pennsylvania Avenue: Presidential Visits to the National Archives
February is Black History Month! Visit the National Archives website to learn more about our many events and activities celebrating African American History. Charles Henry Alston (November 28, 1907–April 27, 1977) was a noted African American artist and teacher. He is best known for sculpting the bust of Martin Luther King, Jr., on display in the … Continue reading The drawings of Charles Alston
