Strange-but-true stories about America’s Presidents from the National Archives and Presidential Libraries.
Today in 1881, President Garfield died as the result of being shot at close range by an assassin. It took him nearly three months to die. On July 2, after months of increasing agitation and several aborted attempts to shoot the President with a pearl-handled pistol, Charles Guiteau finally mortally wounded the President as he waited … Continue reading Paging Dr. Bell to the President’s deathbed
This post is part of a series on September 11. As the nation's record keeper, the National Archives holds many documents related to the events of September 11. In this series, our staff share some of their memories of the day and their thoughts on the records that are part of their holdings. Today's blogger … Continue reading 9/11: The World Series and a President’s pitch
Today's post comes from Gregory Marose, an intern in the National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications. The only five-star general ever to be elected President of the United States, Dwight Eisenhower was a man of many accomplishments. That is why it should come as no surprise that Ike was a leader in the kitchen … Continue reading What’s Cooking Wednesday: A Commander-in-Chef’s Recipe for Vegetable Soup
Want a waffle with that earthshake? All Virginia earthquake jokes aside, today is a momentous day indeed. On this day in 1869, Dutch American Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York, received a U.S. patent for the first waffle iron. Described as simply a “device to bake waffles,” the waffle iron was heated over a coal … Continue reading What’s Cooking Wednesday: National Waffle Day
Julius Henry Marx--better known by his stage name Groucho Marx--passed away on August 19, 1977. He left behind a legacy of humor on stage, radio, and film. I was not able to find to find any images of him in our holdings, which was disappointing as his trademark mustache was a fine candidate for Facial … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: A mustache, a funny man, and a President
More than 400 White House staff came to see Richard Nixon say farewell at 9.32 a.m. in the East Room of the White House. And when Nixon and his family walked to the waiting helicopter, staff and guests crowded across the lawn and porch. There were hundreds of people at the White House that historic morning. But politics … Continue reading Strange bedfellows: Nixon, Bush, and Sawyer
Today's post comes from Gregory Marose, an intern in the National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications. Sometimes sharing a good meal is the best way to resolve the differences you may have with another. For the United States and China, this strategy helped normalize relations during the peak of the Cold War. Today, the … Continue reading What’s Cooking Wednesdays: Dinner Diplomacy Thaws the Cold War
Today's post comes from Gregory Marose, an intern in the National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications. It was 61 years ago today that General Douglas MacArthur was named commander of United Nations forces in Korea. The final command in an illustrious career, MacArthur’s tenure in Korea led to a controversial feud with President Harry … Continue reading The Beginning of the End: MacArthur in Korea
Did you know that the 13 Presidential libraries are part of the National Archives? The National Archives is a nonpartisan agency, and we care for all the paper and digital records—as well as Presidential gifts and other items—that are part of the President's legacy. These documents are preserved and made accessible at the 13 Presidential … Continue reading The Presidents are expecting you!
In 2011, a lone gunman opened fire at a political event in Tucson, Arizona, killing six and severely wounding Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. In the aftermath of the tragedy, a federal judge ruled that the suspect charged in the Tucson shooting “was not mentally competent to stand trial.” The attack and the later legal ruling were not … Continue reading “Not guilty by reason of….”
