Strange-but-true stories about America’s Presidents from the National Archives and Presidential Libraries.
Harry S. Truman was never really fond of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, especially after their frosty 1950 Wake Island meeting in the Pacific while the Korean War raged. Things had not gone particularly well since the North Koreans invaded South Korea in late June 1950. By October, South Korean troops had pushed across the 38th parallel, … Continue reading “You’re Fired!”
President Woodrow Wilson’s campaign slogan throughout his 1916 reelection campaign was "he kept us out of war," but on April 2, 1917, Wilson reversed course and called on Congress to provide a declaration of war for American intervention in World War I. Although this shift in policy contradicted Wilson’s isolationist principles and firm commitment to … Continue reading The “Wilsonian” Path to War
It had not yet been 24 hours since President Ronald Reagan was wounded in an assassination attempt—wounds far more serious than the public was told at the time. But on the morning of March 31, 1981, the three men he relied on most in these early days of his administration came to see him in … Continue reading A Shaky, but Official, Signature
When Ronald Reagan survived the attempt on his life on March 30, 1981, and went on to serve two full four-year terms, he broke what some people call “the year-ending-in-zero” curse. It goes like this: Every President elected in a year ending in zero since 1840 had died in office. William Henry Harrison, elected in … Continue reading Reverse the (Zero) Curse
Monday is a federal holiday, but what holiday is it? So many ads on television and in print tell us it's Presidents/President's/Presidents' Day. Images of Lincoln and Washington sometimes accompany these ads. But here at the National Archives, we know it's still officially Washington's Birthday. This year the holiday is actually close to GW's birthday … Continue reading It’s Washington’s Birthday—really
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
If you have been reading Pieces of History, you know that the National Archives holds many unusual records. But when I started working here, I was excited to learn that we hold the papers of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, at the Hoover Presidential Library. The childhood adventures of Laura Ingalls Wilder, especially her first … Continue reading Little house in the big archives
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. These days, the average NFL player receives about $1.2 million a year, not a bad paycheck for throwing around the old pigskin. After all, that's three times what the President makes (though he does get free limo rides), and plenty … Continue reading Green Bay Packer, Detroit Lion, or US President?
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
