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
Victory tastes as sweet as Guinness to Laura B, whose caption referencing both the Irish holiday and the lingo of LOL cats won her 15% off at our eStore. Slainte to you, Laura B! And for once, the caption to our mystery photo shows things are just as they seem: "A patron of Sammy's Bowery Follies, a downtown … Continue reading Thursday Photo Caption Contest
Someone who read my post on Squirrel Appreciation Day alerted me to World Sparrow Day, which was Sunday, March 20. This inspired me to dive back into Online Public Access (OPA) on the National Archives web site. I typed in "sparrow," and amid many references to the U.S. Marines, missiles, and Sparrows Point shipyard were a couple of photographs of the … Continue reading Roosting in the records
Congratulations to Dave M! Our guest judge Lynn Bassanese of the Roosevelt Presidential Library chose your caption, as FDR "was a real Navy man and enjoyed an occasional cocktail so we think he would approve of our choice." It's unlikely President Roosevelt would have enjoyed the wartime cocktail being ladled out, though. The original caption … Continue reading Thursday’s Caption Contest
Today's post about women is from guest blogger Donne Kampel, who will be speaking at our Fourth Annual Forum on Women in Leadership. Kampel recently published Learning Leadership: Women Presidents of Colleges and Universities. Enjoy! *************** My book’s first life was as a dissertation. Women and leadership was my primary research interest but a focus for the … Continue reading View from the top: Women in academic leadership 2011
Edward Bates was living quietly and comfortably in 1860. He had been out of public life for two decades but now was being courted by backers for the highest office in the land. The new Republican Party's nomination for President of the United States was wide open, and a number of contenders were vying for … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday—Edward Bates
Because this contest's photograph came from John F. Kennedy Library, we asked their curator, Stacey Bredhoff, to be our guest judge. So Joyce, say "thank you" to Stacey for picking your caption as the winner. We can't arrange a meeting with Johnny Depp, but we can send you a 15% discount to the National Archives eStore. … Continue reading Thursday Caption Contest
Here at Prologue: Pieces of History, we have Facial Hair Friday. On the Harry S. Truman Library's Facebook page, they celebrate Millinery Monday! When I was very little, I loved poking through my mother's old hatboxes stored in the basement. Alas, the era of wearing hats for every occasion had passed, but she had saved her … Continue reading Hats off to Bess Truman!
In a break with tradition, today's Facial Hair doesn't feature a picture of a beard, but the man whose accomplishments we are featuring did indeed have a luxurious beard. And whether or not whiskers tickle your own chin, you almost certainly have one of his inventions attached to your face at some point during the … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Can you hear me now?
When I voted to approve appropriations for the country’s highways, I didn’t think I’d have to build them!Last's week winning caption goes to Marc, whose plowman did not expect to have quite such an active role in government. If you thought this looked like a victorious pursuit for these two well-dressed gentlemen, you would be correct. … Continue reading Thursday’s Caption Contest
