Today's post comes from Emily Rollman, summer intern with the Public and Media Communications Office. And the #FoundersFaceOff champion is John Adams! The National Archives, home of the Declaration of Independence, is holding its first #FoundersFaceOff in honor of Independence Day. This bracket-style tournament is similar to the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament, but this … Continue reading The Founding Fathers Face Off for the Fourth of July!
Today's post comes from James Worsham, editor of publications for the National Archives. The U.S. Supreme Court this week decided not to get involved in whether certain legislative and congressional districts have been “gerrymandered”—a practice that dates to the early days of the country. The cases before the court involved a practice in which districts … Continue reading The “Gerry” in Gerrymandering
Today's post comes from Brooke Engerman, summer intern with the Office of Public and Media Communications. The steampunk movement is most associated with a definitive style of fashion and design which incorporates aspects of Victorian fashion accessorized with industrial materials. Most steampunk-inspired pieces—be it costumes or objects—are fantastical in nature and pull inspiration from science … Continue reading Seven Patents to Delight Your Steampunk Friends
Today’s Pride Month post comes from Danielle Sklarew, an intern in the National Archives History Office. On June 18, 1983, Dr. Sally Ride zoomed away from earth on a NASA Space Shuttle, breaking barriers as she reached immense heights. As Ride embarked on this mission, she officially became the first American woman to fly in … Continue reading American Pride for Astronaut Sally Ride
Whether it be beards, mustaches, burnsides, goatees, sideburns, or the good ol’ mutton chops, every first Friday of the month we’ll bring you the finest facial hair from the holdings of National Archives. Why are we bringing back Facial Hair Friday? It is fate—two recent posts had photos of John Alexander Logan, and while looking at … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday Returns!
Today’s post comes from John Lockwood, a long-time federal employee who has written numerous articles, many for the National Archives. I was recently downtown at the National Archives, looking for old records of the Know-Nothing Party, when they were in charge of the Washington Monument’s construction for a few years. I did find one interesting … Continue reading The Washington Monument Collection and the Know-Nothing Party
Today’s post comes from Joseph Gillette, an archivist on a cross-training assignment in the National Archives History Office. This is the last in a series concerning the Air Force’s Project Blue Book investigation. Part I addressed the challenges the National Archives faced in providing access to the records. Part II addressed general Air Force investigatory … Continue reading UFOs: Man-Made, Made Up, and Unknown
Today’s post comes from Joseph Gillette, an archivist on a cross-training assignment in the National Archives History Office. This is the second in a series concerning the Air Force’s Project Blue Book investigation. From 1947 to 1970, the United States Air Force conducted investigations into the increasing number of unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings throughout … Continue reading UFOs: Natural Explanations
Librarians have different jobs than archivists. And the National Archives is not the Library of Congress (hi, neighbors!). But, librarians and archivists have a lot in common, and the Archivist of the United States had a long career as a librarian before crossing over to the other side of the stacks. Like librarians, archivists love … Continue reading 11 Bookmobiles that Make Archivists Want to Hit the Road
Opening day of baseball is upon us, and believe it or not, the National Archives is full of records related to America’s favorite pastime. For instance, within the Records of the United States Senate at the Center for Legislative Archives at the National Archives in Washington, DC, there is a large collection of original Clifford … Continue reading Play Ball!
