If you think the Constitution is just a few pieces of parchment in a glass case, think again! It may have been written 223 years ago, but it's still making headlines. This morning, the Constitution was on the front page of the printed Washington Post. This week has been a big one for the Constitution in the news—the document received … Continue reading How much do you know about the Constitution?
Congress is back in town this week, and a new crop of Representives is on Capitol Hill. If you follow politics, or live in Washington, DC (and therefore hear about politics every time you turn on the news), you know that the end of 2010 meant ducks. Lame ones. This happens when Congress has to reconvene after the … Continue reading Lame ducks? Blame the Constitution.
As frigid temperatures cover much of the country, and many areas are still dealing with record amounts of snow, my thoughts turn to the polar explorers of the early 20th century. They didn't have Goretex jackets with superwarm linings, satellite communications, or portable computers. Our "Pieces of History" blog takes its name from a regular … Continue reading Exploring the polar regions
Since April 2010, we've brought you more than 100 Pieces of History. Nothing too small, too strange, or too obscure has escaped the spotlight of our blog or the scalpel of your clever comments. And we are still discovering new pieces of history every day here at the National Archives! But before we go forward into … Continue reading Top Ten Pieces of History for 2010
Following upon the spate of movies in recent years about British female royalty (the Elizabeths and Victoria), we now have one about British male royalty, The King’s Speech, starring Colin Firth as George VI. It focuses on George VI (the current monarch's father) and his struggle to overcome stuttering and stammering, especially when he spoke … Continue reading A hot dog for the King
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. In 1864, Savannah, Georgia, was offered to Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas present. But in 1776, George Washington delivered one of the greatest gifts in American history: the United States. Winter was a bad season for Washington. His Continental Army … Continue reading The must-have Christmas gift of 1776
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. In 1992, George Washington University's "National Security Archive" submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), soliciting information from the Central Intelligence Agency. Their request was inspired by a 1973 memorandum issued from then-CIA Director James R. Schlesinger, who requested that … Continue reading The CIA’s catalog of covert conundrums
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. The first use of the temporary insanity plea to beat a murder charge happened in 1859 and was employed in the defense of a man named Dan Sickles, who had killed his wife's lover. A story such as this might be … Continue reading A temporarily insane Congressman
Researching in original records often provides the researcher with surprises. Usually the surprise takes the form of an unknown letter, a reference to your topic in an unexpected place, or a lead that directs you to a new set of records to mine. Once in a great while, the surprise is something no one could … Continue reading Mole in place at the Archives
