Today’s post comes from Lori Norris, an archives technician at the National Archives at College Park. The Polar Expeditions records, which this post is based on, includes papers, journals, and artifacts from Arctic and Antarctic expeditions. Held at the National Archives at College Park, these records were donated mostly from the explorers or their families. … Continue reading Mystery of the Arctic Ice: Who was First to the North Pole
On April 1, 2022, the National Archives released the 1950 Census. For more information and to view the census, visit the National Archives website. The U.S. Constitution requires that an enumeration be taken every 10 years to determine the size of the House of Representatives. The Constitution originally designated 65 members in the House but … Continue reading The 1790 Census and the First Veto
Today’s Facial Hair Friday looks at the first president of what would become Gallaudet University in Washington DC: Edward Miner Gallaudet. It features photographs from the Mathew Brady collection at the National Archives. Edward Miner Gallaudet was born on February 5, 1837, in Hartford, Connecticut. He was the youngest of eight children. His father, Reverend … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Edward Miner Gallaudet
We are taking a look at past staff and their many contributions to the National Archives throughout history. Today’s staff spotlight is on Helen Beach, who worked for the National Archives from 1936 to her retirement in 1965 and developed her own cart, known as the "Beach Wagon." Frances Helen Beach was born on July … Continue reading Historic Staff Spotlight: Helen Beach
On April 1, 2022, the National Archives will release the 1950 Census. For more information on the records release, visit the National Archives website. Article I of the U.S. Constitution provides that an enumeration be taken every 10 years, with the first federal population census taken in 1790. While the original intent of the census … Continue reading Public Access to Census Records at the National Archives
Today’s post comes from Thomas Richardson, an expert archives technician at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri. Not all service members in the United States Armed Forces serve in combat. In fact, fewer than 15 percent of enlisted personnel ever see combat or are assigned a combat role. How can one … Continue reading Contact, Brawls, and Chambering: The Combat Action Ribbon
Since the origin of our nation, women inventors have contributed innovations large and small to our society. For Women's History Month, today's Facial Hair Friday post features a very specialized invention developed by a woman for use by men. Before modern-day hipsters donned their flamboyant facial hair, large, extravagant mustaches were all the rage in … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: the Mustache Spoon
We're concluding Black History Month with a post on Marian Anderson from Adam Berenbak in the Center for Legislative Archives. For more information on resources related to African American History, visit the National Archives website. Petition from Omega Psi Phi, April 1939. (Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives) This petition was sent to the … Continue reading Marian Anderson’s 1939 Easter Concert
We are taking a look at past staff and their many contributions to the National Archives throughout its history. Today’s staff spotlight is on Lillian Grandy, who began her National Archives career as a secretary and ended it as an exhibit specialist with a focus on Black history. Lillian Elizabeth Grandy (née Love) was born … Continue reading Historic Staff Spotlight: Lillian Grandy
On April 1, 2022, the National Archives will release the 1950 Census. For more information on the records release, visit the National Archives website. Before the creation of the National Archives, the original census records were maintained by the federal departments that had jurisdiction over censuses throughout history—first the State Department, then the Department of … Continue reading Census Records Come to the National Archives
