This year the federal holiday Thanksgiving falls on November 23, the fourth Thursday of the month. But it wasn't always so. Today's post looks at Thanksgiving as a federal holiday and the various days it has been commemorated. To learn more about Thanksgiving and how the National Archives is celebrating, visit our website. One of … Continue reading Thanksgiving as a Federal Holiday
On Friday, July 7, 2023, the National Archives is hosting a vacation-themed hashtag party. Join the conversation on Instagram and Twitter using #ArchivesHashtagParty and #ArchivesVacay. Today’s post is from Alyssa Moore in the National Archives History Office. Secluded in the Catoctin Mountains of Maryland, not far from Washington, DC, sits an active naval base called … Continue reading Escaping the White House: Camp David
October is American Archives Month, and we’re looking at moments in National Archives history that shed light on the importance of archives. Today’s post comes from Callie Belback from the National Archives History Office. Before 1934 and the creation of the National Archives, the U.S. Government lacked an adequate way to store all the records … Continue reading The National Archives Council
For International Peace Month, we’re looking at significant turning points toward a more peaceful world highlighted by the records of 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. “It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in … Continue reading Making Tomorrow Better: International Peace Month
Congress passed and President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the National Archives Act on June 19, 1934. Not only did the legislation create the National Archives as an agency to oversee all federal recordkeeping, it established the position of Archivist of the United States. The Archivist, who was to make $10,000 annually, was to … Continue reading Appointment of the First Archivist of the United States
April 12 marks the 75th anniversary of the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Today’s post comes from Michael J. Hancock, archives technician at the National Archives at College Park, MD. “We have always held to the hope, the belief, the conviction, that there is a better life, a better world, beyond the horizon.” —Franklin … Continue reading The Death of a President
Today’s post comes from Daniel J. Fleming, an archives technician at the National Archives at Boston. The successful postseason run of the 2018 World Series champion Boston Red Sox provides a timely opportunity to revisit the franchise's championship team from 100 years ago. As America entered World War I and many of Boston’s ballplayers joined … Continue reading The 1918 Boston Red Sox and World War I
Today’s post comes from Megan Huang from the National Archives History Office. Besides his role as President during two of the greatest crises in American history, Franklin D. Roosevelt is also famous for having been a collector. Well-known as a collector of stamps, Roosevelt also carefully accumulated a vast amount of paraphernalia relating to the … Continue reading New Online Exhibit: The “Old Navy” Prints and Watercolors
October is American Archives Month! We’re celebrating the work of archivists and the importance of archives with a series of blog posts highlighting our “Archives Across America.” Today’s post comes from Sarah Navins from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, New York. Franklin D. Roosevelt's mind saw in maps. His love of maps can … Continue reading FDR’s White House Map Room
Every year I struggle with how I can show appreciation for my mom on Mother’s Day. This year I'm going retro and “making” my mom a gift by highlighting some of the National Archives holdings that relate to Mother’s Day. Although it was celebrated in several states for years, the first time Mother’s Day became … Continue reading Happy Mother’s Day!
