Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. One hundred and ninety-six years ago today, the British sacked the District of Columbia. They were, in turn, sacked by a tornado. In 1814, the British wanted revenge. U.S. troops had burned the legislative building, government structures, and private warehouses … Continue reading Tornado saves capital, scares British
For the thousands of immigrants from Europe, the entrance to America was through Ellis Island. As they sailed by New York City, they could see the Statue of Liberty standing in the harbor like a watchful guardian. For immigrants from China and the Pacific Rim, another type of guardian awaited them in San Francisco Bay. They would … Continue reading Ellis Island on the West Coast
These might look like two gentlemen out for a stroll in the early twentieth century, but the well-bearded gentlemen on the right is William Duncan, founder of Metlakahtla, a Utopian community. The man on the left with the mustache is Sir Henry S. Wellcome, who founded the pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome & Company, which later became … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Utopia above the Lower 48
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. Eve Warner takes the cake as the caption contest conquistador this week. Those of us in the Washington, DC, area who have experienced a spate of power outages over the month can certainly sympathize with the defrosting deluge that occurs … Continue reading Thursday’s Photo Caption Contest
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. While the Constitution does not say who is eligible to vote, it does say who is eligible to run for Congress. No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty-five Years, and been … Continue reading Women can’t vote, but they can run for Congress
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. For those keeping tabs on the King, the 33rd anniversary of Elvis Presley's death came and went yesterday. As we here at Pieces of History are always interested in sharing tidbits from the Archives that may otherwise go unnoticed, we … Continue reading A funny thing happened while searching for Elvis
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. When the sweeping laws of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal were enacted, it did not take long for the laws to get challenged in the courts. From Social Security to a spate of other laws meant to revamp an economy … Continue reading New Deal faces old court
Did you catch Mugged! Facing Life at Leavenworth at the National Archives at Kansas City this summer? The exhibit may be closed now, but you can learn more about the prison, its inmates, and its records in this new article from Prologue. And it's not too late to see some more mug shots from the exhibits. Check … Continue reading You can grow a mustache, but you can never leave
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. Well, it's not synchronized swimming on land, it's legitimate life saver training in Idaho, circa 1936. You can view the ARC entry for this photo (a record of the FDR Presidential Library) by clicking on the picture at left. Andrea … Continue reading Thursday’s Photo Caption Contest
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. Fact: this photo is actually from a post-apocalyptic future, and that's actually the Washington Monument, fenced to protect the only known remains of a land once known as "the District" ... strange that the future looks like rural Texas in … Continue reading Thursday’s Photo Caption Contest
