The Mustache: Future of the South?

When you think of Samuel Clemens, do you think of the celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras County? His house in Conneticut? A yankee in King Arthur's court? Or do you think of his full, bushy mustache? As a child growing up in New England, I felt more familiar with the world of Lousia May Alcott … Continue reading The Mustache: Future of the South?

Thursday’s Photo Caption Contest

Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. Rick B. won our hearts and minds with his caption last week of a donkey with a dangerous back blast. Understated, eloquent, simple in its beauty. Kudos, Rick, you've won 30% off at the National Archives eStore. An honorable mention … Continue reading Thursday’s Photo Caption Contest

The Peace Corps’ not-so-peaceful roots

Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. It was 49 years ago today that President John F. Kennedy put pen to paper and established the Peace Corps. It was authorized by Public Law 87-293, an "Act to promote world peace and friendship through a Peace Corps." But despite its name, … Continue reading The Peace Corps’ not-so-peaceful roots

Internet sensation discovered at the National Archives

Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. Internet memes are a new phenomenon. What is an Internet meme? It's a random, quirky, 'thing' that takes the Internet by storm and for the briefest of moments enters the American dialogue. Often times logging in millions of hits for … Continue reading Internet sensation discovered at the National Archives

Bring your big stick to “The Jungle”

Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. It was 1906 when Upton Sinclair made the world vegetarian, at least for a little while. Sinclair's novel riled the United States and its President, Teddy Roosevelt, by revealing the unsanitary conditions under which food was made. Since 1879, over … Continue reading Bring your big stick to “The Jungle”

What Franklin thought of the Constitution

Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. All summer long, a group of men huddled in a stifling hot room in Philadelphia (Madison almost passed out from the heat) to develop the framework for a government that would govern the newly independent states of America. There was … Continue reading What Franklin thought of the Constitution

The draft dodgers of 1944

Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. Behind the barbed wire of the Japanese internment camp at Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming, a few men received their orders to report for duty. It was 1944, and they had been drafted. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor … Continue reading The draft dodgers of 1944

Thursday’s Photo Caption Contest

Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. We've all seen the commercials talking about sleep number beds, and we here at POH think RJ hit it on the nose. Apparently for this family, nine is their sleep number. As to what this cozy family is actually up … Continue reading Thursday’s Photo Caption Contest

The documents that built the Constitution

Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/sFAVKJAOWSc?fs=1&hl=en_US Just in time for Constitution Day on September 17, acting Chief of Reference at the National Archives Trevor Plante literally takes viewers inside the National Archives vaults to see some of his favorite rarely-displayed documents including the following: The … Continue reading The documents that built the Constitution

How to annoy Hitler

Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. Each of the German victories, and there were a surprising number of these, made [Adolf Hitler] happy, but he was highly annoyed by the series of triumphs by the marvelous colored American runner, Jesse Owens. People whose antecedents came from … Continue reading How to annoy Hitler