The following post comes from guest blogger Robyn Dexter, Archivist at the National Archives at Anchorage. Rear Admiral Richard Byrd was born in 1888, part of a prominent Virginia family. His commission in the Navy enabled him to pioneer developments in aviation, learning to fly during WWI. Byrd was instrumental in developing new technologies, such [...]

Who knew oats could be so powerful? One Midwestern company knew their strength and did whatever it could to protect its interest in the grain and its products.

“Sock it to me!”  That is, in a way, what happened to Richard Havilland.  And he never got to utter that phrase on the television show that made it famous, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.  He did, however, fight back and socked Playboy with a lawsuit.  The case provides a fascinating look at not only the [...]

Today’s post comes from Theresa Fitzgerald and Wanda Williams, archivists at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. Come see our new Documented Rights exhibit, which opens today, Monday, October 3, 2011, and runs through March 2, 2012 at the new National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. This special exhibition illustrates this nation’s [...]

This guest blog post is by Theresa Fitzgerald and Wanda Williams, archivists at the National Personnel Records Center. The National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has moved into a new 474,000 square-foot facility at 1 Archives Drive in north St. Louis County.     With a current workforce of nearly [...]

September 2 is not necessarily a day which will live in infamy; nevertheless it is significant in world history marking the formal end of World War II in 1945 when Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender on the USS Missouri. While the military fought overseas, Americans at home were doing their part with a little [...]

Not all crimes are worthy of great publicity. Petty thievery is commonplace, and certainly does not warrant a lot of attention.  However, some cases are considered “perfect” crimes. One happened near Chicago and is documented not only in the National Archives, but also on television. In 1981, William Smarto, along with assistance from his brother [...]

I am happy to announce the 2011 recipients of the National Archives Regional Residency Fellowship. This new program, with the generous support of the Foundation for the National Archives provides the fellows a unique opportunity to conduct original research utilizing the holdings of the National Archives location by which they were selected. Although their research [...]

The following post is by guest blogger Kristina Maldre of the National Archives at Chicago.  Thanks Kristina! Kids slide down the base of the Picasso statue in Chicago. Tourists stare at themselves and the skyline in the surface of “The Bean.” Nine-to-fivers shuffle under the red Calder piece in the Federal Plaza to their offices five days [...]

The following post is by guest blogger Corey Stewart of the Archival Programs Division at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri.  Thanks Corey! Photograph, Capt. Henry T. Elrod, February 1, 1940 Just hours after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese launched an attack on Wake Island, December 8, 1941.  The initial enemy bombing runs [...]