In the U.S. Army of 2010, the regulations state that mustaches are limited to men, and the length and shape of the mustache itself is severely limited: "Mustaches are permitted; if worn, males will keep mustaches neatly trimmed, tapered, and tidy. Mustaches will not present a chopped off or bushy appearance, and no portion of … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Handlebar mustaches are not authorized
Month: May 2010
160,000 pages to go
Whenever a member of the Supreme Court announces retirement, and another citizen is nominated to replace one of the most important seats in government, the National Archives gets busy. The nomination of Elena Kagan is no exception. The Clinton Presidential Library has over 160,000 pages of Kagan’s documents to sort through and provide to the … Continue reading 160,000 pages to go
Private Babe Ruth
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. George Herman "Babe" Ruth was no exception to the military draft that took place during World War I, but as fate would have it, the Great Bambino's number was never called. Still, "Babe" Ruth managed to serve his country. Eighty-six … Continue reading Private Babe Ruth
Elena Kagan owes Belva Lockwood
If Kagan’s nomination is accepted, she will be the fourth woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice. Her nomination was made possible by the trail blazed—with tremendous determination—by Lockwood. Lockwood was the daughter of farmers, a widowed mother, and a wife who financially supported her ailing husband. She attended college after the death of … Continue reading Elena Kagan owes Belva Lockwood
Facial Hair Friday
The Civil War was a fine time for facial hair (and I would assume now is still a fine time for the facial hair of historic reenactors). On Fridays, we'll be posting images of the finest, most dapper facial hair the National Archives has in its holdings, from the Civil War to Gilded Age Presidents. … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday
Forever in Blue Jeans…and in Court
On May 20, 1873, Jacob W. Davis received patent #139,121 for an "improvement in fastening pocket openings." Davis's improvement consisted of "the employment of a metal rivet or eyelet at each edge of the pocket opening to prevent the ripping of the seam at those points." Less than a year later, on January 31, 1874, … Continue reading Forever in Blue Jeans…and in Court
Connected, hundreds of years apart
Petroglyphs, Napoleon, tobacco pigtails, the EPA. What do these have to do with each other? On May 14, 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition set out from St. Louis, Missouri, to explore the Northwest from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. France had just seceded Lousiana to the United States. The National Archives holds … Continue reading Connected, hundreds of years apart
Expo 2010, meet Expo 74
The World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, China, opened this month and expects to attract 70 million visitors. If you are not going to China, you can still visit the World Expos of the past, here in the National Archives. Since the 1876 exposition in Philadelphia, the United States has hosted over a dozen expos. The … Continue reading Expo 2010, meet Expo 74
Forty years ago: An investigation into Kent State
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. Forty years ago this week, four people were killed at Kent State University, fueling protests in an already divided nation. This map was used by the Kent State University Investigative Team to determine what happened on May 4, 1970.
Mutiny on the high seas
Today's post comes from National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications staff writer Rob Crotty. In the history of the United States Navy, no formal mutiny on the high seas has ever occurred, though one was narrowly averted on the storied decks of the USS Somers in 1842. Without a Naval academy to train future … Continue reading Mutiny on the high seas