Prologue: Pieces of History

On April 12, 1955, a vaccine against polio was declared safe and effective. Jonas E. Salk’s great discovery was too late for President Franklin Roosevelt, who had contracted polio in 1921, at age 39, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. But the President, who died in 1945, had been instrumental in funding research that eventually led [...]

Only 9 days left until the seventh annual Genealogy Fair! The fair is free and open to the public, and will take place at the National Archives building in Washington, DC. The Archivist will cut the ribbon at 9 a.m. on April 20 to open the fair. Need an introduction to genealogy? There’s a session [...]

Harry S. Truman was never really fond of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, especially after their frosty 1950 Wake Island meeting in the Pacific while the Korean War raged. Things had not gone particularly well since the North Koreans invaded South Korea in late June 1950. By October, South Korean troops had pushed across the 38th parallel, [...]

Congratulations to Marene! Our guest judge Marvin Pinkert, director of the National Archives Experience, felt that your caption best wrapped up the directives of Open Government. Check your email for the code to receive 15% off a purchase at the eStore. And in the spirit of transparency, we will reveal to you the actual meaning [...]

When Robert Peary wrote “The pole at last!!!” into his diary on April 6, 1909, he had no idea that his claim would be disputed for the next several decades by experts who doubted that he and Matthew A. Henson were the first men to reach the North Pole. Marie Peary Stafford had no such doubts, [...]