Thursday Photo Caption Contest: February 23

Perhaps it was the effect of all four of those Seussian megaphones, but your captions were extra funny this week. We could indeed hear you now and we did need a Ricola to soothe our throats from chortling, but we finally had to call in to this week's special guest judge. Congratulations to Mandi! Your clever pun on tickled the … Continue reading Thursday Photo Caption Contest: February 23

History Crush: Alexander Hamilton

Today's "History Crush" comes from Jessie Kratz, an archives specialist with the Center for Legislative Archives. She's been carrying a torch for one of our record-makers for quite some time! Most of my colleagues are all too aware that Alexander Hamilton is my history crush. Maybe the gigantic replica $10 bill hanging in my office … Continue reading History Crush: Alexander Hamilton

Inside the Vaults: George Washington and the Paparazzi

Today's post comes from Gregory Marose, an intern in the National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications. America is a celebrity-crazed nation, a place where movie stars, musicians, and even politicians are relentlessly pursued by the paparazzi. But you may be surprised to learn that our national fascination with fame predates Hollywood and the modern … Continue reading Inside the Vaults: George Washington and the Paparazzi

Thursday Photo Caption Contest–February 16

Choosing last week's winner was a tough nut--er, lobster?--to crack, so we turned to Tammy Kelly, our crack judge at the Truman Library. Congratulation to RJ! Check your email for a code to use for a 15% discount at our eStore! Tammy chose your caption as the winner. Perhaps she was reminded of the fine … Continue reading Thursday Photo Caption Contest–February 16

Join us for Social Media Week DC!

Our business may be the past, but here at the Archives, we use today's social media tools to bring history to you. Join us for Social Media Week DC with some exciting events. All events will take place in the William G. McGowan Theater in Archives I in Washington, DC. Thursday, February 16 Want to … Continue reading Join us for Social Media Week DC!

History Crush: Charles Sumner

Valentine's Day is the perfect time to launch our new "History Crush" series. Staff from across the National Archives will share which historic person in our holdings makes their heart beat a little faster! Our inaugural guest post comes from Natalie Rocchio, who is an archives specialist at the Center for Legislative Archives in the National Archives. Since … Continue reading History Crush: Charles Sumner

Thursday Photo Caption Contest–February 9

Who knew that the "LB" in LBJ stood for "light bulb"? Apparently, quite a few of you! We were buzzing with excitement after reading your captions, and we needed to ground ourselves. So we turned to our guest judge, Liza Talbot, who is an archivist at the Johnson Presidential Library and the mastermind behind the … Continue reading Thursday Photo Caption Contest–February 9

RMS Titanic: Letters from a Lost Liner

A detail from the claim submitted by Florence Gwinn, the widow of William Gwinn. Today's guest post was written by William B. Roka, a longtime volunteer at the National Archives in New York City. You can follow them on Facebook as they launch "Titantic Tuesdays" in the weeks leading up to the 100th anniversary of the … Continue reading RMS Titanic: Letters from a Lost Liner

Football Friday: Presidents and the Pigskin

Today's post comes from Gregory Marose, an intern in the National Archives Office of Strategy and Communications. With Super Bowl Sunday just two days away, we’ve decided to call an audible and make today's "Facial Hair Friday" into a "Football Friday." When the New England Patriots and New York Giants collide in this year’s Super Bowl, … Continue reading Football Friday: Presidents and the Pigskin

Thursday Photo Caption Contest–February 2

We had a hard time choosing a caption for last week's photograph. How can you choose between captions that poke gentle fun at fortune cookies, "rags to riches" stories, and the IRS? We turned to a guest judge who knows paper records really, really well. Paul Palermo is the Director of Records Center Operations at … Continue reading Thursday Photo Caption Contest–February 2