Today’s post comes from Saba Samy, an intern at the National Archives in Washington, DC. On April 15, 1947, Jack Roosevelt ("Jackie") Robinson made his debut in Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers. That year, Robinson also won the Rookie of the Year Award, making his entrance into the major league unforgettable as the … Continue reading The Inventors Behind America’s Favorite Pastime
On Monday, April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Today’s post, an update of Riley Lindheimer's 2017 piece, looks a solar eclipses past and present. Visit the National Archives website for more information. On April 8, 2024, the continental United States will experience … Continue reading Total Eclipse of the Sun
March is Women’s History Month. Visit the National Archives website for resources and virtual events related to women’s history. When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed, Title VII prohibited discrimination by certain employers on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. State and local governments, however, were exempt. The Civil Rights Act of … Continue reading The Federal Women’s Program
On Saturday a new exhibit opened in the National Archives Building, Power & Light: Russell Lee's Coal Survey. It will run in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery until July 6, 2025. This exhibit features more than 200 of Russell Lee’s photographs of coal miners and their families. Russell Lee, 1935. (Photo courtesy of the Library … Continue reading Russell Lee’s Coal Survey Exhibit
It’s Women’s History Month, and we are taking a look at past staff and their many contributions to the National Archives throughout history. Today’s staff spotlight is on Faye Geeslin, who served as the administrative assistant for three Archivists of the United States. Faye Geeslin (née Faye Killingsworth) was born on October 24, 1912, in … Continue reading Historic Staff Spotlight: Faye Geeslin
Today’s post, from Alyssa Moore in the National Archives History Office, is in honor of Women's History Month and looks at the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service program, or WAVES, during World War II. Advertisement poster to join the WAVES. (National Archives Identifier 514649) Less than one year after the United States entered World … Continue reading WAVES: It’s a Woman’s War Too!
160 years ago on leap day, President Abraham Lincoln nominated Ulysses S. Grant to be Lieutenant General of the Army. Three years into the U.S. Civil War, with no end in sight, President Abraham Lincoln needed to find a commander who could lead the U.S. to victory. Abraham Lincoln, ca. 1861-1865. (National Archives Identifier 530592) … Continue reading Lincoln’s Leap Day Nomination of Grant
Today’s post comes from Thomas Richardson, an expert archives technician at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri. Far out in the New Mexico desert, the largest government-funded scientific endeavor culminated in the first nuclear detonation at the White Sands Missile Range. The bright flash followed by intense heat and billowing mushroom … Continue reading Atomic Veterans Commemorative Service Medal
February is Black History Month. Visit the National Archives website for more information on our resources related to African American history. Today’s post, from Alyssa Moore in the National Archives History Office, looks at the legendary jazz musician Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong, 1941. (Records of the United States Information Agency, National Archives) Louis Armstrong was born on … Continue reading Louis Armstrong: Harlem Renaissance Pioneer
Today's post is an oldie but a goodie from our very own public affairs specialist Hilary Parkinson. While searching for images of owls in the National Archives Catalog for #SuperbOwl, I came across this curious photo of an owl wearing safety goggles. In the same search I found photographs of men shaking hands and showing off tiny owl … Continue reading #SuperbOwl: The Wise Owl Club
