Restoring U.S. Citizenship: Tadayasu Abo et al. v Tom Clark et al., Northern District of California (San Francisco), Civil no. 25294

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in Asian Pacific American Heritage, WWII Home Front

Today's blog was written by Ruth Chan, Archivist and Subject Matter Expert for Asian American and Pacific Islander Related Records. A heartfelt thanks to Zoe Lee-DiVito, Caroline Perez, and Rebecca Fong, dedicated interns and volunteers at the National Archives in San Francisco, for their invaluable assistance in digitizing the Abo case. In the final stages … Continue reading Restoring U.S. Citizenship: Tadayasu Abo et al. v Tom Clark et al., Northern District of California (San Francisco), Civil no. 25294

Unconditional Surrender: Commemorating 80 Years Since the End of World War II in the European Theater of Operations

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in Military Records, NARA's History, World War II

Today’s post is by Rachael Salyer, Subject Matter Expert for Modern Military Records at the National Archives in College Park, MD. German officers sign unconditional surrender in Reims, France, May 7, 1945. NAID 195337 (detail), FDR-PHOCO- Franklin D. Roosevelt Library Public Domain Photographs In the early morning of May 7, 1945, representatives from the four … Continue reading Unconditional Surrender: Commemorating 80 Years Since the End of World War II in the European Theater of Operations

The War Comes to the Reservation – the Japanese Balloon Bombs of WWII

by John LeGloahec, posted in Military Records, World War II, WWII Home Front

Today’s post is by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver Let’s take a trip back…80 years ago…to 1945. It is 8:00 PM in the late spring evening, so the endless Montana sky still lies atop the Crow Reservation in front of you while driving back home after checking some fencelines along Pryor … Continue reading The War Comes to the Reservation – the Japanese Balloon Bombs of WWII

Lawrence of Arabia: A View from 1939

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in Hollywood and Film, State and Foreign Affairs, World War I

Thomas Edward Lawrence is most famous for his action in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire in support of British forces in the Middle East during World War I, activity that won him the appellation of “Lawrence of Arabia.”  T.E. Lawrence Lawrence was introduced to Arab language, culture, and history while doing archeological work … Continue reading Lawrence of Arabia: A View from 1939

Return to Sender: Individual Deceased Personnel Files of the 6888th

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in African American History, Army, Digitization Projects, Finding Aids, Women's History, World War II

Today’s post is by Cara Moore Lebonick, Archivist at the National Archives at St. Louis Bankston, Mary J. RG 92: Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General, Individual Deceased Personnel File, pg 6, NAID 330441288 Three of the four women interred at Normandy-American Cemetery and Memorial as a result of World War II deaths … Continue reading Return to Sender: Individual Deceased Personnel Files of the 6888th

The 250th Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord

by John LeGloahec, posted in Revolutionary War & Early America

Today’s post was written by Matthew DiBiase, an Archives Specialist from the National Archives at Philadelphia. The documents featured here are from the Interim Report of the Boston National Historic Sites Commission (led by Congressman and future Speaker of the House Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, Jr.) to the Congress of the United States submitted on … Continue reading The 250th Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord

The War Between the States – Civil War sites in the National Register of Historic Places

by John LeGloahec, posted in Civil War, Presidents

South Carolina, Fort Sumter (National Archives Identifier 533429) Last Saturday marked the 164th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, which started on April 12, 1861, when the Confederacy bombarded the Union fort, Fort Sumter in South Carolina.  There are a number of properties in the National Register, specific to the Civil War, including … Continue reading The War Between the States – Civil War sites in the National Register of Historic Places

Getting Ready for Summer in Washington

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in State and Foreign Affairs

Washington, DC, sitting as it does in the mid-Atlantic region, experiences hot and humid summers.  Office buildings evolved to make the summertime work situation tolerable.  By the early twentieth century, many government buildings had high ceilings, large windows, and opening/closing transoms over doors to allow air flow-through in an effort to make offices as comfortable … Continue reading Getting Ready for Summer in Washington

Sticky Fingers in Moscow, 1959

by NationalArchivesBlog, posted in State and Foreign Affairs

One of the more notable events in U.S.-Soviet relations during the Eisenhower Administration War was the American National Exhibit in Moscow from July 25 to September 4, in 1959.  This was the scene of the so-called Kitchen Debate between Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Chairman of the Soviet Council of Ministers Nikita Khrushchev.  The … Continue reading Sticky Fingers in Moscow, 1959

Standardizing Color Television Systems

by John LeGloahec, posted in Arts & Entertainment, Processing Projects, Science and Technology

Today's post is written by Timothy Wilcox, an Archivist at the National Archives at Kansas City. Many born in the 1980s and after cannot recall a life without electronic visual media in vibrant hues. Few of us know the history that brought it to the masses. The advent of color television was a gradual process … Continue reading Standardizing Color Television Systems