Today's post was written by Cody White, Archivist at the National Archives at Denver “As I sit here and watch I can see it caving in. It is just coming apart, completely coming apart… my advice to people downstream that are living along the Teton River, get your belongings, get your belongings. Don’t push your … Continue reading The Unforgettable Calamity – 40th Anniversary of the Teton Dam Failure
Today's post was written by David Langbart, Reference Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. Danny Thomas was a major mid-20th Century entertainment star of radio, screen, and television. He is most known for his television show that ran for 13 years (1953-65) under the names Make Room for Daddy and The Danny Thomas … Continue reading Danny Thomas Goes to Lebanon, 1962
Today's post was written by Alan Walker, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. Can you believe it? April of 1966 saw the introduction of NAR Form 1, the "Reference Service Slip." This paper (commonly referred to as a "pull slip") is used to request records and is just as important to researchers and … Continue reading 50 Years of the Pull Slip
Today's post was written by David Langbart, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. President Obama will visit Cuba later this month. It will be only the second time an incumbent President visits that island nation. The first presidential visitor was Calvin Coolidge in 1928, when he attended the Sixth International Conference of American … Continue reading The President Goes to Cuba: 1928
Today's post was written by Alan Walker, Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. Today we celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Federal Register. On that day long ago, the press ballyhooed its arrival. Official Washington had long lamented the lack of any kind of up-to-date guide to the mind-boggling mass of rules, regulations, … Continue reading Setting up the Federal Register, 1935
Today's post was written by Laurie Moyer, who volunteers on education and archival projects at the National Archives at College Park. Throughout December of 1917, the thermometer in Chicken, Alaska, a village about 40 miles west of the Canadian border, repeatedly plunged to 56 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. All activities were “practically at a standstill,” … Continue reading Fur Warden Sketches Map of Fortymile River Basin in Alaska
Today's post was written by David Langbart, Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. This is the first post in a three-part series. After the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, imperial Japanese forces seemed unstoppable, winning battle after battle in the Philippines, and other places in the Pacific – Wake Island, Guam, … Continue reading The Death of a Lady: The USS Lexington (CV-2) at the Battle of the Coral Sea, Part I: The Log
Today's post was written by Alan Walker, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. It’s all well and good to have defined boundaries between countries, but somebody has to go out and make sure that they are accurate. And that’s what survey teams from the Coast and Geodetic Survey did for many years, especially … Continue reading Walk the Line
Today's post was written by David Langbart, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. Douglas MacArthur was born on January 26, 1880. As his 70th birthday approached, he was serving as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP) in occupied Japan. In that position he had significant interaction with the Department of State. In … Continue reading Douglas MacArthur Turns 70: Birthday Greetings from the Secretary of State
Today's post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. This is the final part in a three part series. General Truscott announced on December 29 that Third U.S. Army intelligence officers, after a long search, had uncovered important documents signed by Hitler. In announcing the find, Truscott was … Continue reading The Search for Hitler’s Political Testament, Personal Will, and Marriage Certificate Part III
