Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. The United States Army wanting an aeroplane, in early 1908, signed a contract with Orville and Wilbur Wright to a acquire one. The contract prescribed certain tests that the aeroplane would have to accomplish before the Army … Continue reading The United States Army Buys Its First Aeroplane, 1909
Today’s post is written by Daniel Dancis, an Archivist in the Textual Processing Branch at the National Archives in College Park, MD. “Believing that the development of experimental facilities on Mount Washington, New Hampshire, is an undertaking that is difficult of verbal description there are attached, hereto, a brief photographic record. The pictures submitted only … Continue reading Building a Radio Tower atop Mount Washington
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. One of the mainstays of intelligence collection is photography. Among the variety of images collected are overhead photography, aerial photography, and what can only be called regular photography. All three types are represented in … Continue reading Photographic Intelligence: The Civil War
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. Several investigations followed the near-disaster at Three Mile Island. The most important was the President's Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island established by President Jimmy Carter in April 1979. The twelve-member panel … Continue reading International Aspects of the Three Mile Island Incident III: Follow Up
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. The overseas reaction to the Three Mile Island accident was varied. In most countries the response was muted but there were exceptions. Examples of the different reactions include (All referenced telegrams can be viewed … Continue reading International Aspects of the Three Mile Island Incident II: International Reaction
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. On March 28, 1979, a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, experienced a partial meltdown. While ultimately there was no large-scale release of radioactive materials, the potential for a major disaster … Continue reading International Aspects of the Three Mile Island Incident I: Keeping the World Informed
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. Part I described the SKYLAB program and international concerns about its reentry. Beginning in April 1979, and with increasing frequency as the date approached, the Department of State informed overseas posts of the date … Continue reading What Goes Up Must Come Down: Dealing With the International Aspects of the Demise of SKYLAB, Part II
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. The reentry of space debris carries the potential to cause a major international incident. While most such remains burn up in the atmosphere, larger pieces can survive and cause damage, injury, or even death … Continue reading What Goes Up Must Come Down: Dealing With the International Aspects of the Demise of SKYLAB, Part I
Today’s post is written by Zachary Dabbs, Processing Archivist at the National Archives in College Park. Digitized Radioactive Documents Concerning Radium Dial Painters now in the National Archives Catalog Early in 2016, the Electronic Records Division of the National Archives and Records Administration received an unusual collection of donated electronic records. The original paper records, … Continue reading The Radium Girls at the National Archives
