[NOTE: This post was drafted before the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine.] Chernobyl. Today, the name of the city in present-day war-torn Ukraine conjures visions of a nuclear disaster of previously-unseen proportions. On April 26, 1986, technicians at the nuclear power plant near Chernobyl lost control of one of the four reactors on the site … Continue reading Chernobyl Before It Was CHERNOBYL!
Today’s post is written by Cody White, Archivist and Subject Matter Expert for Native American Related Records. What exactly happened in the brutal winter conditions of Colorado's San Juan Mountains nearly 150 years ago, when Alfred Packer survived by eating the bodies of his five companions, will never be known—only Packer lived to tell the … Continue reading The Grisly Tale of the “Colorado Cannibal” Alfred Packer, as Seen in the Records of the Office of Indian Affairs
St. George--Church, religious (National Archives Identifier 131115264) The month of April is significant for many of the world’s religions. Easter will be celebrated on Sunday April 17, the Jewish holiday of Passover will take place from April 15 through April 23, and April will also mark the Islamic feast of Ramadan. Many religious buildings are … Continue reading Religious Buildings (Churches, Mosques, Synagogues) in the Records of the National Register of Historic Places
On June 4, 1914, U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain Walter Hines Page presented the following individuals to King George V: Mr. Ralph Page (the ambassador’s son)Mrs. Ralph PageMrs. Edward Bell (wife of the Second Secretary of the embassy)Miss Esther ClevelandMrs. Randolph MordecaiMiss Margarita PenningtonMiss Dorothy DoubledayMiss Mary Sanger Presentations at Court, June 4, 1914 (NAID … Continue reading The Perils of Royal Protocol, 1914
The 1956 motion picture Giant was exactly that. Three hours and 17 minutes long. Directed by George Stevens. Filled with stars: Elizabeth Taylor. Rock Hudson. James Dean (in his last film). Sal Mineo. Dennis Hopper. Carroll Baker. Jane Withers. Chill Wills. Mercedes McCambridge. Rod Taylor. Music by Dimitri Tiomkin. “Giant” received 10 Academy Award nominations, … Continue reading Cutting “Giant” Down to Size
Today’s post was written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, retired senior archivist from the National Archives at College Park. Guatemala, off and on for more than 100 years, claimed all or part of British Honduras (Belize), a British crown colony on the east coast of Central America, south of Mexico and east of Guatemala. Periodically Guatemala … Continue reading Guatemala, Great Britain, and the United States and Guatemala’s Claim to British Honduras (Belize), 1931-1948
One of the original functions of the Department of State was oversight of the territories. In 1873, an act of Congress (17 Stat. 484) transferred that function to the Secretary of the Interior. In 1900, however, territorial responsibility was once again thrust on the Department of State after the United States conquered and seized Puerto … Continue reading The Department of State and Oversight of Puerto Rico, 1900-1909
Today’s post was written by Gina Kim Perry, archivist in Digitization Archival Services at the National Archives at College Park, MD. 2022 marks ten years since the National Archives (NARA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) began their partnership to image select records from NARA and upload them to the NARA Catalog. The … Continue reading Ten Years of NARA-NOAA Partnership
Car of Hospital Train (NAID 138926016) Much has been written over the past two years about the first responders who have performed so admirably and nobly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Doctors and nurses caring for so many Americans as people suffered, and in too many cases, succumbed to the virus. There are more than 8,000 … Continue reading Help is on the Way! Hospitals in the Records of the National Register of Historic Places
King George VI King George VI of Great Britain died on February 6, 1952, at Sandringham House. He had come to the throne in December 1936 upon the abdication of his brother Edward VII. Edward gave up the throne in order to marry the American divorcee Wallis Simpson. George, as the second son, had not … Continue reading Responding to the Death of King George VI
