Apollo 11: The Department of State Prepares for Launch

Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. Department of State involvement with the U.S. manned space program is little known and little appreciated.  Much of that involvement dealt with mundane matters such as coordinating international visitors to various launches and the … Continue reading Apollo 11: The Department of State Prepares for Launch

Apollo 11: Telling the Story Around the World

Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. The United States Information Agency (USIA) was responsible for telling the U.S. story abroad.  In early 1969, the upcoming flight of Apollo 11 looked to be the culmination of President John F. Kennedy's May … Continue reading Apollo 11: Telling the Story Around the World

Image of Duke Kahanamoku with surfboard

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Highlights: Duke Kahanamoku

Today’s post is written by Larry Shockley, Archives Specialist in the Office of Innovation. May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month – a celebration of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Covering the entire continent of Asia as well as multiple Pacific islands, the origins of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month originated … Continue reading Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Highlights: Duke Kahanamoku

Image of Congresswoman Patsy Mink.

Honoring Notable Asian Pacific Americans for APA Heritage Month

Today's post is written by Alexandra Villaseran, Archives Technician at the National Archives in Washington, DC On May 7, 1843, the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States. A couple of decades later, on May 10, 1869, the transcontinental railroad was completed; the majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants. … Continue reading Honoring Notable Asian Pacific Americans for APA Heritage Month

Painting of the events of July 30, 1909.

The First Woman to Fly in an Aeroplane in the United States, October 27, 1909

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. The periodical Aeronautics in its issue of December 1909 reproduced the official log of all the aeroplane flights undertaken at the United States Army Signal Corps aviation field at College Park, Maryland between October 8 and November … Continue reading The First Woman to Fly in an Aeroplane in the United States, October 27, 1909

Image of signing ceremony

The Lane Faison Personal Diary comes to the National Archives

Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Senior Archivist at the National Archives at College Park, MD. On April 29, 2019, the good friend of the National Archives, Robert M. Edsel, on behalf of himself and the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, donated to the National Archives the 115-page handwritten personal … Continue reading The Lane Faison Personal Diary comes to the National Archives

Daylight Saving Time: The Early Experiences III: Great Britain

Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. An earlier post - here - described the request for information about French, British, and German experience with Daylight Saving Time made to the Department of State by Marcus Marks, President of the Borough … Continue reading Daylight Saving Time: The Early Experiences III: Great Britain

Daylight Saving Time: The Early Experiences II: France

Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. An earlier post described the request for information about overseas experience with Daylight Saving Time made to the Department of State by Marcus Marks, President of the Borough of Manhattan in New York City.  … Continue reading Daylight Saving Time: The Early Experiences II: France

Daylight Saving Time: The Early Experiences I: Germany

Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. Earlier posts (Part I, and Part II) discussed the first implementation of Daylight Saving Time in 1916 by Germany, Austria-Hungary, Great Britain, and France.  Not surprisingly, there was also interest in the United States.  … Continue reading Daylight Saving Time: The Early Experiences I: Germany

It Will Do Everything Except Climb a Tree

Today's post was written by Joseph Gillette, Archivist at the National Archives at College Park. With an eye toward the post-war needs of farmers, the Department of Agriculture conducted a series of tests from 1942 to 1943 to see if military jeeps could be repurposed for farm use after World War II. While admitting further … Continue reading It Will Do Everything Except Climb a Tree