Holy Act of Congress, Batman! Equal Pay for Equal Work!

Tomorrow is the fifth anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. In commemoration, we are posting this 1973 Public Service Announcement (PSA) in which Batgirl explains the concept of “equal pay for equal work” to her boss (Batman) and co-worker (Robin). http://youtu.be/3LviAKGZxPs The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 was the first piece … Continue reading Holy Act of Congress, Batman! Equal Pay for Equal Work!

This Week in Universal News: Apollo 1 Disaster

On January 27, 1967, the first Apollo mission ended in disaster. Fire broke out during a launch rehearsal, killing pilots Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjEnIqcMQ3I From the release sheet: ASTRONAUT DISASTER Apollo astronauts Roger Chaffee, Edward White, and Gus Grissom are all killed in a flash-fire aboard their grounded space capsule. Investigators … Continue reading This Week in Universal News: Apollo 1 Disaster

Images of the Week: Select Lists

This week I’ve decided to highlight some of the images selected by staff, mostly in the 1970s and as late as the 1990s, to be part of hard copy leaflets on popular subjects.  For a number of years, these select audiovisual lists could be ordered as complete slide sets by researchers.  In the 1990s, the … Continue reading Images of the Week: Select Lists

My Grandfather Went to Sea: Finding Family Stories in Historical Records

As soon as he was able, my Grandfather went to sea. Rodger Holmstrom grew up in Seattle and spent much of his time on boats, large and small, sailing on Puget Sound and the lakes. Instead of the traditional Boy Scouts, he joined the Sea Scouts. When he graduated from high school, the United States … Continue reading My Grandfather Went to Sea: Finding Family Stories in Historical Records

This Week in Universal News: Beaux-Arts Ball, 1931

On January 23, 1931, architects dressed up as the buildings they designed for the Beaux-Arts Ball in New York.  In this week's featured story, they are pictured  from left to right, A. Stewart Walker as the Fuller Building, Leonard Schultze as the Waldorf-Astoria, Ely Jacques Kahn as the Squibb Building, William Van Alen as the Chrysler Building, … Continue reading This Week in Universal News: Beaux-Arts Ball, 1931

This Week in Universal News: A Model Kitchen, 1934

This week’s Universal News features a story from 1934 about a model kitchen run by the Detroit Free Press  It is a local story and was only shown in movie theaters in Detroit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0dBIpfT28M From the release sheet: WIVES TAUGHT TO COOK IN NEW MODEL KITCHEN SET UP BY NEWSPAPER.  Detroit Free Press runs a test … Continue reading This Week in Universal News: A Model Kitchen, 1934

Images of the Week: Polar Expeditions

The images this week relate to the polar regions. Local Identifer: 401-XPS-17-11, Photographs of the Robert Peary Sledge Party Posing with Flags at the North Pole. Ooqueh, holding the Navy League flag; Ootah, holding the D.K.E. fraternity flag; Matthew Henson, holding the polar flag; Egingwah, holding the D.A.R. peace flag; and Seeglo, holding the Red … Continue reading Images of the Week: Polar Expeditions

Gangsters, G-Men, and Archivists

The gangster was an icon in the 1920s and 30s.  While prohibition limited the sale of alcohol, the gangster smuggled in liquor from Canada and established speakeasies across the country.  As the Great Depression left thousands unemployed, the gangster embodied a sense of rebellion.  Gangsters were immortalized in cinema and talked about in the papers.  … Continue reading Gangsters, G-Men, and Archivists

This Week in Universal News: Ice Skating Chimpanzee, 1963

This week's Universal News story dates from 1963 and features a chimpanzee ice skating in Germany. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHMEGatiKPM From the release sheet: SPORTS MONKEY SHINES! THIS CHIMP IS A GAY BLADE: Usually, summer is the whacky season, but this winter things aren't on an even keel in Germany. They've taught a Chimp to Skate and he's … Continue reading This Week in Universal News: Ice Skating Chimpanzee, 1963

Declassified Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings – 1st Quarter

In an effort to provide information on recently declassified motion pictures and sound recordings the Motion Picture, Sound and Video Branch will publish a quarterly list of newly declassified records. Operation MANTRAC (Manual Angle Tracking Capability) (Local Identifier 342-USAF-33788/ARC Identifier 68704), is an example of one declassified film. Using some really great animation and a … Continue reading Declassified Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings – 1st Quarter