Happy Valentine's Day from the National Archives Special Media Division! Did you know that the oldest known printed Valentine's Day card was published in January 1797? The verse printed on the card reads: "Since on this ever Happy day,All Nature's full of Love and PlayYet harmless still if my design,'Tis but to be your Valentine." … Continue reading Spotlight: Valentine’s Day Greetings and Dances
In April 1968, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to support sanitation workers that were on strike. It was in Memphis on April 3rd that King would give his final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop." The next day, on the evening of April 4th while at the Lorraine Motel, King was … Continue reading April 1968 Washington, D.C. Riots
The photographs that make up 306-NT were originally part of the New York Times photo morgue for the Paris Bureau of the newspaper. In December 1940, the Paris Bureau of the New York Times was seized by the Nazis and its Library of New Photos was transported to Berlin. After the liberation of Paris, the … Continue reading 306-NT: Photographic File of the Paris Bureau of the New York Times, ca. 1900–ca. 1950
On October 14, 1947, USAF Captain Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager became the first person to fly faster than the speed of sound. Yeager flew a Bell XS-1, nicknamed "Glamorous Glennis" (a tribute to his wife), over Rogers Dry Lake located at Edward's Air Force Base (formerly named Muroc Air Force Base). The X-1 reached a speed … Continue reading Captain Chuck Yeager: Breaking the Sound Barrier
On October 31, 1969, approximately 250 children arrived at the White House for a Halloween Party that was hosted by First Daughter Tricia Nixon. According to the Nixon Foundation: "Each room of the state floor held surprises for the guests. In the Green Room, there was a tarot card reader...In the Blue Room were large … Continue reading Spotlight: Tricia Nixon’s 1969 Halloween Party
In 1941 the United States had begun to prepare for the possibility of war and consequently, millions of jobs were being created. However, racial discrimination kept African Americans and other minorities from obtaining these defense industry jobs. In response to pressure from A. Philip Randolph, who had been organizing a march on Washington, and other … Continue reading Montford Point Marines
The White House hosted its first - and only - fashion show on February 29, 1968. The fashion show and luncheon was presented by the First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson, and was titled "How to Discover America in Style." The audience included the wives of governors who were in Washington D.C. for the midwinter meeting … Continue reading Spotlight: 1968 White House Fashion Show
In the mid-1930's, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes conceived the idea of commissioning painted murals for the department's headquarters building in Washington, DC. However, impressed by Ansel Adams' work, Ickes later broadened the scope of the project to include mural-size photographs and recommended Adams. According to Ansel Adams autobiography, he was "appointed at the … Continue reading 79-AA: Ansel Adams Photographs of National Parks and Monuments, 1941 – 1942
As digitization standards have evolved throughout the years, NARA has worked to keep up with best practices. However, despite our efforts to stay ahead of the curve, there are still photographs in our Catalog that were digitized many years ago and don't necessarily meet the requirements to be considered "high resolution." Specifically, researchers are likely … Continue reading Using Wikimedia Commons to Locate Higher Resolution Scans
Tuesday, November 3, 2020 marks the 59th quadrennial presidential election. In honor of the upcoming election, the Unwritten Record has selected photographs and posters that document the voting process in the United States and abroad. All photographs included within this post are available in the National Archives Catalog. … Continue reading Images of the Week: Vote, Voting, Voted!
