Girl Aces Hold Own Air Show: Universal Newsreel and the 1935 Women’s Championship Air Show

Still is taken from Universal Newsreel Volume 7, Release 406. “Thirty women pilots have groomed their ships for a wholesale assault today and tomorrow on man’s supremacy in the air.” This quote is taken from a newspaper clipping from the production file for Universal Newsreel volume 7, release 406. Since the early years of aviation, … Continue reading Girl Aces Hold Own Air Show: Universal Newsreel and the 1935 Women’s Championship Air Show

Stealth Subs and Devious Divers of WWII

The mini-subs, manned torpedoes, and other vessels depicted in the 1945 film German and Italian Sneak Craft (local identifier 80-MN-5132) did not make much of a difference in the course of World War II. In fact, the film features many failed experimental designs - and suggests that the operators of some of these vessels were … Continue reading Stealth Subs and Devious Divers of WWII

Documenting the Detroit Industry Murals

The Detroit Industry Murals  were commissioned by Detroit Institute of Arts director William Valentiner and funded by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford and heir to the Ford Motor Company. The creation of these murals was filmed by the Moving Picture Department of the Ford Company from 1932-33. 11,512 feet of edited and unedited footage … Continue reading Documenting the Detroit Industry Murals

A Brief Visit to Chicago

Chicago has changed a lot since it was incorporated as a city in 1837. Back then, it was home to just over 4,000 residents, compared to the 2,746,388 counted in the 2020 Census with over 9 million in the metro area. Let’s take a look back at Chicago as it was captured on celluloid both … Continue reading A Brief Visit to Chicago

Spotlight: Apollo 11 Launch Footage-July 16, 1969

Today we spotlight the historic launch of Apollo 11 on July 16, 1969, with two items from the National Archives and Record Administration’s (NARA) motion picture holdings of Record Group 255, Records of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Series (NASA).  Washington Headquarters - Apollo 11 Pool Footage: Part 1 of 2 (National Archives Identifier: … Continue reading Spotlight: Apollo 11 Launch Footage-July 16, 1969

HemisFair ’68, When The World’s Fair Came to Texas

Today’s post was written by Caitlin Hucik and James Konicek. Still taken from US The first World Exposition sanctioned by the Bureau International des Expositions was named the Great Exhibition and held in 1851 London, England. Since then, over 30 sanctioned expos have been held every 5 to 10 years. In 1968, San Antonio hosted … Continue reading HemisFair ’68, When The World’s Fair Came to Texas

National Nurses Day and World Red Cross Day with the Home Nursing Series

Today's post was written by Rachael Brittain and Ken Myers. In celebration of National Nurses Day and World Red Cross Day, the National Archives would like to commemorate the work and sacrifices nurses and Red Cross staff make to contribute to our nation’s health and safety. We invite you to celebrate their contributions with the … Continue reading National Nurses Day and World Red Cross Day with the Home Nursing Series

Christine Jorgensen: America’s First Transgender Celebrity

Clip from Universal Newsreel Volume 26, Release 440 (Local ID: UN-UN-26-440-1-4) Please Note: Primary source documents used in this post may contain harmful language. See NARA’s Statement on Potentially Harmful Language. The scenes shown in this 1953 Universal Newsreel footage are some of the first moments pioneering transgender woman Christine Jorgensen would spend in the … Continue reading Christine Jorgensen: America’s First Transgender Celebrity

Wings for This Man: Celebrating the Tuskegee Airmen

Please Note: Primary source documents used in this post may contain harmful language. See NARA’s Statement on Potentially Harmful Language. The First Motion Picture Unit When America entered the war in Europe in 1941, the country's greatest challenge was finding enough manpower to wage a two-front war. The country needed to quickly increase the number … Continue reading Wings for This Man: Celebrating the Tuskegee Airmen

Spotlight: Killers of the Flower Moon and the Ford Film Collection

At first glance, Martin Scorsese, the Osage Nation, and Henry Ford have nothing in common. Scorsese is an award-winning American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. The Osage Nation is a thriving American Indian tribe whose ancestral land includes much of Oklahoma, and Ford is an industrialist who changed the manufacturing landscape. But despite assumptions, … Continue reading Spotlight: Killers of the Flower Moon and the Ford Film Collection