It’s time for us to return to one of our favorite topics—Cartoons! And not just any cartoons, but the animation produced for the United States Information Agency (USIA). You may already have joined us for our exploration of anti-Communist Mexican cartoons, animation and animatics by the “Walt Disney” of Thailand, or this psychedelic symbolic history … Continue reading Drawing Benefits: The USIA’s Space Race Message and the Animators Who Brought It to Life
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
Local Identifier: 342-B-ND-018A-167731USAF; Original Caption: MRBM Field Launch Site, San Cristobal #1, October 14 1962. (This photo provided the first photographic evidence of Soviet offensive missile deployment in Cuba.) The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union in October 1962. The international crisis escalated when American missiles were … Continue reading 60th Anniversary: The Cuban Missile Crisis
"A Mobile Radio Unit Is Installed In This Jeep Of The 323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, Based At Bassingbourne, England; Lt. Stull Is The Driver Of The Vehicle. 22 May 1943", 342-FH-3A12741-69518AC The National Archives’ extensive holdings of World War II-era radio broadcasts have long been overshadowed by our flashier newsreel holdings. Nonetheless, a … Continue reading A User’s Guide to World War II-Era Radio in the National Archives
June 23, 2022 is the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX, the landmark federal bill designed to guarantee equal opportunities for women in education and sports by prohibiting sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools. Title IX was passed as part of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, U.S. federal legislation under public law … Continue reading Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Title IX with Archival Footage of Sporting Legends
Mrs. Laura B. Prisk, who is the originator of the Flag Day idea. Local ID: 165-WW-429P-1247, National Archives Identifier: 45532768. This post was created in collaboration with Heather Sulier, Archives Technician in the Still Picture Branch. Flag Day celebrates the adoption of the official flag of the United States on June 14. “The Flag Act … Continue reading Celebrating Flag Day
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
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
This week’s blog post covers the U.S. Information Agency (USIA)’s film The Draggin’ Wagon, (Local Identifier: 306.6618). The film offers a unique look into the life of a young African American boy, Clarence Carter Jr., and his journey to create a homemade Soap Box car for the 1963 Soap Box Derby in Washington, D.C. The … Continue reading The Draggin’ Wagon: An All American Soap Box Derby
