Today marks the 117th anniversary of the Wright Brothers first flights at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, ushering in the age of powered flight. To celebrate this incredible milestone, we would like to present records related to the Wright Brothers and their achievement. The dawn of the twentieth century was a time of tremendous scientific progress … Continue reading Caretakers of the Sky: The Wright Brothers and Recording the Aerial Age
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) photographic records is one of the largest groups of records within the holdings of the Still Picture Branch. The photographs range in date between 1903 and 2011, and include subject matter such as daily operations, personnel, events, facilities, and come in the form of both analog and born-digital … Continue reading Space and Beyond: Locating NASA Photographs Using Online Indexes
Around this time of the Christmas season, offices around the National Archives are planning their Christmas parties. It is a time for staff to take a break from their daily duties and gather together to enjoy decorations, music, and food. This year is different however. In the midst of a pandemic, staff have been telework … Continue reading National Archives’ Christmas Parties
Two weeks ago NARA and the Unwritten Record introduced you to the new BIA - Photographs Finding Aid. This dynamic new finding aid links to over 18,000 digitized photographs from Record Group 75, Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1793 - 1999, taken over many decades and covering a wide variety of topics and … Continue reading The Bureau of Indian Affairs – Photographs Finding Aid: A Closer Look
The United States Marine Corps possessed an extraordinary, unbreakable code during World War II: the Navajo language. Utilized in the Pacific theater, the Navajo code talkers enabled the Marine Corps to coordinate massive operations, such as the assault on Iwo Jima, without revealing any information to the enemy. Code talkers didn’t speak plain language in … Continue reading Navajo Code Talkers
Maybe it is my past as a field archaeologist and a museum geek, but I love a good collection! Projectile points, pottery shards, fossils, drawings, or maps - groupings of things, especially old things catch my eye. So, how was I to resist writing about it when I came across a collection of beautiful drawings … Continue reading The Washington National Monument – A National Contest for a National Monument
Today, we are pleased to announce that the National Archives launched a new web-based finding aid featuring digitized historical photographs from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) records in Record Group 75. For the first time, you can explore digital copies of over 18,000 photographs through an engaging and easy-to-use online experience: the Bureau of … Continue reading Introducing the Bureau of Indian Affairs Photographs Finding Aid!
The International Military Tribunal, more commonly known at the Nuremberg trials, began this week 75 years ago in Nuremberg, Germany. The trials were a series of military tribunals held to convict major Nazi German leaders on charges of crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and conspiracy to commit each of these crimes. It … Continue reading The Nuremberg Trials, 75 Years Later
In addition to photographs, the Still Picture Branch maintains several series of posters within its holdings. Recently added to the online catalog, series 85-P: Passenger Ship Posters, ca. 1906-1957 includes posters and schedules advertising European and U.S. passenger services for travel across the Atlantic and around the world in the early 20th century. Along with … Continue reading Posters of Early 20th Century Passenger Ships
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!
