The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was established by Congress in early 1933 as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. As the country faced the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl in the 1930's, several government initiatives were developed to provide relief. This relief was often accomplished through job creation. Although many of the programs … Continue reading Classes, Teachers, Workbooks – School in the CCC
This week’s post highlights photographs from RG 30, Records of the Bureau of Public Roads (BPR). These images come from series 30-RW and depict the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway from the clearing of land to paving. The series begins with images from 1931 depicting the construction of Skyline Drive, a scenic road that connects to the … Continue reading Spotlight: Construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway
National Lighthouse Day is August 7 and to celebrate, we’re highlighting some architectural drawings and maps relating to lighthouses from our holdings of the Records of the United States Coast Guard, Record Group 26 (NAID 592785). Among these drawings are plans for the lighthouse at Alcatraz Island (NAID 731005). Yes, there's more than a prison … Continue reading Lighthouse Drawings in celebration of National Lighthouse Day
This week's images are from RG 17-HD. They are mounted prints depicting beautiful race horses from the early 1900's! Accompanying metadata is limited to the captions, which are included with the images below. These captions, affixed to the mounts and written in Spanish, appear to include the date that the photographs were taken and the … Continue reading Spotlight: Race Horses
In this week of firsts, we consider the women who first ran for major party nominations in the United States: Margaret Chase Smith and Shirley Chisholm. Margaret Chase Smith Margaret Chase Smith won her first seat in the House of Representatives in a special election after her husband, Clyde Smith, died in 1940. One week … Continue reading Cracking the Glass Ceiling: Margaret Chase Smith and Shirley Chisholm
This post was written by Criss Kovac. Criss is the supervisor of the Motion Picture Preservation Lab. We rely on film and photographs to tell stories every day – from the latest blockbuster, our favorite television series, videos we take and stream, to the cherished photos in our homes. But, sometimes what we see isn’t … Continue reading Forensic Film Archiving: Who Raised the Flag on Iwo Jima?
This post was written in collaboration with Carla Simms The National Zoo in Washington D.C. is one of the capital’s most celebrated landmarks. The zoo was created by an act of congress in 1889, and officially made a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution the following year. Since its founding, the zoo has been a pioneer in … Continue reading Historic Maps and Photos of the National Zoo
Previously we shared a blog post about counterfeiters and briefly mentioned how the artistic gifts of some were used to counterfeit money. This installment will discuss the creation of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and how currency was legitimately made in 1914. In 1914, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s (BEP) operations moved to … Continue reading Engraving, Inking, Trimming: The Production of Paper Currency in 1914
Need a last-minute gift idea for Dear Old Dad? Whatever Dad's hobby or interest, patent files are full of quirky gems. The largest selection is in the series Utility Patent Drawings, 1837 - 1911 NAID 305888 among the Records of the Patent and Trademark Office, Record Group 241, but there are patent drawings in other series, including court … Continue reading Father’s Day Gift Suggestions from the Patent Files
As a girl growing up in the 1980s, Sally Ride was my hero. On forward flight deck of Challenger, Mission Specialist (MS) Ride reclines above pilot's seat in front of pilot's station control panels. Forward control panels and windows appear on her right and seat back with stowage bag and personal egress air pack (PEAP) … Continue reading Sally Ride and the Women of NASA
