Soldiers examining a hole, near a Liberty Ship, created by a Japanese bomb

Hole World

With my last blog, I may have inadvertently started a quest to bring Unwritten Record readers the most random finds from the Still Picture holdings.  Today, I present to you, Holes.  When I began brainstorming for this blog post, it was the first word that popped into my head (most likely due to me hitting … Continue reading Hole World

The Art of War

Still from US ARMY ARTISTS, 111-LC-55581 ABOUT THE FILM Working in the Special Media Division at the National Archives, we are used to seeing images of war captured by moving images and still photos. However, the US military also uses more traditional forms of artwork to document their operations and daily lives. All military branches … Continue reading The Art of War

James Reese Europe: America’s Jazz Ambassador

Today's post was written by Robert Nowatzki. Robert is an Archives Technician in Research Services at the National Archives at College Park. The musical career of American jazz bandleader, composer, and arranger James Reese Europe (1881-1919) was as influential and unique as it was tragically short. He played a leading role in introducing early jazz … Continue reading James Reese Europe: America’s Jazz Ambassador

100th Anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moving Image Records

This post is by Alexandra Geitz, Supervisory Archivist of the Moving Image and Sound Branch. In honor of the 100th Anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery, this post will highlight just a few of the moving image and sound records in our holdings that depict the site over the … Continue reading 100th Anniversary of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moving Image Records

Veterans Day Military History Link Roundup

Veterans Day is observed every November 11th in the United States. It marks the end of fighting in World War I, the war that was supposed to end all wars, and honors our nation’s military veterans. Here at the Unwritten Record, we share a lot of records related to military history and those who have … Continue reading Veterans Day Military History Link Roundup

The Harlem Hellfighters Return Home

Please Note: Primary source documents used in this post may contain harmful language. See NARA's Statement on Potentially Harmful Language. Last week, the 369th Infantry Regiment, more famously known as the Harlem Hellfighters, was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. The honor comes more than a century after their service in Europe during WWI. The regiment … Continue reading The Harlem Hellfighters Return Home

Sinking the Fleets of World War I

Some of the National Archives’ finest footage of the bombardment and sinking of World War I-era ships dates from after the war. In 1921, 1923, and 1931, the United States Navy, in cooperation with the Army Air Forces, bombarded American and German vessels with bombs ranging in size from 25 to 2000 pounds. These spectacles … Continue reading Sinking the Fleets of World War I

Double Take II: Finding Posters within Photos

This post is by Daniel Dancis, a Textual Records Archivist and blogger at The Text Message. When is a photograph more than just a photograph?   Of the millions of digitized images in the National Archives Catalog it is always a thrill to find something new in an old picture. Even more, discovering a connection between two or … Continue reading Double Take II: Finding Posters within Photos

Chewing Gum in WWI (Photos)

Chewing gum has a surprisingly storied history.  Archaeologists have found evidence that the ancient Greeks, the Mayans, and the Aztecs all chewed sticky substances.  It was not until the mid 19th century, however, that American entrepreneurs began mass producing gum.  By the 20th century, gum had become a staple of American life, so much so … Continue reading Chewing Gum in WWI (Photos)

Summer Road Trip 2019: San Francisco and Yosemite National Park

This post was co-written by Audrey Amidon and Ashley Behringer. On the Streets of San Francisco Next on our summer tour of the National Archives’ non-textual holdings, we move on from Los Angeles to San Francisco. The city has featured prominently in 20th Century American culture and history, from the devastating 1906 earthquake, to the Haight-Ashbury district’s … Continue reading Summer Road Trip 2019: San Francisco and Yosemite National Park