Top of page

Archive: 2012 (51 Posts)

Silver stylized owl with radiant circles around its head, surrounded by a gold frame

An Early History of Life Insurance

Posted by: Ellen Terrell

Today’s guest post is by 2012 Junior Fellow Alec Korte. A life worth living is a life worth insuring. The above quote was the bedrock on which Judge Willard Phillips, a Massachusetts lawyer, founded the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company in 1835. The anchor that held that bedrock firm was the leadership at the top, which …

Silver stylized owl with radiant circles around its head, surrounded by a gold frame

Five Questions (The Intern Edition): Alec Korte

Posted by: Ellen Terrell

1.  What is your background? Excluding five years in California, I have lived most of my life in Bowling Green, Ohio, home to its namesake university as well as the National Tractor Pulling Championship. I am currently enrolled at the University of Cincinnati, where I am studying Mechanical Engineering and, eventually, Business as part of …

Silver stylized owl with radiant circles around its head, surrounded by a gold frame

London Olympic Games Then and Now: 1908 & 2012

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

The 30th Olympiad of the Modern Era, aka London 2012,  is  here! This is the third time London has hosted the Olympics. The first time was in 1908 (4th Olympiad) and the second was in 1948 (14th Olympiad).  I thought it would be fun to examine how the Olympics have changed in the past 100 years , so I’m going to …

Silver stylized owl with radiant circles around its head, surrounded by a gold frame

A Fortune Made from Fur: John Jacob Astor

Posted by: Ellen Terrell

  John Jacob Astor was born July 17, 1763, in Walldorf, Germany (near Heidelberg). He came to the United States after the American Revolution and began trading furs, shipping them to Europe via New York. Business was good, and Astor was well on his way to making his fortune when he got a boost with …

Silver stylized owl with radiant circles around its head, surrounded by a gold frame

Spending a Summer in D.C.

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

 Today’s post is by 2012 Junior Fellow Brian Horowitz of  the University of Maryland, College Park. This is Brian’s third year with us (He is continuing his work on the Library’s large collection of Army Technical and Field Manuals). You can read about his work in  Art of War…and of Sandwich Making and Stumbled upon in the …

Silver stylized owl with radiant circles around its head, surrounded by a gold frame

Pic of the Week: Scientific Treasures

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

This week I participated in the Science at Risk: Toward a National Strategy for Preserving Online Science meeting hosted by the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP). During this two-day meeting the Library’s recently-retired manuscript specialist Len Bruno took us on a journey through the scientific treasures of the Library’s  Manuscript Division. On display were items …

Silver stylized owl with radiant circles around its head, surrounded by a gold frame

The Thrill of Physics

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

Summer is here (in the northern hemisphere) and that means that many of us will be heading to an amusement park for some good ole’ fashioned fun. I am a traditionalist when it comes to the thrill rides in amusement parks. I prefer the roller coasters that allow me to sit facing forward. Riding backwards …