Every year, Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 and citizens are called upon to do their part in protecting the environment, to promote and participate in “green living” and to celebrate our natural resources. Conducted in affiliation with the Library of Congress Center for the Book and the Center for Environmental Literacy at Saint …
Archive for the ‘Today in History’ Category (22 posts)
In the wee hours of the morning on April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic – the largest passenger steamship in the world at the time – sank into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean after hitting an iceberg only a few hours earlier. More than 1,500 people died. This year marks the centennial of one …
Posted in: Collections, History, Music, newspapers, Photos, Today in History, Uncategorized
From time to time, I’d like to blog about notable historical events or otherwise interesting advents in our nation’s past, courtesy of Today in History, which mines the American Memory collections to discover what happened in our nation’s history on each date throughout the year. Today’s “TIH” marks the day in 1917 the United States …
Posted in: Collections, History, LC Web site, Today in History, Uncategorized, veterans history project
What do leaping frogs and composer Gioachino Rossini have in common? Well, thanks to today’s Google doodle the two are brought together rather comically – not only does today mark the cosmic anomaly of leap day but it’s also the 220th birthday of Rossini … or his 53rd, depending upon which way you roll. After …
Posted in: Audiovisual, Music, Today in History, Uncategorized
What exactly is a “shirtwaist?” The American shirtwaist was a fashion trend for women at the turn of the 20th century, noted for the pairing of tailored shirt and skirt – offering a glimpse of the ankles – and was very fashion-forward during its day. “Shirt-waist sets are among the attractive dress accessories to tempt …
Posted in: History, newspapers, Today in History, Uncategorized
Ninety-six years ago today, a riot broke out among audience members witnessing the premiere of a piece that changed classical-music history. The composer, Igor Stravinsky, was horrified; the impresario, Serge Diaghilev, was delighted. Feelings ran high at the Theatre des Champs Elysees in Paris that night, from the very opening bars of Stravinsky’s ballet “The …
Posted in: Collections, Exhibitions, Music, Today in History
As the Gulf Coast holds its collective breath in preparation for Tropical Storm Gustav, it does so with an eerie sense of deja vu: It was exactly three years ago today that Hurricane Katrina made its devastating landfall. The Digital Reference Team at the Library of Congress has updated the Today in History page for …
Posted in: History, News, Today in History
“America” has a lot of birthdays. There’s that familiar one dating back to July 4, 1776. And we’ve written about one recent 500th birthday for “America.” But today’s “TIH” marks another major milestone for this country. On this date in 1607, the first permanent English settlement in North America was established at Jamestown in what …
Posted in: Today in History
So I was preparing my remarks for the Asian/Pacific-American Heritage Month event coming up Monday, and I learned that yesterday?s ?TIH? is the reason APAHM is celebrated in May. (The majority of the laborers who built the transcontinental railroad were Chinese immigrants.) Sometimes I think I?m learning more here than my brain can hold! In …
Posted in: Today in History
I swear, if it were closer to January I would make a New Year?s resolution to do these ?Today in History? posts much earlier in the day, but I guess I?ll just have to start getting to the office even earlier. Blame DC?s worsening traffic. I certainly do. Today?s ?TIH? covers that famous day in …
Posted in: Today in History
