Saturday is the 270th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s birth (April 13, 1743). And, the Library of Congress owes much to this esteemed third president. After the British invaded Washington in the War of 1812, they burned down the Capitol building, including the Library of Congress collection housed there. Jefferson, an avid book collector, sold his …
We’ve been on cherry blossom watch here at the Library, waiting for our 100-year-old cherry blossom trees to bloom. The grounds of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building are home to two of the original group of 3,020 Yoshino cherry trees given to Washington, D.C., in 1912, by the city of Tokyo as a …
Authors and poets Margaret Atwood, Marie Arana, Taylor Branch, Don DeLillo, Khaled Hosseini, Barbara Kingsolver, Brad Meltzer, Joyce Carol Oates, Katherine Paterson and U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey will be among more than 100 writers speaking at the 13th annual Library of Congress National Book Festival, on Saturday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 22, 2013, …
(The following is a story written by Mark Hartsell for the March-April 2013 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine. Hartsell is editor of The Gazette, the Library’s staff newspaper.) The Library’s mission is to support the Congress in fulfilling its constitutional duties and to further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit …
In the 1890s, illustrator Charles Dana Gibson created the “Gibson Girl,” a vibrant, new feminine ideal—a young woman who pursued higher education, romance, marriage, physical well-being and individuality with unprecedented independence. Until World War I, the Gibson Girl set the standard for beauty, fashion and manners. The Library’s new exhibition, “The Gibson Girl’s America,” which …
The other day at roller derby practice, the subject of women and baseball came up. Okay, to be fair, my teammates may have just been quoting lines from the movie “A League of Their Own,” which was recently inducted into the Library of Congress National Film Registry. But, nonetheless, with baseball season upon us, it’s …
Baseball is certainly on the minds of sports enthusiasts as Opening Day is today. And, the Washington’s Nationals join most Major League Baseball teams in kicking off the season. Washington, D.C. actually has a long and storied baseball history. Formed in the late 19th century, the District’s teams have used both the names “Nationals” and …
With the start of the baseball season imminent, our national pastime is in the air and on our minds. The following is a guest post by the Library’s Director of Communications, Gayle Osterberg. Good news, Washington baseball fans: the Washington Nationals come home today, closing out their pre-season schedule against the New York Yankees. Today …
The following is an article written by Christel Schmidt of the Library’s Publishing Office, who has edited a book on Mary Pickford, for the March-April 2013 issue of the Library of Congress Magazine. It has been 100 years since Mary Pickford was first dubbed the Queen of the Movies. At the time, the phrase simply …
The Library of Congress Coolidge Auditorium turned Grand Ole Opry for a night last Wednesday, as members of the Country Music Association (CMA) took to the stage to sing their hits. Bob DiPiero returned to host the latest installment of the CMA Songwriters Series, which this time featured Ronnie Milsap, Loretta Lynn “Lorrie” Morgan and …