In the first year of WWI an official truce for Christmas failed. But a sudden rise of the Christmas Spirit created a phenomenon—the soldiers decided not to fight on Christmas day. British and German soldiers left the trenches to celebrate together.
Winter is in full swing! The season's shimmery first snow is always beautiful and exciting, but what about after the magic wears off? Icy temperatures, blustery winds, and inches upon inches of snow! This week, we look back on some of the nation's biggest blizzards in history as reported by America's newspapers.
When was the last time you curled up with the Sunday comics section of your local newspaper? Below are some good ol’ jokes presented to you through comic strips available on the Library’s website through Chronicling America* and the Prints and Photographs Division. You might recognize some of these characters, but others might be new …
This is a guest blog post by Abbie Grotke, Assistant Head, Digital Content Management Section. It was originally posted to The Signal on October 29, 2020. You may have noticed that it is presidential election season in the United States, which means it’s also time for web archivists to gather once again to archive United …
Though our holiday seasons will look different this year, some traditions can still be preserved. Read more about the history of Thanksgiving Day parades and see pictures from our historic newspapers!
Tales of hauntings around Washington, D.C., are a tradition that goes back hundreds of years. From presidents and soldiers to local residents, the ghosts are said to haunt both official buildings and houses. Read more about where to find these ghosts and spooks.
Do you ever feel like there’s something right in front of you that you’re just missing? Some of the hidden picture puzzles in our historic newspapers can drive you to distraction with their clever lines and stealthy images! But if you enjoy going on the hunt for clues and missing objects, then these are puzzles …
Solving puzzles didn’t just pass the time in the early 1900s, solving puzzles could sometimes even win you a prize! Puzzle contests abounded, sometimes run by the newspapers and sometimes run by local companies hoping to get readers’ business. One of the favorites for contests of the era was the rebus. What is a rebus? …