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Posted by: Joanna Colclough
December 8, 2024 marked the 150th anniversary of the 1874 transit of Venus, the phenomena when Venus crosses between the Earth and the Sun. The event prompted many countries to plan scientific expeditions to the areas directly beneath the travel line in hopes of getting the best view. Read about how the transit was anticipated in the daily news!
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Science
Posted by: Malea Walker
Historic newspapers have a wealth of fun puzzles. Try your hand at these number puzzles and riddles and let us know if you've solved them!
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Free Puzzles
Posted by: Joanna Colclough
An interview with researcher Caleb Franz who utilized the collections at the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room for his new book "The Conductor: The Story of Rev. John Rankin, Abolitionism’s Essential Founding Father." Read about his researcher experience, cool discoveries, and tips and recommendations for navigating the collections.
Posted in: Interviews, Newspapers
Posted by: Meg Metcalf
This blog post examines the history of Marvel comic book characters Agatha Harkness and Wanda Maximoff and their relationship to the witches' road featuring titles from the comic book collection at the Library of Congress
Posted in: Comic Books, Women in Comics, Women's History
Posted by: Malea Walker
In 1900, L. Frank Baum introduced the world to the Land of Oz. He continued writing many Oz books, taking the story far beyond Dorothy and the Wicked Witch. Many of those stories were printed in the pages of historic newspapers. Have you read them?
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers
Posted by: Joanna Colclough
Read about the serial killer Bender family from Cherryvale, Kansas, in Chronicling America, with first-hand accounts and breaking news as it was printed in 1873. The unsolved mystery of the Benders captivated headlines for over 50 years.
Posted by: Malea Walker
This summer, Junior Fellow Zoe Harrison researched and wrote essays about African American newspaper titles available in the Chronicling America Historic American Newspapers database. In this interview, Harrison shares her research interests and background, her internship experience, and more about the project, “Researching the Black Press in Chronicling America.”
Posted in: African American History, Digitized Newspapers
Posted by: Meg Metcalf
The Small Press Expo (SPX) Collection at the Library of Congress was established to preserve the history of both the artistic output of the creators who come to SPX, as well as the art that SPX itself generates as part of its yearly festival. SPX provides a forum for artists, writers and publishers of comic …
Posted in: Comic Books, LGBTQ+, Small Press Expo
Posted by: Malea Walker
250 years ago, after the British Parliament passed several retaliatory acts, representatives from the American colonies met in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress to decide how to respond. Would it be battles or boycotts? Colonial newspapers provide a look into this critical time period in our country's history. Read more about it!
Posted in: America250, Digitized Newspapers