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Posted by: Malea Walker
With one of the biggest comic book collections in the world, we take our role of preserving comics seriously. But we also know that comic books are seriously fun to read! Which is why we are now trying to make our collections more accessible.
Posted in: Comic Books
Posted by: Malea Walker
On January 1, 1892, Ellis Island began welcoming immigrants along its shores at the first federal immigration station. The iconic building that stands there today, known as a symbol of history and new beginnings, is still visited by thousands of people each year. Between 1892 and 1954, over twelve million immigrants came through the station …
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Genealogy
Posted by: Malea Walker
Christmas carols have been sung for hundreds of years, first as hymns in churches and then performed all around town. Have you ever sung a carol in front of your neighbor’s door? In the early 1800s, hymns, including many songs for Christmas, were published in books that were readily available to the lay person outside …
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Holidays
Posted by: Malea Walker
Newspapers frequently publish recipes, including old favorites, winners of competitions, or new twists on classic meals. In Chronicling America you can find plenty of traditional, or not so traditional, recipes for this coming holiday. Take a look at some of these old recipes from our online newspapers. Are you brave enough to try them this …
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Holidays, Recipes
Posted by: Malea Walker
When Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley published her novel Frankenstein 200 years ago, she could not have imagined the liberties that would be taken with her characters in the future. Published in 1818, Frankenstein was a success and became so popular that the character of Frankenstein’s monster became a well-known image even in the 1800s. “Everybody, or nearly …
Posted in: Comic Books, Digitized Newspapers, Halloween
Posted by: Malea Walker
“Murder Straight Ahead,” “Yesterday I Lived!”, “The Lonely Corpse." With titles like these, who could resist these stories? In an era before television or even paperback books, people found excitement and entertainment in the form of pulp fiction magazines. Read more about the collections in the Newspaper Reading Room!
Posted in: Interviews, Pulp Fiction
Posted by: Malea Walker
While most people may be aware of the greater Allied effort in World War II, few people know that several Latin American countries were also formal allies. In Latin American countries, newspapers printed their support in editorials and images.
Posted in: Hispanic American History, Newspapers, World War II
Posted by: Malea Walker
If hippopotamus was on the menu, would you try it? That’s what America almost did in 1910! Corporate beef monopolies, stricter regulations, and meat shortages all combined to create soaring meat prices nationwide. Senator Robert Broussard proposed a solution: import African animals to the U.S. for meat (61st Cong. 2nd sess. H.R. 23261). Broussard brought …
Posted in: Comic Books, Digitized Newspapers, Government Documents
Posted by: Malea Walker
Lost limbs and fingers, burns, blinding explosions, lockjaw and death. In the early 1900s, fireworks had not yet been perfected. Dangerous concoctions of explosives were used as an exciting way to celebrate our country’s independence, but the price was steep. Giant firecrackers, cannon fire, firearms, and rockets were just some of the loud and bright, …
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Holidays