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Posted by: Heather Thomas
For centuries, be it by diving, tightrope, barrel, or rubber ball, there have been those willing to risk their lives for fame and fortune at the majestic and powerful Niagara Falls. Some of them miraculously survive, often narrowly escaping catastrophe. While others end up paying the ultimate price for their stunt with their lives.
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers
Posted by: Valerie Haeder
Why is there a Labor Day holiday celebrated in September when there already is a perfectly good labor day celebrated on May Day? While you will find no text book with a clear explanation—there is none—we can infer the reasons between the two days that honor the working man. May Day is the traditional day …
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Holidays
Posted by: Heather Thomas
It was the result of pure serendipity—a deadly assassin impeded by casual effects. Ordinary items that were unintentionally but strategically placed by the victim in a breast pocket that blocked the course of an otherwise lethal bullet.
Posted in: Crime, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Valerie Haeder
On July 24, 1849, the residents of Salt Lake City were “awakened by the firing of nine rounds of artillery, accompanied by martial music.” It was Pioneer Day in Utah, marking the two year anniversary of the first group of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to reach the Salt …
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Holidays
Posted by: Malea Walker
Now that Chronicling America has more than 15 million newspaper pages, it's time to put them to good use! Here are some tips for doing genealogical research in Chronicling America.
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Genealogy
Posted by: Arlene Balkansky
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal…” On July 20, 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, the first Woman’s Rights Convention approved a Declaration of Sentiments, which had been drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and modeled after the Declaration of Independence in its commitment to secure women’s …
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, Women's History
Posted by: Heather Thomas
This is a guest post by Michelle Strizever, photography and digital content specialist in the Office of Art and Archives of the U.S. House of Representatives, and contains information from An Annual Outing: The Congressional Baseball Game. What began as a casual game among colleagues has evolved into one of Congress’s most anticipated annual pastimes. …
Posted in: Baseball, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, Sports
Posted by: Arlene Balkansky
In 1860, the 3rd edition of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass received a wildly varying reception in newspapers. At opposite ends of the spectrum, it was advertised as “America’s First Distinctive Poem” and reviewed as “armless, witless, pointless.” The advertisement was from the volume’s …
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, Walt Whitman
Posted by: Megan Halsband
This is a guest post by Nathan Yarasavage, a digital projects specialist in the Serial and Government Publications Division. This week we celebrate an exciting milestone. Chronicling America, the online searchable database of historic U.S. newspapers, now includes more than 15 million pages! Since 2005, libraries, historical societies, and other institutions throughout the country have …
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers