Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919) was one of the first American women to become a self-made millionaire through her company, Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing. Though she had no formal education, she gained a wide reputation as an African American entrepreneur in the cosmetics industry and manufacturer of a hair remedy, which she coined the “Walker System.” …
Gunfire erupts on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on March 1, 1954, when four Puerto Rican nationalists shoot at random from the spectators' galleries, shouting "Viva Puerto Rico libre!"--"Long live free Puerto Rico!" Five members of Congress are injured, one seriously.
This piece was co-written by my colleague Megan Halsband. To celebrate the 220th anniversary of its founding, on Friday, April 24, 2020, the Library of Congress is highlighting some of the many gifts and resources we have been able to provide because of your contributions. Your creativity and knowledge help us build our Web Archiving collections …
Eileen Jakeway, an innovation specialist on the LC Labs team, first posted this piece to The Signal blog. In this post, Innovator in Residence Ben Lee talks about his aspirations for engaging the American public with the millions of images he extracted from Chronicling America. The Chronicling America historic newspapers online collection is a product of …
Rose Cecil O'Neill was an iconoclast in every sense of the word. A self-taught bohemian artist, who ascended through a male-dominated field to become a top illustrator and the first to build a merchandising empire from her work, with her invention of the Kewpie doll.
Chronicling America provides free access to more than 16 million pages (and growing!) of historic American newspapers. Below is a sampling of guides we’ve created over the years that help you explore African American history in our digital newspaper collections. Stay tuned: we have big plans to add more guides – if you have any …
Two days after Mississippi is readmitted to the Union on February 23, 1870, Hiram Revels, a schoolmaster and preacher, becomes the first African American to serve in the U.S. Senate.
Events in Rosa Parks' life are chronicled in newspapers and comic books and reinforce her well-justified iconic status. At times, though, their simplified coverage perpetuates the myth of Parks as the quiet seamstress who was too tired to stand to give up her seat.
One minute they’re here, the next they’re gone. The history of infamous kidnappings in America is long and stretches back centuries. In some cases, the missing are released and recovered alive, while others are not so lucky. Other disappearances remain unsolved. Cynthia Ann Parker May 19, 1836, Waco—The 9-year-old Texan girl is kidnapped by Comanche …
