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Posted by: Heather Thomas
On the afternoon of February 28, 1844, President John Tyler and roughly 400 guests were enjoying a cruise down the Potomac River on the new US Navy warship USS Princeton, when the mammoth, 13-ton naval gun on board, known as the “Peacemaker,” exploded. The disaster came close to costing the president his life, but instead it led to his marriage.
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Malea Walker
During this time of year there are often hopes and wishes for “peace on earth.” Take a look through our historic newspapers at how leaders of the past have considered peace and what it means.
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Heather Thomas
On March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed into law the Yellowstone National Park Act, establishing the first national park in America, and the first of its kind in the world! Take a look at some of the scenic and magnificent National Parks you can visit this summer.
Posted in: Animals, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Heather Thomas
February 20 is Presidents Day--officially Washington's birthday--and what better way to celebrate than with some presidential trivia! You may have aced round 1 in 20 Questions: U.S. Presidential Trivia Quiz, but below are twenty more trivia questions to test your POTUS knowledge.
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, Trivia, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Joanna Colclough
I recently got a reference question that required some real detective work and creative thinking. In the end, the mystery remained but maybe you can help solve it. It all started with a political cartoon without a single citation in sight.
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Heather Thomas
It is a rare event for a wedding to be held at the home of the President of the United States, but on November 19, 2022, the 19th documented wedding will take place at the White House, when Naomi Biden, the granddaughter of President Joe Biden, and Peter Neal get married on the South Lawn. …
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Amber Paranick
The deaths of former U.S. Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams on July 4, 1826, the day of the Jubilee, the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, was an extraordinary and eerie coincidence.
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Holidays, Newspapers, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Heather Thomas
When President Warren G. Harding died suddenly in 1923, the newsboys of Massachusetts jumped into action. The newsboys had considered the president a friend; before Harding was president, he was a newspaperman and he had supported the causes of newsboys while in office. To honor the late president, the newsboys pledged to have a bronze statue commissioned of Harding’s beloved dog, Laddie Boy, paid for and made by the donated pennies of newsboys from across the United States.
Posted in: Animals, Digitized Newspapers, Newspapers, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Heather Thomas
Thanksgiving has long been celebrated at the White House, but in addition to giving thanks, the presidency has a long history with the holiday.
Posted in: Digitized Newspapers, Holidays, Newspapers, U.S. Presidents