From the beginning comic books have published war stories and adventures, profiling every branch of the military and visually portraying every aspect of modern warfare. Even before the United States entered World War II, Captain America fought Adolph Hitler on the cover of Captain America no. 1 (1940). Contemporary comics on war and the […]
Have your Halloween costume picked out yet? Why not go dressed as Bessie McCoy, the original Yama Yama Girl? During the 1910s, the Yama Yama Girl costume was all the rage. But who was the Yama Yama Girl and why did people dress up as her? Stage actress and vaudeville performer Elizabeth G. McEvoy (also […]
Diabolical and prolific serial killers existed early in America at a time when police were still devising investigative methods to link related murders. Newspapers reported the gory details of their crimes to a terrified, yet fascinated public.
When Michael Hill opened his mailbox in 1982 and found a letter from renowned historian David McCullough he was astounded, and his life changed forever. Two months earlier he’d sent a letter to Mr. McCullough offering his research services, the envelope addressed only to David McCullough, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts—no zip code, no street address. Somehow […]
For 82 years people have tried to solve the mystery Amelia Earhart’s disappearance, but in 1937 America remembered her as the brave pioneer woman who conquered flight.
Abhorrent in their treatment of people as property, these brief descriptions of African-Americans who escaped enslavement bear witness to the bravery and unique characteristics of individuals who defied a massively powerful system allied against them.
From the original copyright deposit drawing of the Yellow Kid to web comics, 120 years of comic art from the Library of Congress’ collections are now on exhibit in the Graphic Arts Galleries in the Thomas Jefferson Building!
Today is Constitution Day and on this date, we celebrate the signing of the Constitution by the members of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 17, 1787. Here’s an early original version of the proposed Constitution we found in the September 19, 1787 edition of the Pennsylvania Packet, and Daily Advertiser newspaper (Philadelphia, PA). […]
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.
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 […]