Last week I had the fantastic opportunity to give a gallery talk in the Library’s Civil War in America Exhibit Hall about the role of technology during the U.S. Civil War. There were many technologies or tools in use or being developed at this time, such as the telegraph, ironclad steamships (e.g. Merrimack and Monitor), railroads, …
Today’s post is from science reference librarian Margaret Clifton. She is also the author of Loving the Stars – Telescopes from Galileo to James Webb, Saving Energy: The Fall Back Position, Stars in his Eyes and Sun Spots this Summer. “And you thought they were cute” A wide variety of literature on Antarctica has been collected over …
For the 2013 Presidential Inauguration I am highlighting the First Ladies and their inaugural ball gowns. A BIG THANK YOU to our friend, fashion historian John A. Tiffany, who briefed me on some great moments in inaugural gown history. Fashion is an art, but it is also an industry. The First Lady’s inaugural gown is …
John Jacob Astor was born July 17, 1763, in Walldorf, Germany (near Heidelberg). He came to the United States after the American Revolution and began trading furs, shipping them to Europe via New York. Business was good, and Astor was well on his way to making his fortune when he got a boost with …
