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Category: Heritage Months, Holidays, and Today in History

photograph of a sculpted bronze relief of Quetzalcoatl

Quetzalcoatl

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

Artist Lee Lawrie’s figures on the Adams Building bronze doors provide us with an opportunity to highlight important mythical and heroic figures that helped promote the written word. For Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month we highlighted the figure of Brahma. It seems only fitting that for Hispanic Heritage Month we feature the bronze image of the …

Silver stylized owl with radiant circles around its head, surrounded by a gold frame

Observing Hispanic Heritage Month

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

Did you know that the food and the word chocolate (choolatl/ xocolātl) originated from Mesoamerica (part of Mexico and Central America)? The Aztecs and the Mayans were some of the first people to consume chocolate, mostly in beverage form, for medicinal and religious purposes. In fact, many foods we consume today, like avocados, chilies, corn, …

Silver stylized owl with radiant circles around its head, surrounded by a gold frame

Pic of the Week: Under Construction

Posted by: Ellen Terrell

Labor Day weekend starts in a few hours so I thought I would feature a photograph of the Adams Building (then known as the Library of Congress Annex) while it was under construction. Funds for the construction of the building were appropriated in 1930, with an additional appropriation in 1935.  It was mentioned in in …

Silver stylized owl with radiant circles around its head, surrounded by a gold frame

Civil War Aeronautics

Posted by: Jennifer Harbster

Will Lieut. Gen. Scott please see Professor Lowe once more about his balloon? This quote comes from a note that President Lincoln wrote to General Scott on July 25, 1861. Thaddeus Sobieski Coulincourt Lowe (Prof. T.S.C. Lowe) was an expert balloonist and would become the Chief Aeronaut for the United States Government during the Civil …

She Works Hard for the Money

Posted by: Ellen Terrell

The Women’s Bureau was organized in 1920 as an agency within the Department of Labor to represent the needs of working women.  As part of its mission, it published many books and pamphlets about women’s issues and the working conditions of women.  Since March is Women’s History Month, I thought this would be a good …