Today the Library of Congress is 210 years old. It was on this date in 1800 when our building name sake and President, John Adams, approved the appropriation of $5,000 for the purchase of “such books as may be necessary for the use of congress.”
Big blue marble, blue planet, Gaia, terra firma, terrestrial sphere, world- these are some of the words we use to describe Earth. On April 22 we will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, which was first initiated on April 22, 1970 by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson. Back in 1990, in celebration of 20 […]
Our guest author today is Ellen Terrell, Business Reference Specialist. A perennial question for Business Reference staff is about old companies and businesses. And by old I mean from the 1890’s (or earlier!) not necessarily the 1990’s. One of our go-to sets is the old Mercantile Agency Reference books that developed into Dun & Bradstreet […]
Like the Library of Congress and the Jefferson building, the Science & Business Reading Room has a special connection to Thomas Jefferson. On this day in 1976, in honor of Thomas Jefferson’s birthday, President Ford signed the act that changed the Library of Congress Annex Building to the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building. His […]
Today’s post is written by science reference librarian and gardener, Alison Kelly. With the forsythia in bloom once again it seems like a good time to reconsider Beatrix Farrand and some of the other women who have played an important role in horticulture. Farrand, who was the only woman founding member of the American Society […]
Occasionally when visiting the stacks we run across something that we find particularly interesting either from a content or historical perspective. Shortly after my arrival here at the Library, I found such an item! Published in 1883 the book The Secrets of Success In Business claims to “show completely and practically how business is done, […]
The National Park Service reported that the Washington Tidal Basin cherry blossoms reached their peak this year on March 31. This is when at least 70 per cent of the blossoms are open. But for those of you who haven’t visited yet, do not be discouraged–the flowers will continue to show off their radiant beauty […]
Our guest author today is Ellen Terrell, Business Reference Specialist. Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution of the United States states: “The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they […]
The desire to tinker, create and invent is universal. It doesn’t matter who or what you are–a scientist, business person, layperson, man, woman or child–if there’s a problem, we want to figure out how to solve it by inventing a new way of doing things or improving on an existing way. Women inventors have had […]
Childhood memories – airplanes that you would wind up and then let go and watch it fly; the sling shot made out of rubber bands or the car that ran on rubber band power. Today you find rubber bands wrapped around your vegetables, around stacks of paper, or anything that you want to hold together […]