This coming Monday, February 15, we will celebrate the federal holiday, Washington’s Birthday. You may be thinking, “my calendar says Monday is ‘Presidents’ Day,’ not ‘Washington’s birthday!’” Interestingly, the federal holiday is officially called Washington’s Birthday (5 US Code 6103) and is observed on the third Monday in February as established by Public Law 90-361 …
The following is a guest post by Elissa C. Lichtenstein, director of the Division for Public Services of the American Bar Association. On August 8, 2014 in Boston, Massachusetts, the American Bar Association (ABA) will unveil a unique exhibit celebrating Magna Carta. MAGNA CARTA: ENDURING LEGACY 1215-2015 explores the history of the “Great Charter” and …
As a graduate of Oberlin College, I have always been proud that when Oberlin was established in 1833, it was the first co-educational college in the country, admitting both men and women. However, it did not initially admit men and women on the same terms: women were not admitted to the baccalaureate program until 1837. …
This is a guest post by David Mao, Law Librarian of Congress. Recently, I had the chance to drive fast—Autobahn fast—and it was legal. Most drivers (typically male) dream of driving with no limit to speed; however, unless one is on a race track or private road (as I was), that generally is not possible …
New Jersey was once “the Two Jerseys” (East and West). Kentucky started out as Virginia’s backyard. Connecticut once harbored imperial dreams—claiming a Western Reserve that stretched all the way to the banks of the Mississippi. The shapes of our States have a complex and unexpected history. It’s easy to forget that history owes a debt to …
Because many of my ancestors were jewelers, I have always had a special interest in gemology and jewelry. This month, since garnet is the official birthstone of January, I felt that it was apropos to dedicate some time to this semiprecious stone and mineral. It seems that the American National Association of Jewelers (Jewelers of …
The following is a guest post by Ángel García, a summer intern in the Law Library’s Global Legal Research Center. March 19, 2012, will be the 200th anniversary of the Constitution of Cádiz. Seizing on the opportunity while interning at the Law Library of Congress, I asked the rare book technician, Nathan Dorn, to find …
