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Posted by: Neely Tucker
German cartographer Martin Waldseemuller's 1507 world map was the first to name the New World as "America," for the Italian-born explorer, Amerigo Vespucci. The Library holds the only copy of the map known to still exist.
Posted in: Geography and Maps Division, LCM
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Jason Reynolds, the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, devotes his June newsletter to the mysteries of doing the laundry.
Posted in: National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, Writers
Posted by: Neely Tucker
A 529-year-old Jewish religious text is discovered in the Library's collections, just in time for Eric Lander, the new director of the White House Office of Science and Technology, to use it in his swearing-in ceremony.
Posted in: Jewish American History, Rare Book and Special Collections
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Mark Twain made his name on the lecture circuit with a talk about his work as a newspaper correspondent in Hawaii, then known as the Sandwich Islands.
Posted in: Newspapers, Rare Book and Special Collections, Writers
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Wanda Whitney, the Library's Head of History and Genealogy, Researcher and Reference Services, tells how readers can use the Library's collections to research the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.
Posted in: African American History
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Roman Totenberg's papers at the Library tell the story of his amazing 101-year life. Born in Poland in 1911, he was a child prodigy on the violin, playing street corners in Russia to help his family survive famine. He returned to Poland, became a star while a teenager, eventually fled the Holocaust and became one of the 20th century's greatest violinists, living the rest of his life in the United States. He was as renowned as a teacher as he was a performer, and his three children -- Nina, Amy, Jill -- each went on to prominent careers.
Posted in: Holocaust, Jewish American History, Music, World War II
Posted by: Neely Tucker
The Library marks Asian/Pacific American Heritage month with a report on the Rock Springs Massacre of Chinese mine workers in Wyoming in 1885.
Posted in: Asian American History
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Russell Maret, a New York-based book artist and private press-printer based in New York City, writes a short essay about the art, craft and magic of transforming blank sheets of paper into a book, a process that can "transform the world."
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Herencia, the Library's Spanish-Language crowdsourcing project, wraps up a very successful first year, with more than 800 volunteers transcribing rare documents from a unique Law Library collection.
Posted in: By the People, Herencia