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Posted by: Courtney Pomeroy
In 2015, when Pope Francis became the fourth pope to visit the U.S., he blessed a modern masterpiece of a Bible that was then donated in his honor to the Library. As the world mourns the pontiff, we wanted to share this beautiful artifact and remember that special moment. The pope’s time in the U.S. …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Exhibitions, Rare Book and Special Collections
Posted by: Wendi Maloney
This article also appears in the March-April issue of the Library of Congress Magazine. The Thomas Jefferson Building has awed visitors ever since it opened its doors in 1897. The grand building is more than a marvel of art and architecture, though; it’s also a monument to function and safety — fire safety in particular. …
Posted in: Architecture, Capitol Hill, LCM, Libraries, Library Work and Employees, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Bestselling author Louis Bayard has written nine historical novels over the past two decades and has researched them all at the Library, poring over maps, sorting through personal love letters, consulting societal details of the lost worlds that he brings to life. His latest novel, “The Wildes,” a fictionalized account of Oscar Wilde and his …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Capitol Hill, LGBTQ, Libraries, Manuscripts, Researcher Stories, Writers
Posted by: Neely Tucker
The U.S. Capitol building, the worldwide symbol of American democracy, got its beginnings on a piece of paper on the Caribbean island of Tortola, sketched out by a temperamental doctor in his early 30s. William Thornton's "Tortola Scheme" sketch laid the groundwork for a building that has expanded with the nation, growing from the original bid for a modest 15-room brick building into a complex covering 1.5 million square feet with more than 600 rooms and miles of hallways over a ground area of about 4 acres.
Posted in: African American History, Architecture, Capitol Hill, Civil War, Congress, LCM, Library Work and Employees, Manuscripts, Prints and Photographs Division, Thomas Jefferson, U.S. Presidents, Washington DC
Posted by: Wendi Maloney
American Indians walked the land where the nation's capital city now stands long before Europeans arrived. Local historian Armand Lione shares that history when he talks about his research, much of which is conducted at the Library of Congress.
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Geography and Maps Division, Native Americans, Researcher Stories, Washington DC
Posted by: Carla D. Hayden
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden offers her condolences upon the passing of Sen. Paul Sarbanes of Maryland.
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Congress
Posted by: Neely Tucker
A conservator at the Library believes she has identified John Wood, an almost forgotten government photographer, as the man who took an iconic image of the first Lincoln inauguration.
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Capitol Hill, Civil War, Photos, U.S. Presidents, Washington DC
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representataives, writes about the long struggle for women's suffrage in an essay from the Library of Congress Magazine.
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Congress, Exhibitions, Women's History
Posted by: Neely Tucker
The LIbrary opened "Shall Not Be Denied," a yearlong exhibit, on June 4, 2019, 100 years after the U.S. Senate ratified the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote.
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Exhibitions, Today in History, Women's History