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Posted by: Erin Allen
“Better, sir, far better, that the blood of every man, woman, and child within the limits of the state should flow, than that she should defy the federal government,” swore Union Gen. Nathaniel Lyon to Missouri governor and Confederate sympathizer Claiborne Fox Jackson during negotiations to prevent the state from joining the Confederacy. His next …
Posted in: Civil War, Collections, Exhibitions, History
Posted by: Erin Allen
The Library of Congress, with collections that are universal and comprise all media, has a long history of acknowledging the importance of books. Its “Books That Shaped America” exhibition is currently on view through Sept. 29 in the Southwest Gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building. The exhibition is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Books, Civil War, Collections, Exhibitions, History
Posted by: Erin Allen
(This is the first in a series of posts featuring presidential campaign items from the Library’s collections.) In Washington, there’s always a time and place to talk politics, even more so in an election year. Today we get televised speeches and conventions, commercials, celebrity endorsements and citizens proudly showcasing their candidate choice through stickers, buttons, …
Posted in: Collections, History, Photos
Posted by: Erin Allen
Today, on what would have been Amelia Earhart’s 115th birthday, news reports are trending about a recent expedition to discover what truly happened to the famed aviator on July 2, 1937, when she and Fred Noonan mysteriously disappeared over the Pacific Ocean. A $2.2 million expedition that hoped to find wreckage from the famed aviator’s …
Posted in: Collections, History, LC Web site, Manuscripts, News, Today in History, Uncategorized
Posted by: Erin Allen
The Library of Congress this month will celebrate the legacy of a man who helped bring higher education to millions of Americans and who played a key role in the creation of one of the nation’s most splendid pieces of architecture – the Jefferson Building. On June 25, the Library plays host to a conference that …
Posted in: Congress, Education, Events, History, Science, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
For the third consecutive year, special items from the Library of Congress’ Jewish American collections have been put on display at the White House. In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, President Barack Obama hosted a reception at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. on Wednesday evening. “Generations of Jewish Americans have brought to bear some of our …
Posted in: Abraham Lincoln, Collections, Events, Exhibitions, History, Jewish American History, Manuscripts
Posted by: Erin Allen
It’s probably one of the most iconic photographs of our time – a nurse seen swept into the arms of a sailor as the two get lost in a kiss. Sigh. The photo was taken on Victory Over Japan Day (V-J Day) at the end of World War II. But the identity of the subjects …
Posted in: Collections, History, Photos, Uncategorized, Veterans History Project
Posted by: Erin Allen
In the wee hours of the morning on April 15, 1912, the RMS Titanic – the largest passenger steamship in the world at the time – sank into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean after hitting an iceberg only a few hours earlier. More than 1,500 people died. This year marks the centennial of one …
Posted in: Collections, History, Music, Newspapers, Photos, Today in History, Uncategorized
Posted by: Erin Allen
On May 5, the Library will close its popular exhibition “Creating the United States.” The exhibition has been on view for four years and seen approximately 2 million visitors passing through its space. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David McCullough once called it the one exhibition every American should see on a visit to Washington, D.C. Notable …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Congress, Exhibitions, History, LC Web site, Manuscripts, New Visitors Experience, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC