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Posted by: Erin Allen
Jumping gigawatts! Today, the future has arrived! If you were around in 1989, Oct. 21, 2015, may have seemed light-years away, and you might have thought we would all be riding around in flying cars or something. Well, your imagination isn’t as far-fetched as you think. On this day, Marty McFly jumped through time to …
Posted in: Collections, Film, Photos, Today in History
Posted by: Erin Allen
The Library of Congress once again opened the doors to its magnificent Main Reading Room on Monday for a special open house, held twice each year. More than 6,100 visitors enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the Library’s services, resources and collections, speak with reference librarians and even go inside the decks to view the …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Events, Photos, Pic of the Week, Social Media, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, monthly job gains averaged 235,000 over the last three months. Many of these jobs and industries didn’t even exist 10, 20, even 30 years ago – coder, software engineer, social media strategist, Zumba instructor, to name a few. But, just as new jobs are created, others become completely …
Posted in: Collections, History, Music, Newspapers, Photos, Podcasts, Social Media, Today in History
Posted by: Erin Allen
The following post has been written by Kevin McBrien, one of 36 college students participating in the Library of Congress 2015 Junior Fellows Summer Intern Program. McBrien graduated in May from California State University at Long Beach with a bachelor’s degree in music history and literature. He begins graduate school in the fall and hopes …
Posted in: Blogging, Collections, Music, Photos
Posted by: Erin Allen
The travel and tourism industry owes itself to many historical “firsts.” In 1782, Scottish engineer James Watt invented the first steam engine able to turn wheels. On May 10, 1869, the completion of the first transcontinental railroad was commemorated with the driving of a “golden spike.” In 1794, the City Hotel opened in New York …
Posted in: Collections, Film, History, Photos, Pinterest, Video
Posted by: Erin Allen
Doughnuts are as quintessential to America as apple pie. Who hasn’t happily licked glaze off his or her fingers or made a mess with powdered sugar? If there were never to be a Krispy Kreme, Dunkin’ Donuts, LaMar’s or neighborhood mom-and-pop bakery, life as we know it would be a less cheery place … these …
Posted in: Collections, History, Manuscripts, Music, Photos, Today in History
Posted by: Erin Allen
Rosa Parks is known as a pioneer of the civil rights movement, a heroine for her courage of convictions. Yet, few knew the other side of her life – one spent as a devoted mother figure to her nieces and nephews. One such niece, Sheila McCauley Keys, was at the Library last week to remember …
Posted in: Books, Capitol Hill, Collections, Events, Manuscripts, Photos, Pic of the Week, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
Last week, the Library hosted the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Foundation for its annual “We Write the Songs” concert, featuring the songwriters performing and telling the stories behind their own music. Taking the stage to perform some of their most notable music were Ne-Yo, Natalie Merchant (also formerly of 10,000 Maniacs), Donald Fagan …
Posted in: Capitol Hill, Concerts, Events, Music, Photos, Pic of the Week, Thomas Jefferson Building, Washington DC
Posted by: Erin Allen
I’ve always been a sucker for a great hat. Before I came to work at the Library of Congress, I was a writer for a society magazine in Louisiana whose calling card was the hats we wore to cover local events. Needless to say, when given the opportunity to don a fashionable chapeau, I jump …
Posted in: Events, History, LC Web site, News, Newspapers, Photos, Today in History