Rosa Parks, one of the most consequential Americans of the 20th century, was born on Feb. 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Alabama. Her activism was galvanized decades before the Montgomery bus boycott by the sexualized violence of whites against Blacks in her native Alabama. This activism is featured in this short documentary by the Library of Congress, which holds her papers.
The military order that led to the federal holiday of Juneteenth was not regarded as important national news when it was issued in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865.
Upon news of his death, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II, is remembered for a 1951 visit to the Library of Congress.
One hundred years ago today, on Feb. 15, 1921, over 70 women’s organizations gathered in the U.S. Capitol rotunda for the unveiling of the statue “Portrait Monument to Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.”
The Library marks Abraham Lincoln's birthday (Feb. 12) with a short video covering his first inauguration as president, including his handwritten copy of his inaugural address and the pearl necklace and bracelets that Mary Todd Lincoln wore to their inaugural ball.
One hundred years ago today -- August 26, 1920 -- Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified that the 19th Amendment had become a part of the U.S. Constitution. It didn't bring the right to vote to most women of color, though.
Haruo Shimizu survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and gave a harrowing narrative of that day to Bill Floyd, an American soldier stationed in post-war Japan. Floyd's family recently donated his papers, including the manuscript, to the Library.
Tune in on Instagram and Twitter to learn 19 stories you may not know from the Library of Congress, Smithsonian and National Archives. Every weekday from August 3 through Women's Equality Day, August 26, we're counting down from 19 to 1 with a new story each day on our Instagram and Twitter feeds.
