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Posted by: Matt Raymond
As the Gulf Coast holds its collective breath in preparation for Tropical Storm Gustav, it does so with an eerie sense of deja vu: It was exactly three years ago today that Hurricane Katrina made its devastating landfall. The Digital Reference Team at the Library of Congress has updated the Today in History page for …
Posted in: History, News, Today in History
Posted by: Matt Raymond
“America” has a lot of birthdays. There’s that familiar one dating back to July 4, 1776. And we’ve written about one recent 500th birthday for “America.” But today’s “TIH” marks another major milestone for this country. On this date in 1607, the first permanent English settlement in North America was established at Jamestown in what …
Posted in: Today in History
Posted by: Matt Raymond
So I was preparing my remarks for the Asian/Pacific-American Heritage Month event coming up Monday, and I learned that yesterday?s ?TIH? is the reason APAHM is celebrated in May. (The majority of the laborers who built the transcontinental railroad were Chinese immigrants.) Sometimes I think I?m learning more here than my brain can hold! In …
Posted in: Today in History
Posted by: Matt Raymond
I swear, if it were closer to January I would make a New Year?s resolution to do these ?Today in History? posts much earlier in the day, but I guess I?ll just have to start getting to the office even earlier. Blame DC?s worsening traffic. I certainly do. Today?s ?TIH? covers that famous day in …
Posted in: Today in History
Posted by: Matt Raymond
I appreciate all the feedback I have gotten about the blog thus far ? the vast majority of it, thankfully,? positive. One comment that has come across the transom, however: ?Less ?Today in History?!?? Hey, I like history! While I prefer to interpret that as a yearning hunger for even more posts across the breadth …
Posted in: Blogging, LC Web site, Today in History
Posted by: Matt Raymond
I was thinking about doing something slightly different with today?s ?Today in History.? The results had me laughing so hard here at my desk that I was thinking about spinning it off into its own feature. You see, a few weeks ago we launched a new subsite called ?Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers,? in conjunction …
Posted in: LC Web site, Today in History
Posted by: Matt Raymond
National Poetry Month ended exactly one week ago, but today?s ?TIH? celebrates the May 7, 1892, birth of the ?poet-librarian,? Archibald MacLeish, the ninth Librarian of Congress. The Pulitzer Prize winner was Librarian of Congress for five years ? a relatively brief span, given that only 13 individuals have held the post in the Library?s …
Posted in: Events, Today in History
Posted by: Matt Raymond
May 4 is for the birds. Literally. Today’s “TIH” discusses “Bird Day” and all things ornithological. I truly do learn something new every day here.
Posted in: Today in History
Posted by: Matt Raymond
Kansas takes centerstage “Today in History,” as a pair of Sunflower State notables are celebrated, including playwright William Inge, born this day in 1913.
Posted in: Today in History