Top of page
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Some of the origins of Juneteenth can be traced to the front porch of a plantation house in Limestone County, Texas, where a slaveowner told his 150 enslaved workers that they were free on June 19, 1865.
Posted in: African American History, Civil War, Today in History
Posted by: Neely Tucker
The Library of Congress celebrates its 220th birthday on April 24, 2020. It was begun with a $5,000 appropriation to buy 740 books and three maps on this date in 1800. It is now the largest library in world history.
Posted in: Newspapers, Thomas Jefferson Building, Today in History
Posted by: Wendi Maloney
This is a guest post by Julie Miller, a historian in the Library’s Manuscript Division. For both George Washington and King George III of England, the summer of 1788 began a year shaped by illness and worry. Even though the sources of their troubles differed, each George had reason to look anxiously across the Atlantic. …
Posted in: Manuscripts, Today in History, U.S. Presidents
Posted by: Neely Tucker
The personal papers of Sigmund Freud at the Library of Congress have been digitized and are available online Included on the Library’s website for streaming are 11 home movies of Freud made between 1928 and 1939. Margaret McAleer, a historical specialist of modern America in the Library’s Manuscript Division, oversees the Library’s more than 100 collections …
Posted in: Manuscripts, Today in History, World War II
Posted by: Mark Hartsell
This story is adapted from an upcoming story in the Library of Congress Magazine. It recounts the day of July 2, 1881 — 138 years ago — when President James A. Garfield was shot at a train station in Washington and the national drama that ensued. Something about Charles Guiteau wasn’t right — anyone could …
Posted in: Today in History, Washington DC
Posted by: Neely Tucker
This is a guest post from Amber Paranick, who does great work over at the Headlines & Heroes Blog, which chronicles the Library’s vast collection of newspapers and comics. Here, she looks at how one of the seminal moments in gay rights — the Stonewall Rebellion, which took place 50 years ago today — was …
Posted in: Newspapers, Today in History
Posted by: Michelle Rago
The Library of Congress website debuted on June 22, 1994. Explore versions of loc.gov from the past 25 years through web archives.
Posted in: LC Web site, Libraries, New Online, Today in 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
Posted by: Neely Tucker
Library experts explain how they built the extensive "D-Day Story Map."
Posted in: American Folklife Center, Today in History, World War II