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Category: Veterans History Project

Three Marines, all Navajo Code Talkers, pose with weapons in a World War II photo

World War II’s Navajo Code Talkers, In Their Own Words

Posted by: Neely Tucker

Some of the U.S. military's best intelligence assets during both World Wars were Native American troops who used their own, unwritten languages as the basis for coded radio messages. These Code Talkers, particularly Navajo Marines, were invaluable in the Pacific theater of World War II. Twenty-nine Navajo Code Talkers were later awarded the Congressional Gold Medal. Many of these soldiers' personal stories are preserved in the LIbrary's Veterans History Project.

Posted in: American Folklife Center, LCM, Native Americans, Veterans History Project, World War II

Sepia-toned portrait of Oscar Wilde, seated. He's wearing a heavy coat, holds a cane in right hand and rests his left hand against his face in a pensive gesture

LGBTQ+ at the LOC!

Posted by: Neely Tucker

The Library's collections encompassing LGBTQ+ material spans centuries, inlucding unique holdings on world famous figures as well as the lives of every day people. Oscar WIlde, Frances Benjamin Johnston, Alvin Ailey, Leonard Bernstein and silent screen star Alla Nazimova are just some of the major names and collections represented here. Laws that either target or protect gay people are also preserved. This essay explores the range and the depth of the stories these collections reveal.

Posted in: LCM, LGBTQ, Manuscripts, Performing Arts, Veterans History Project, Women's History