On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on the German Empire, bringing the country into the world’s deadliest and most destructive up that point in history. The Great War, as it was called at the time, started in 1914 and ended with an armistice on November 11, 1918. More than 38 million civilians […]
This is the first of a series of posts documenting the cartographic history of maps related to the American Civil War, 1861-1865. The posts will appear on a regular basis. The first post will provide on overview of pre-war mapping, and maps depicting secession. Following posts will proceed chronologically from the first shots fired at […]
Phillips, for all his notoriety, was not trained as a professional librarian and early in his career, he served as a reluctant, unconfident ambassador for the Library in meeting map vendors, according to Manuscript Division specialist Cheryl Fox. Fox shared her research on Phillips in a February 22nd lecture sponsored by the Philip Lee Phillips […]
Bob Crozier served as a Technical Sergeant in the 654th Topographic Engineers from 1943 to 1946. Crozier was part of the American First Army under General Omar Bradley. He donated a collection of photos and maps created during World War II to the Geography and Map Division. The collection consists of a 36-page booklet that […]
This blog post originally appeared in the Library of Congress Blog. Soldiers leaping from trenches and charging into an apocalyptic no man’s land dominate the imagination when it comes to World War I. However, an equally dangerous and strategically critical war at sea was waged between the Central Powers and the Allies, with Germany and […]
________________________________________________________ The following is a guest post by Nina Feldman, a former intern with the Geography and Map Division of the Library of Congress and the American Association of Geographers. Nina is currently a senior at George Washington University, majoring in Environmental Science and GIS (Geographic Information Systems). She spoke of her inspirations and why […]
With the end of November and Native American Heritage Month, today we are taking a closer look at a unique map among the cartographic collections of the Geography and Map Division. Documenting just part of the expansive and diverse Native American experience is the “Map of the several nations of Indians to the Northwest of […]
During World War I, Germany laid more than 43,000 mines that claimed some 500 merchant vessels. The British Navy lost 44 warships and 225 auxiliaries to mines. The purpose was to interrupt the flow of supplies to Britain and to hamper the British fleet. Mines were most often set near harbors and inlets, as these […]
The Library of Congress is proud to celebrate GIS Day, Wednesday November 16th, with a full-day series of talks and discussions highlighting GIS technology, research, resources, and opportunities on Capitol Hill and beyond! The event will kick off at 9am and take place in the room LJ-119 on the First Floor of the Jefferson Building […]
In August, as I was looking through our collection of amazing National Park maps to celebrate the National Park Service’s Centennial, I came across a unique piece that I think deserves some special recognition: a 1968 radar mosaic of Yellowstone National Park. Radar imaging is a major component of the technologies we use to study […]