Archive for January, 2011
Baseball and the 13th Amendment
January 31, 1865, was a busy day for the war-torn United States. The House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery. Meanwhile, Robert E. Lee was named general-in-chief of the Confederate armies. On January 31, 1919—50 years to the day after slavery was abolished—Jackie Robinson was born in Cairo, Georgia. On April 10, 1947—82 years after the [...]
Posted by Hilary on January 31, 2011, under - Civil Rights, - Constitution, - The 1960s.
Tags: April 10 1947, Cairo GA, First Amendment, Jackie Robinson, January 31 1865, President Eisenhower, Robert E. Lee, Thirteenth Amendment
Comments: 1
Edgar Allan Poe’s military career? Nevermore!
“Charge 1 . . . Gross neglect of Duty.” “Charge 2 . . . Disobedience of Orders.” On January 28, 1831, a court-martial convened at the U.S. Military Academy found the defendant guilty of these charges and “adjudg[ed] that the Cadet E. A. Poe be dismissed.” So ended Edgar Allan Poe’s short career at West [...]
Posted by Mary on January 28, 2011, under - Civil War, Myth or History, Uncategorized.
Tags: american history, cadet, court-martial, Edgar Allen Poe, strange facts, us history, US Military Academy, West Point
Comments: 3
Thursday’s Photo Caption Contest
Jan Wilson, it’s been a long wait, but you can now claim the honor of being our last captioner of 2010 and our first declared winner of 2011. President Truman was a practical (and frugal) guy, so why wouldn’t he be able to step up and give tips on Christmas tree gadgetry? As far as [...]
Posted by Mary on January 27, 2011, under - Presidents, Photo Caption Contest, Uncategorized.
Tags: black and white photos, caption contest, John F. Kennedy, Photo Caption Contest
Comments: 24
The National Archives–now in a novel near you!
Brad Meltzer’s new mystery novel—The Inner Circle, the no. 1 bestseller on the most recent New York Times list—is all about the National Archives. “I came to visit and I fell in love. Truly,” Meltzer says in an interview about the book in the forthcoming issue of Prologue, the quarterly magazine of the National Archives. [...]
Posted by Jim on January 25, 2011, under Authors on the Record, Myth or History, News and Events.
Tags: Brad Meltzer, fiction, national archives, The Inner Circle
Comments: 1
Have you hugged a squirrel today?
While poking around the web while I ate my lunch, I discovered that today is Squirrel Appreciation Day! I know many gardeners can’t stand the little beasts, and when we tried to grow tomatoes a couple of summers ago, I didn’t feel too friendly toward them, either. But usually I’m quite taken by these fluffy-tailed guys. [...]
Posted by Mary on January 21, 2011, under Uncategorized.
Tags: cute, Online Public Access, Ronald Reagan, squirrel, squirrel appreciation day, squirrels
Comments: 5