History, Natural History & the Arts
The National Archives’ new online catalog is set to launch on Monday, November 21st, replacing the legacy Catalog at catalog.archives.gov. The new Catalog focuses on scalability and in the next few years is expected to grow to 500 million digitized pages.
New back-end enhancements provide an improved search experience which makes it easier and more intuitive. [Read more…] about National Archives New Online Catalog Launches Monday
At the height of the Cold War, for two weeks in October 1962, the world teetered on the edge of thermonuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Earlier that fall, the Soviet Union, under orders from Premier Nikita Khrushchev, began to secretly deploy a nuclear strike force in Cuba, just 90 miles from the United States.
President John F. Kennedy said the missiles would not be tolerated and insisted on their removal. Khrushchev refused. [Read more…] about The 60th Anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis
In September, the President’s nominee for Archivist of the United States (AOTUS), Dr. Colleen Shogan, appeared before the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs (HSGAC) in accordance with the Senate’s advice and consent capacity for presidential appointments. [Read more…] about US Archivist Appointment Still On Hold
The Universal Newsreel Collection is the largest donated newsreel collection in the Moving Image and Sound Branch at the National Archives. The popular collection includes nearly 4,000 edited releases which were originally shown in movie theaters, as well as 8,500 reels of unedited outtakes. [Read more…] about Universal Newsreels In The National Archives
More than 2,500 photographs taken at the West Point Military Academy in the early 20th century are now available in the National Archives Catalog. [Read more…] about Featured Collections: West Point Military Academy Photographs
More than 500 logbooks of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Ships (USC & GSS) are now available to view and download in the National Archives Catalog.
[Read more…] about US Coast and Geodetic Survey Ships Logbooks Go Online
The Cartographic Branch at the National Archives is home to over one million ship plans, with records spanning more than 15 distinct Record Groups and over 25 separate series. These drawings are among the most requested records from researchers in the Cartographic Branch. [Read more…] about Maritime History: Ship Engineering Drawings
Maps and charts have always played an important role in the planning and execution of military operations. Military maps, nautical charts, and fortification plans form a significant part of the holdings in the Cartographic Branch of the National Archives.
Among these records include a recently digitized series of World War II Records from the Adjutant General’s Office of the War Department (Record Group 407). These records are available to view and download from the National Archives Catalog. [Read more…] about Mapping World War II: Archival Resources
Mathew Brady was one of the most prolific photographers of the nineteenth century, creating visual documentation of the Civil War period. While Mathew Brady’s exact birth-date in Warren County, NY is unknown (circa 1822 – 1824), this year marks the beginning of the commemoration of Brady’s 200th birthday. [Read more…] about Photographing the Civil War: Mathew Brady at 200
The Still Picture Branch at the National Archives safeguards many series of posters used during World War II by the United States Government. The messages range from the promotion of Victory Gardens and the war effort to military recruitment, education, safety and more.
Cartoonist and writer Will Eisner (1917-2005) was one of the most significant pioneers and innovators within the 20th-century comic book industry. Though his career spanned over half of the century, Eisner is perhaps best known for one of his earliest works — his comic strip The Spirit, which debuted in newspapers in 1940. [Read more…] about Don’t Be a Dope: Will Eisner’s World War II Posters