Long Goodie: 1925

This April 14, 1925 photograph features Margaret Gorman with Long Goodie. Margaret was both the first-ever Miss Washington, DC and Miss America.

The Nats: 1922

"The Washington Nationals Ball Club, 1922"

Streets of Baltimore: 1904

The southwest limits of the Great Baltimore Fire 1904, Liberty and Lombard Streets.

Bootleg Lady

This picture taken in 1922 shows a woman removing a flask from her Russian boot.

Note the swastikas embedded in the floor design. The swastika was once considered a good luck symbol in many cultures including Native Americans. The Nazis adopted it as their symbol in WWII, forever reminding the world of the evil it had unjustly come to represent.

Granddaddy: 1915

President Woodrow Wilson and his new grandson Francis Sayre Jr., born less than a year after the death of his wife Ellen.

Happy Birthday, Jackie

Jackie Kennedy Onasis would have been 80 years old today. She died at the age of 64.

Left on White:1926

Washington, DC Traffic Director Eldridge inspects the new traffic lights. Note the sign underneath the lights and the middle light, indicating left turn.

Inaugural Umbrellas

This glass negative picture shows President William McKinley's second inaugural parade on Pennsylvania Avenue on March 4, 1901. Note the stars and stripes umbrellas.

Through the Wringer

A 1942 photograph from the Office of Emergency Management showing the proper use and maintenance of a washing machine's wringer.

Making History

With his Chicago White Sox teammates about to mob him, pitcher Mark Buehrle reacts to his having thrown a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday July 23, 2009. Buehrle threw a total of only 116 pitches in Chicago's 5 - 0 victory.

This was the second no hitter of the 30 year old's career, but only the 18th perfect game in the history of Major League Baseball. He joins the likes of Randy Johnson, Sandy Koufax, Cy Young, and Lee Richmond, who pitched the very first perfect game in 1880.

Samantha Smith

In 1982, a ten year old American schoolgirl from Maine wrote a letter to newly appointed Communist Party Secretary General Yuri Andropov stating her concern about nuclear war between the Soviet Union and the United States. Andropov replied personally to Samantha's letter and invited her to visit the Soviet Union, which she promptly accepted.

The incident caught media attention around the world, and Samantha was soon dubbed the world's Youngest Ambassador For Peace. At age 13, she and her father were on their way back from one of Samantha's appearances when their aircraft crashed during landing, killing all aboard. Among those sending condolences in addition to President Ronald Reagan was former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Apollo 11 Launch

Forty years ago today, Apollo 11 set out to become the first manned mission to land on the Moon. At 11:32 am on July 16, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong, "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins rode their Saturn V rocket from Cape Canaveral to begin what would prove to be a historical mission. The above photo was taken from the launch tower camera at the moment of liftoff.

America's Oldest Newspaper

Photograph of a 19th century reproduction of the October 17, 1756 edition (1st edition) of the New Hampshire Gazette, founded by printer Daniel Fowle. The publication was the first of any type in the Province of New Hampshire. In 1839, it was recognized as the oldest newspaper in America.

(If you'd like to read more about some of America's early publications, simply click the post title for a direct link to the University of New Hampshire Library)

The Survivor Tree

Picture of the Survivor Tree elm at the Oklahoma City National Memorial taken on September 18, 2004. Its' survival of the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing made this tree an emblem of the memorial.

Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal pictured sometime in the 1860's

The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum in Agra, India built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. In 1632, one year after his wife's death, construction began on the palace he had promised her on her death bed. The 'Taj', as it is often referred to, was fully completed in 1653, and continues to be a popular tourist attraction.

Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine wrote this 48 page pamphlet and published it anonymously on January 10, 1776. Paine did so because due to the American Revolution, its' materials were considered treasonous. He would simply sign the document 'Written by an Englishman'.

Common Sense presented the Colonists with a powerful argument for independence from British rule at a time when the question of independence was still undecided. The pamphlet was written in a manner easily understood without Latin references.

(Read more about Thomas Paine's writings, which helped to shape our history, by clicking on the post title.)

James Dean

On September 30, 1955, actor James Dean was driving his Porsche 550 Spyder on California Highway 46. At the intersection of highways 46 and 41 in Cholame, California, a pickup truck attempted to enter route 41, crossing directly in front of Dean resulting in a head on collision. Dean would lose his life at the young age of 24.

In September 2005, the intersection of California Routes 46 and 41 in Cholame (San Luis Obispo County) was dedicated as the James Dean Memorial Highway to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his death.

Porky Pig

Porky Pig was created by Bob Clampett on March 2, 1935. The character appeared in many cartoons in the late 1930's, and his popularity continues to this day.

Oldest Known Picture

The oldest known photograph of a 17th century Flemish engraving showing a man leading a horse. This picture was taken in 1825 by a French inventor, Nicephore Niepce, with a heliography technical process. The Bibliotheque nationale de France purchased the photo in 2002 and declared it a 'national treasure'.

Cosmopolitan Magazine

Cosmipolitan Magazine's March 1894 edition

Cosmopolitan Magazine was established in 1886 by Schlicht and Field as The Cosmipolitan. In the first issue, Paul Schlicht described the magazine's content to its' readers as a 'first class family magazine'. Over the years it has come to be referred to as simply Cosmo.

Air Florida Flight 90

On January 13, 1982, Air Florida flight 90 took off from Washington's National Airport and crashed into the 14th Street Bridge before winding up in the Potomac River. 78 people, including 4 in their cars on the bridge, were killed in this accident, which was blamed on crew error and failure to use proper de-icing procedures.

The USS Maine

The USS Maine sailed into Havana Harbor on January 1, 1898 on a mission to assist in curtailing gorilla activities in the Spanish controlled colony of Cuba. On February 15, 1898, the USS Maine exploded and sank while in Havana Harbor. Events as a result would lead up to the Spanish American War.

The ship was re-floated and eventually towed out to sea where it was ceremoniously sank. One of the USS Maine's masts now makes up a memorial to her and her fallen at Arlington National Cemetery. The Maine Mast Memorial was officially dedicated on February 15, 1915.

(To read more about the USS Maine, and view more images of this historic ship, simply click the post title above.)

The US Capitol

The US Capitol Building, east front elevation.

1846

The Kennedy Assassination

Abraham Zapruder found himself in the middle of a historic event of large magnitude when he accidentally captured the assassination of President John F. Kennedy while filming his visit to Dallas on November 22, 1963. Zapruder's famous camera, pictured above, and the film strip are permanently housed in the National Archives. The FBI would use the Bell and Howell Zoomatic and the clip as key evidence against Lee Harvey Oswald.

Sargeant William Harvey Carney

William Harvey Carney is the first African American to earn the Medal of Honor. Born a slave on February 29, 1840 in Norfolk, Virginia, he and his father escaped to Massachusetts via the Underground Railroad. They later would arrange for the rest of their family to be freed.

Carney served the W54 Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry as a Sergeant. He was awarded the medal for saving the American flag in battle on July 18, 1863 during the assault on Fort Wagner in Charleston, South Carolina.

Geraldine Ferraro

On July 12, 1984, Geraldine Ferraro was selected by Presidential candidate Walter Mondale to be his Vice presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket. This made her the first female Vice presidential candidate representing a major American political party.

American Express Company

The American Express Company was founded in 1850 by Henry Wells and William Fargo. The above American Express shipping receipt from New York to St Louis is dated August 6, 1853.

Diary Entry (April 28, 1975)

12:05 pm*: President returns to the second floor residence.

President Gerald Ford makes a late night telephone call in the second floor residence of the White House as the First Lady looks on.

*Actual entry time, however the official time should read 12:05 am.

The End of The American Civil War

The McLean House, in the town of Appomattox Court House, is where Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, effectively ending the American Civil War.

Pope Pius XII

Despite John Cornwell's criticism of Pius XII in his 1999 book 'Hitler's Pope', Pius XII was credited by the Jewish community as having saved more Jews from Nazi persecution than any other people or institutions. Hiding Jews in Catholic churches, and issuing false baptism certificates are but two of the methods utilized by the Pope to ensure their safety. Some Jewish scholars estimate that from 1941 to 1944, Pope Pius XII may have saved as many as 860,000 Jews.

Samuel Morse

Samuel Morse was an American creator of a single-wire telegraph system and the Morse code. He was born on April 27, 1791 in this building on Main Street in Charlestown, Massachusetts.

Cliff House and Seal Rocks

An outing at the beach in San Francisco, 1902

Presidents in Paris

President John F. Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy are pictured above with French President Charles deGaulle on May 31, 1961 in Paris, France in front of the Palais de l'Elysee.

Postcard From The Hindenburg

This pictured postcard was scheduled to be carried on a flight that was cancelled over Germany on May 1, 1937. It was then flown on the airship Hindenburg that left for America on May 3rd, and dropped several hours later in a weighed down mail bag over Frankfurt. Three days later, The Hindenburg was destroyed by fire as it attempted its' landing at the Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Monica Seles

Tennis star Monica Seles was competing in the Citizen Cup tournament in Hamburg, Germany on April 30, 1993 when a distraught fan suddenly made his way onto the court and stabbed her. Seles is shown being attended to just seconds after the attack. The trauma of the attack would keep Seles off the court for over two years.

Presidential Resignation

On August 9, 1974 Richard Milhouse Nixon, the nation's 37th President, resigned because of the Watergate Scandal, making him the only President to resign while still in office. Nixon and his wife Pat are seen here being escorted to a waiting helicopter by his soon to be successor, Gerald Ford and his wife Betty. Ford would take the oath of office shortly after Nixon's departure.

Soviet Space Program

In 1963 a former cotton mill worker and parachute jumper named Valentina Tereskhkova became the first woman in space by logging almost three days in orbit on board Vostok 6.

John F. Kennedy

Senator John F. Kennedy is pictured in 1959 in his Senate Office in Washington.

Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman is pictured in France during World War I in 1918. Truman later became the 33rd President of the United States.

Theodore Roosevelt

11 year old Theodore Roosevelt pictured in 1870 while on a visit to Paris. Roosevelt would go on to become the 26th President of the United States from 1901 to 1909.

St Patrick's Cathedral

New York's St Patrick Cathedral c. 1913

The Spruce Goose

The world famous Spruce Goose is pictured as it makes its' maiden and only flight on November 2, 1947. The Hughes H-4 Hercules prototype heavy transport was designed by Hughes Aircraft, and because of the war causing a shortage of materials, the plane was constructed of wood. The press dubbed it 'The Spruce Goose', and it is the largest flying boat ever built.

The Golden Spike

On May 10, 1869, the first transcontinental railroad across the United States was completed. A ceremony was held in Promontory Summit, Utah, where the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroads met. The final spike used to secure the railroad was a specially manufactured gold spike, which bared the date of the historical event.

Original Yankee Stadium

A B-17 Flying Fortress is pictured flying over Yankee Stadium during Game 1 of the 1943 World Series.

The original home of the New York Yankees was built in 1923, and hosted its' first game on April 18th of that year, with the Yankees defeating the Boston Red Sox 4-1. The stadium's final game, a 7-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles, was played on September 21, 2008.

Ellis Island

An immigrant family views their new home from the shores of Ellis Island in this undated photo. The famous island in New York Harbor opened on January 1, 1892, processing in its' history millions of immigrants to the new world. Among the famous people that arrived thru Ellis Island were Irving Berlin, Charles Atlas, actress Claudette Colbert, Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein, and Charles Chaplin.

Independence Day

On July 4, 1776, Thomas Jefferson and 55 of his fellow delegates to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ratified the Declaration of Independence. This historic document was written for the purpose of announcing and explaining the separation from the Kingdom of Great Britain.

While the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence is stored in the Library of Congress, the 1823 facsimile of the engrossed copy, pictured above, is currently displayed in the National Archives.

Philadelphia Zoo

Workers are shown repaving the road in front of the Philadelphia Zoo's Administration Building in the above June, 1934 picture.

The Philadelphia Zoo is the first zoo in the United States, and was chartered on March 21, 1858, but its' opening was delayed until July 1, 1874 by the American Civil War. The zoo is located at the corner of 34th St. and Girard Ave. in Philadelphia's historic Fairmount Park.

Banff Springs Hotel

The world famous Banff Springs Hotel, located in Banff, Alberta, is seen in this picture taken in October 1929. The hotel was originally built as a railway hotel in 1887 by the Canadian Pacific Railway in order to attract more people to railroad travel. The year round hotel, set in the breathtaking scenery of the Canadian Rockies, attracts countless tourists every year.

The Telephone

Genevieve Clark, daughter of Speaker of the House Champ Clark, and in the 1940's a candidate for the House of Representatives for Louisiana, is photographed c. 1915 using a US Candlestick Style telephone. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876.

Japanese American Internment Camps

On May 8, 1942, a Japanese American family awaits an evacuation bus that will transport them to a Department of Justice internment camp. After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese Americans were housed in these camps until the end of the war.