Inside The Records Room

Do you have questions about our online proctored exam? Check out our exam FAQ page here: https://loom.ly/ol7NYuY

The original is back on display in the “Rightfully Hers: American Women and the Vote” exhibit!

Discover the untold stories of the suffragists behind the movement for women's voting rights through National Archives records, educational materials, downloadable posters, a virtual exhibit, and a curator-led online tour. This exhibit closes on April 11, 2022!

Explore more about the exhibit, related events, featured documents, and more: https://www.archivesfoundation.org/women/

When astronaut John Herrington flew into space aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour's STS-113 mission in 2002, he brought a flag from the Chickasaw Nation, where he is an enrolled member.

Herrington--seen here in his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) suit--performed three spacewalks during the sixteenth Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station, making him the first Native American to walk in space. He carried six eagle feathers, a braid of sweet grass, two arrowheads, and the Chickasaw flag with him.

Before joining NASA, Herrington was a pilot in the Navy. During his career, he logged over 3,800 flight hours in over 30 different types of aircraft!

You can access this photo and more digitized images of Herrington onboard the International Space Station in our online Catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/23389255

Happy Thanksgiving! We are so thankful to serve as the stewards of American history and to share this history--from documents to photographs to film--with all of you.

On October 3, 1789, President George Washington issued a proclamation naming Thursday, November 26, 1789, as an official holiday of "sincere and humble thanks." The nation then celebrated its first Thanksgiving under its new Constitution.

Almost one hundred years later, on October 3, 1863, President Lincoln made the traditional Thanksgiving celebration a nationwide holiday to be commemorated each year on the fourth Thursday of November. You can explore this proclamation in our online Catalog: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/299960

Still hungry for history? You can access more digital records related to Thanksgiving and learn more about the history of the holiday on our website: https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/thanksgiving

Image: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/533729

As the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Turns 100, We Look Back at Cartographic Records Spanning the History of Arlington National Cemetery For a century, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has been the centerpiece of Arlington National Cemetery. This solemn memorial, the final resting place of three unknown members of the American milita…

This ventriloquist dummy is part of the records of the National Labor Relations Board, so we're assuming it's not a haunted doll that climbs out of its archival box at night to roam the stacks looking for victims.

However, there is no identifying case information with this dummy, so we really can't be sure.

So....absolutely nothing to be scared of. Nothing at all.

Happy Halloween!

“I am researching baseball teams stationed in Occupied Japan/Philippines at the end of World War II. I have photos of team members which included my father who was a pitcher. I have located several newspaper articles but have been unsuccessful in finding any specific information. There was a 'Japanese ' in September, 1946. Any information about these players and the teams would be appreciated.”

See the answer to our on History Hub, our crowdsourced platform for history and genealogical research where anyone can ask questions and get answers from archivists and other community members.

https://historyhub.history.gov/thread/13022?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=QOTW&utm_content=ArmyBaseballJapan-20211027

National Archives Comes Alive! Young Learners Program: Meet Washington Irving Meet Washington Irving, the father of the American short story and author of one of the most famous and iconic Halloween stories: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollo...

Stick a pin in it, we're done! American Archives Month is coming to a close, but we're still keeping it together. From pins to paper clips, we look at the evolution of what (temporarily) holds papers together.

https://go.usa.gov/xexjZ

This October marks 150 years since the Great Chicago Fire. Although Mrs. O’Leary’s legendary cow has been exonerated, the fire’s exact origin on the night of October 8, 1871, remains unknown.

Once ignited, the fire quickly raged out of control thanks to ferocious winds, extremely dry conditions, and plenty of fuel. By the time rain extinguished the final flames on October 10, the conflagration had consumed The Loop (Chicago’s central business district), left an estimated 300 people dead, and one-third of the city’s residents homeless.

At the time, Chicago was built almost entirely of wood. Even the Chicago River, which was packed with wooden docks and vessels along its banks, did little to halt the conflagration. After hitting The Loop, the fire jumped the Chicago River’s main branch and destroyed virtually the entire North Division of the city before dying out.

Fires were a common occurrence in Chicago, and few residents took notice when alarm bells rang out from the city’s West Side. Panic set in once the fire jumped the river and moved toward the heart of the city. Assembled 70 years after the last flames died out, this poem, published 1941's "Gone to Blazes: Episodes in Verse About the Great Chicago Fire," still powerfully conveys the terror and confusion as people fled for their lives.

Recovering required an equally great rebuilding effort. Over 17,000 structures were destroyed in a more than three square mile area known as the “Burnt District.” The National Archives holds a 1872 petition sent to the U.S. Senate in an effort to secure financial relief from tariffs and import duties on building materials.

The city recovered quickly; however, Chicagoans did not benefit equally. Poorer residents who lacked the resources of the wealthy faced much greater hardship rebuilding their homes and reclaiming their livelihoods.

You can see this document and others on display in the East Rotunda Gallery through November 16, 2021, or online https://go.usa.gov/xeq3y

***
Image: Page 5 from "Gone to Blazes: Episodes in Verse About the Great Chicago Fire," 1941. National Archives Identifier 1416418.