Motown Was Not Afraid

Today's post is written by Katie Dishman, of the National Archives at Chicago. So many songs, so many lawsuits.  As February brings a plethora of romantic tunes to the airwaves and to people’s hearts, a copyright case recalls how one of the most popular Motown creations was alleged to have been plagiarized from another source. … Continue reading Motown Was Not Afraid

Rolling into Court

Today's post is written by Katie Dishman, of the National Archives at Chicago. As Halloween approaches, our thoughts turn to candy -- and court cases.  A sweet combination of both can be found in Record Group 21, the U.S. District Court, the Northern District of Illinois, Chicago.  Civil case number 47C1770 was filed in 1947, … Continue reading Rolling into Court

Communications Commission Creates Confrontational and Cacophonic Court Case

Today's post is written by Katie Dishman, of the National Archives at Chicago. “The following program is brought to you in living color by CBS.”  Wait.  That’s not right.  But it might have been if the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had its way back in 1950.  The variation of the long-used advertising slogan by the … Continue reading Communications Commission Creates Confrontational and Cacophonic Court Case

Taking the Streets in Chicago: The 1968 Democratic National Convention on Historypin

Today's post comes from Kristina Maldre, Education Specialist at the National Archives at Chicago. Protestors are planning numerous demonstrations for this week, when world leaders will gather in Chicago for the 2012 NATO Summit. But assembling in the streets of the Windy City to oppose governmental policies is nothing new. This past year the Occupy … Continue reading Taking the Streets in Chicago: The 1968 Democratic National Convention on Historypin

No Laugh-In Matter

Today's post is written by Katie Dishman, of the National Archives at Chicago. “Sock it to me!”  That is, in a way, what happened to Richard Havilland.  And he never got to utter that phrase on the television show that made it famous, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In.  He did, however, fight back and socked Playboy … Continue reading No Laugh-In Matter

NARA Coast to Coast: WWII Homefront and Chicago Radio

Today's post is written by Katie Dishman, of the National Archives at Chicago. September 2 is not necessarily a day which will live in infamy; nevertheless it is significant in world history marking the formal end of World War II in 1945 when Japan signed the Instrument of Surrender on the USS Missouri. While the … Continue reading NARA Coast to Coast: WWII Homefront and Chicago Radio

Money-Making and Public Art-Loving: The Image of Chicago

The following post is by guest blogger Kristina Maldre of the National Archives at Chicago.  Thanks Kristina! Kids slide down the base of the Picasso statue in Chicago. Tourists stare at themselves and the skyline in the surface of “The Bean.” Nine-to-fivers shuffle under the red Calder piece in the Federal Plaza to their offices five days … Continue reading Money-Making and Public Art-Loving: The Image of Chicago