Today's Document goes mobile!

Attention smartphone users:  The National Archives has released our first mobile application called “Today’s Document,” based on the popular feature on Archives.gov. This new mobile app is an interactive gallery that allows you to explore the holdings of the US National Archives through a collection of 365 fascinating documents and photographs from throughout history.  Learn … Continue reading Today's Document goes mobile!

New NARA Photo Contest on Challenge.gov!

Do you like photographs of past places and times?  Do you like to take photographs yourself?  Have you ever wanted your work to be featured and sold by the National Archives?  Then we have the contest for you! The National Archives introduces our first photo contest on Challenge.gov, an innovative website where the Federal government … Continue reading New NARA Photo Contest on Challenge.gov!

Retracing President Lincoln’s 12-day journey to Washington: shortening the journey of his digital records to Illinois

After winning the 1860 presidential election, Abraham Lincoln left his hometown of Springfield, Illinois, on a 12-day journey to Washington. With the help of our technology research partners in Illinois, it takes just a few seconds to send huge volumes of electronic copies of his records back to Lincoln's Presidential Library.

Primary Sources Rock.

Today's post comes from guest blogger Stephanie Greenhut, Education Technology Specialist with the Center for the National Archives Experience. We know! And we were happy to hear that NARA’s new DocsTeach.org prompted this tweet on October 4. It was part of the almost-immediate-feedback we received after launching the site. Additional blogs, tweets, social bookmarks, social … Continue reading Primary Sources Rock.

See History in Your Reality: A New Flickr Photo Project!

The National Archives introduces an exciting new way to use our historic photograph collections!  History Happens Here! augments reality and combines the old with the new in the same frame, giving the viewer a unique perspective on how our country has evolved over time. For those of us who are familiar with the latest in … Continue reading See History in Your Reality: A New Flickr Photo Project!

NARA Coast to Coast: Discovering Black Sheep in the Pen!

Special acknowledgment goes to Steve Spence, Archives Specialist at the National Archives at Kansas City, for his assistance in writing this post. Bank robbers! Prohibition gangsters! Con men! Wartime spies! Your great uncle Charlie?  This week’s post features records that combine criminal activity and family history, giving genealogists access to the shady underside of their … Continue reading NARA Coast to Coast: Discovering Black Sheep in the Pen!

Mathew Brady Civil War Photos: New and Improved on Flickr!

Way back in October, we announced that the National Archives was uploading several sets of our Mathew Brady photos onto Flickr.  These original sets were not in any particular order, and were just a selection of the thousands of photographs that Mathew Brady took that now live at the National Archives.  Also in that original … Continue reading Mathew Brady Civil War Photos: New and Improved on Flickr!

Tech Tuesday: Machine Tags on Our Flickr Images

We joined Flickr last summer as a new way to share our photos with the public. These photos are also available via our online catalog, the Archival Research Catalog (ARC). From the iconic Mathew Brady Civil War photographs to the stirring images from the Environmental Protection Agency's DOCUMERICA endeavor in the 1970s, thousands of people … Continue reading Tech Tuesday: Machine Tags on Our Flickr Images

Forty Years of Cleaning Up America: Honoring Earth Day with a Look at Photographs from Project DOCUMERICA

This guest blog post was written by NARA Archives Specialist Jerry Simmons. Earth Day turns 40 today!  To mark this great, green event, I wanted to highlight the Environmental Protection Agency’s Project DOCUMERICA collection held in the Still Pictures branch of the National Archives at College Park.  Though none of these images depict actual Earth … Continue reading Forty Years of Cleaning Up America: Honoring Earth Day with a Look at Photographs from Project DOCUMERICA

Question: Do you have a favorite NARA photograph or document? Is it already available in our catalog or on our website?

One of the most requested photographs at the U.S. National Archives is an iconic photo of President Richard Nixon and Elvis Presley meeting at the White House in 1970. Recently, this photograph has become more available to the public on our online research catalog, ARC, as well as through our photostream on Flickr.com.  Now anyone … Continue reading Question: Do you have a favorite NARA photograph or document? Is it already available in our catalog or on our website?