We regularly update our website with any changes to the operating status of our research rooms, Presidential Libraries and Museums, and other buildings. Check our operating status here: https://www.archives.gov/coronavirus
Don’t Throw Away Your Shot
This week is World Immunization Week so we are sharing this fun image of Navy recruits receiving inoculations at the U.S. Naval Training Station in San Diego in the 1920s. If you are a military veteran, you probably remember this experience!
There are many resources available online to help people learn about vaccines. The World Health Organization (WHO) website about #WorldImmunizationWeek can be found here. For general information about vaccines and immunizations, please visit the Health and Human Services (HHS) website here.
Got your popcorn?
125 years ago today, Vitascope’s first theatrical exhibit took place in New York City. In April 1902, Tally’s Electric Theatre opened in Los Angeles, California. Home of Hollywood, Los Angeles is no stranger to movie-making or theatres. The image we’re sharing with you today of a movie theatre at the Connell Naval Club on the Submarine Base, Los Angeles, while taken in 1922, is eerily similar to today’s images of empty theaters. Hang in there, LA. We can’t wait to see you at the movies!
Earth Construction on Earth Day
Today on Earth Day we celebrate something that is old which is now new again! Building with earth is an ancient practice. Popular once again, it was revived in the 1930s by the Mission Indian Agency because so much of southern California has sandy and clay soils, making adobe construction cost-effective, durable, fire-resistant and comfortable. Images from the Mission Indian Agency show the process of how homes were built with earthen materials and the Mission Indian newsletter contains a write-up of the work done to create adobe bricks.
Today is #NationalTakeAWildGuessDay! Nope, it’s not a Ferris wheel. See the image caption for the answer!
File Unit: USDI Bureau of Reclamation, Davis Dam Project - Arizona - Nevada, Annual Project History Volume VI. Series: Davis Dam Project Histories, 1948 - 1952. Record Group 48: Records of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, 1826 - 2009. (National Archives Identifier 166002518). https://catalog.archives.gov/id/166002518
Today is #NationalTakeAWildGuessDay! We sometimes come across items in our collections that keep us guessing. Luckily this photograph has a caption, but today we want you to take a wild guess! Make sure to come back later to see if you were right!
“...With silverbells and cockleshells…”
So, how does your garden grow? April 14th marks National Gardening Day! This day allows seasoned home gardeners to learn even more about their gardens and different plants and to share their knowledge with others. We’re here to help, with images of great gardens from our collection of Mission Indian photographs.
As you browse through these historic garden images, perhaps you’d like to share your gardening wisdom and show us some of your gardening gems. Reply in the comments with pics of your top harvests!
We regularly update our website with any changes to the operating status of our research rooms, Presidential Libraries and Museums, and other buildings. Check our operating status here: https://www.archives.gov/coronavirus
Subs for Subs?
Today we celebrate National Submarine Day. No, not the sandwich, but the actual underwater vessels and the men and women who serve on them. We wonder if they serve submarine sandwiches on board a submarine vessel.
On this day in 1900, the Navy commissioned its first submarine called the USS Holland. Pictured here is the crew from the USS Jimmy Carter during the ship's Christening Ceremony in 2004.
If you are interested in diving into the history of submarines check out the links below.
https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/education/distance-learning/history-of-submarines/submarine-development--a-short-history.html
https://www.military-history.org/feature/submarine-the-history-of-submarine-war.htm
Scottish American Heritage Month
April is Scottish American Heritage Month and we are sharing these images of Scottish immigrants naturalizing in the U.S. between 1939 and 1943. Meet Alison McKinley Campbell, age 57, a practical nurse from Cowdenbeath; Catherine Archer Smith, age 62, a nurse from Dundee; William Wilson, age 46, a plumber from Glasgow; Clementina Sinclair Heddle Smith, age 55, a housewife from St. Andrews; Charles Leslie Brown, age 39, an actor from Aberdeen; and Alexander Thomson, age 37, a blacksmith from Thurso.
Did your ancestors immigrate to the U.S. and become naturalized citizens? If they naturalized in southern California, Arizona, or Clark County, Nevada, we may have their documents here. We have over 1 million naturalization documents in our holdings!
Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday to Hollywood director, writer, and producer Allan Dwan, who was born this date in 1885 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dwan was born Joseph Aloysius Dwan and immigrated to the United States when he was just 7 years old. He studied engineering at Notre Dame and was interested in the new motion picture industry. The opportunity to become a scriptwriter presented itself and the rest, as they say, is history.
Dwan began working in Hollywood in 1911, and over his 50-year career, he directed 125 motion pictures, working with stars such as Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, John Wayne, and Shirley Temple. He earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and, in 1976, was awarded the Career Achievement Award by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Allan Dwan died on December 28, 1981.
#ArchivesTipOfTheHat
Who doesn’t love a great baseball cap? This 1941 image is captioned, “The Pala Reservation Baseball team. They made a splendid record the past season.”
#ArchivesTipOfTheHat
Join us as we follow a lost hat on its perilous journey home to finally be reunited with its owner!
Chinese American Actress’s Story Illustrates ‘Othering’ of Immigrants
Recent acts of violence against Asian Americans across the country have underscored the notion of being perceived as a “perpetual foreigner” in one’s home country.
But this is nothing new. The “othering” of immigrant groups is long rooted in American history.
We regularly update our website with any changes to the operating status of our research rooms, Presidential Libraries and Museums, and other buildings. Check our operating status here: https://www.archives.gov/coronavirus
Sgt. Tess Hall of the Women’s Army Corps served at the Los Angeles Port of Embarkation, contributing her time to the USO by playing accordion and serving on the joint military and industrial council, she was also rumored to have served in the intelligence division, having spent three years in the WAC. It is “sergeants” like this that helped deploy American troops to the Pacific Theater during World War II.
National Agriculture Day
Today we celebrate National Agriculture Day, a time to recognize the value of agriculture in our daily lives. From the food we eat to the clothes we wear, agriculture is essential to all people. According to the Agriculture Council of America, there are 3.75 million Americans employed full- and part-time in agriculture, including forestry, fishing, and other activities.
For more information about National Ag Day, visit the Agriculture Council of America website. For general information, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture website.
When the Great Depression started, Nevada's mines were decreasing, and its economy was in decline. Motivated to lift the state out of hard times and population flight, on March 19, 1931, the Nevada state legislature responded by voting to legalize gambling. This legislation allowed Las Vegas, Nevada, to become the gambling and entertainment capital of the world that we know today.
Las Vegas is not only famous for its gambling and casinos, but also its nightclubs and sporting events, which combined overall revenues currently account for most of Nevada’s taxes. To spotlight this occasion, we would like to share with you these photographs of Las Vegas relating to America’s Byways.