FDR, Collector

By Kevin Thomas America 250 -- Landmark Documents from President Roosevelt's Early American History Collections Follow our #America250 series of articles highlighting hundreds of remarkable historical documents, manuscripts, and rare books collected personally by Franklin D. Roosevelt. These special collections reflect Roosevelt’s abiding interests in early American history, our nation’s founding fathers, the American Revolution; … Continue reading FDR, Collector

The Atom Bomb and V-J Day: Eleanor Roosevelt and the End of World War II, August 1945

William A. Harris, Director Above: The former First Lady preparing for radio remarks marking the end of World War II, August 19, 1945. (Library of Congress) August 1945 was a month crowded with history. Though Eleanor Roosevelt had famously remarked after FDR's death that "the story is over," her busy summer and multiple radio appearances … Continue reading The Atom Bomb and V-J Day: Eleanor Roosevelt and the End of World War II, August 1945

The Roosevelts, a Broadway Producer, and the Gutenberg Bible

by William A. Harris, Director Draped in a snow-white fox stole, Eleanor Roosevelt beams with a birthday corsage, 1939. The FDR Library collection continues to surprise us with its richness and variety. Last week, while conducting one of our annual inventories, we were reminded of an unusual item in the archives, an original leaf from … Continue reading The Roosevelts, a Broadway Producer, and the Gutenberg Bible

1924: A Year of New Beginnings

Franklin D. Roosevelt in his wheelchair aboard the Nourmahal, April 1935. Credit Robert Cross-Sailor in the White House. NPx 06-01. By Kevin Thomas, Archives Technician 1924 does not resonate the way 1933, or 1941 does when thinking of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. It was, however, a year filled with encounters that would profoundly change both. … Continue reading 1924: A Year of New Beginnings

D-Day, the FDR Library, and a Remarkable Story

D-Day has been the subject of countless articles, books, and motion pictures, but many  aspects of this pivotal moment in world history remain unknown or unacknowledged. Perhaps surprisingly, one involves the FDR Library, according to the Library's first director, Fred Shipman. His tale of events in late 1943 and early 1944 regarding a misfiled document, … Continue reading D-Day, the FDR Library, and a Remarkable Story