Posts in “history” (172)
Blog Articles
During the critical first presidential debate in 1960, the difference in the physical appearance of the two candidates could not have been sharper. Vice President Richard Nixon looked like a man… continue reading The Picture of Health: The Strange Case of John F. Kennedy
By written by Richard L. September 17, 2020 2
You may have heard the recent news that Free Library cardholders now have access to ProQuest’s Historical Black Newspapers , featuring coverage of The Philadelphia Tribune (the oldest… continue reading Philadelphia History from Home: Digital Access to Primary Sources
By written by Caitlin G. August 25, 2020
If ever a man simply wore himself out while serving his country, Franklin D. Roosevelt is his name. First elected during the depths of the Great Depression in 1932, he was still on the job twelve… continue reading A Dying Man Runs for President
By written by Richard L. August 12, 2020
During the years that Dwight Eisenhower served as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, he had to contend with some of the most demanding and difficult personalities on two continents. The… continue reading President Eisenhower, Senator McCarthy, and "The Junketeering Gumshoes"
By written by Richard L. August 5, 2020 1
The Free Library is pleased to announce a new digital resource that provides access to the most distinguished African American Newspapers in the United States. Cardholders now have access to 10… continue reading Black History. Black News. Black Voices.
By written by Jamie B. July 30, 2020 6
The 2020 Olympic Games were supposed to be starting today in Tokyo, Japan, but the Olympic flame will not be lit this summer . This year's Olympics were postponed back in March due to the… continue reading Digital Media Spotlight: Olympic Memories of the Past
By written by Peter SM July 23, 2020
Updated Friday, July 10, 2020 4:59 p.m. "The Social Justice Symposium Teen Planning Committee supports the Concerned Black Workers of the Free Library of Philadelphia ! CBWFLP Response to… continue reading Race in the United States: Social Justice Virtual Workshops for Teens
By written by Megan J. July 7, 2020
"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in… continue reading George Washington Carver: Inventor, Environmentalist, Mentor, and Role Model
By written by Sharyl O. June 24, 2020 2
With current stay-at-home orders and social distancing precautions in place, I find myself more eager to spend time outside and walk (or jog if I’m feeling really motivated) around the… continue reading Explore Your Neighborhood Virtually with Digital Collections
By written by Megan M. May 18, 2020
Today, American novelist Harper Lee would have turned 94 years old. As a lover of novels in general, and To Kill a Mockingbird in particular, I jumped at the chance to write a celebratory blog… continue reading Harper Lee and the Novels That Help Us Remember
By written by Christine M. April 28, 2020 1
With the practice of social distancing and stay-at-home orders in place, people have been racing to stores to stock up on essentials, and one essential item in particular has become an infamous… continue reading Unrolling the History of Toilet Paper
By written by Karen O. April 1, 2020 2
As March draws to a close, we near the end of Women’s History Month. Here at the Free Library, we’ve celebrated this important observance in many ways: with the story of Mary Church… continue reading Stream a Film by a Woman to Celebrate Women's History Month
By written by Clare F. March 27, 2020
"Even if I believed that women should be denied the right of suffrage, wild horses could not drag such an admission from my pen or my lips, for this reason: precisely the same arguments used… continue reading Women's History Month 2020: Stories We Know, Stories We'll Discover
By written by Kalela W. March 3, 2020
On Thursday, February 20 , David W. Young will appear at Parkway Central Library to discuss his book, Battles of Germantown: Effective Public History in America . Many Philadelphia residents… continue reading What is "Public History", Anyway?
By written by Nina C. February 19, 2020
From the mid-1930s to the early 1940s, artists working for the Federal Art Project’s Poster Division of the Works Progress Administration (WPA, later renamed Work Projects Administration)… continue reading Spotlight on Special Collections: WPA Posters in the Print and Picture Collection
By written by Laura S. December 2, 2019
With National Philanthropy Day just a few days ago and Thanksgiving fast approaching, it’s a great time to think about what philanthropy is and what it means to each and every one of… continue reading The Meaning of Philanthropy
By written by Jamie K. November 21, 2019
While reading There There — Tommy Orange ’s award-winning novel and the 2020 One Book, One Philadelphia featured selection—I was repeatedly struck by how many references Orange… continue reading #OneBookWednesday | Some History and Terms from There There
By written by Clare F. November 13, 2019
The human toll exacted by the Civil War is made clear simply by the size and number of hospitals in Philadelphia that treated the casualties of war. It’s no exaggeration to say that a few… continue reading Civil War Medicine: What Went Right
By written by David N. November 12, 2019
Have you read the 1619 Project yet? It’s the award-winning special issue of the New York Times Magazine all about American Slavery that was published last month. The project’s creator,… continue reading Find Out How Slavery Made Our World with These Free Library Resources
By written by Jamie B. September 17, 2019 1
History is endlessly fascinating to me; twentieth-century history in particular is full of triumphs and dark chapters. Sometimes it takes some distance to get perspective on events of… continue reading It's All Just a Little Bit of History Repeating Itself Again
By written by Rachel F. July 23, 2019