Browse Items (29 total)

The Atlantic hurricane season is officially from 1 June to 30 November, with the season’s peak occurring between August-October. During the very active hurricane season of 1933, the Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane hit coastal Virginia on 23 August 1933,…

Touted as the largest and most magnificent exposition of all time, the New York World’s Fair opened at Flushing Meadows in April 1939. In the Court of States, one exhibition was strikingly different from the rest: the Virginia Room, “an island of…

During World War II the American government asked civilians to participate in the war effort. A common way for the government to communicate with civilians was through posters hung in public places. Inspirational, informative, instructive,…

This World War II–era booklet is one in a series produced by the Kelvinator appliance company as part of a “wartime idea exchange for home economists [known today as a homemaker or stay-at-home parent].”  Kelvinator held a national contest  and…

On April 14, 1945, U.S. President Frankin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was buried in Hyde Park, New York following funeral services at the White House.  Roosevelt had been elected four times to the office of President, a feat never matched, and now…

The Great Depression and post-war eras saw advances in the labor movement in the United States. Many of the efforts were spurred by the economic hardships of the Great Depression and the U.S. government's response, the multiple programs of President…

On October 16, 1957, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited Virginia during the commonwealth’s 350th anniversary celebration of the founding of Jamestown. Then, as now, the Queen’s visit prompted intense interest from the state’s people and the…

During the Cold War, many Americans feared, and prepared for, a possible nuclear attack from the Soviet Union. This was perhaps most prevalent a thought during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a 13-day-long political and military standoff. Taking place in…

John Glenn was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War. In 1957, he set a new speed record for traveling from Los Angeles to New York. It was his involvement in the U.S. Space Program, however, that earned him the most fame and a place in…

The 5-cent Battle of Gettysburg commemorative stamp is the third in a series of five stamps marking the Civil War Centennial from the U.S. Postal Service. It was first placed on sale through the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, post office on July 1, 1963.…