Collections Spotlight: Bridges
Bridge images Historic American Engineering Record collection Curated resource sets Films related to bridges Federal legislation related to bridges Learning resources Library blog posts about bridges
Integrating Technology: Making Myriopticons
OK, so this post isn’t about digital technology but it does present an idea for combining history with a maker lab of sorts that incorporates math, engineering and art. Let’s take a look at a blog post from In Custodia Legis, which features, “A Historical Panorama of the Rebellion” myriopticon, a toy manufactured by Milton Bradley around 1865….
![Boulder [Hoover] Dam](https://primarysourcenexus.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/boulder-dam.jpg)
Today in History: Hoover Dam
Today in History–December 21–the Library of Congress features the Hoover Dam, which got its start when President Calvin Coolidge signed the Boulder Canyon Project Act on this date in 1928. Originally known as the Boulder Dam, this wonder of civil engineering distributes water from the Colorado River for use in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah,…
Guided Primary Source Analysis: Form & Function
Take a close look at the collection of images above (.pdf). What common theme can you identify? Note similarities and differences between the images. Now take a look at the bibliographic records of each image by clicking the links below. What is the function of the main object in each image? Choose one of these and investigate…
Primary Source Spotlight: Flight & Planes
The Dream of Flight online exhibition With Wings as Eagles: From Fantasy to Flight (primary source sets documenting the history of flight) Today in History: Wright Brothers First Flight Early Women in Aviation 1910-19: Topics in Chronicling America Introduction & timeline Search strategies & selected articles American Female Pilots 1911-21: Topics in Chronicling America Introduction &…
Primary Source Spotlight: Architecture
Architecture primary source set Library architecture collections American Treasures of the Library of Congress: Architecture & Design Architecture, Design, and Engineering Drawings collection Brumfield Collection images of the architecture of the Russian North, including Siberia Carnegie Survey of the Architecture of the South collection Gottscho-Schleisner Collection U.S. architectural styles and trends Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American…
Primary Source Spotlight: Samuel Morse
Background Samuel F.B. Morse Sent the First Telegraphic Message from America’s Library What Hath God Wrought? curator video about first telegram Samuel F. B. Morse Papers at the Library of Congress 1793 to 1919 (see collection highlights below) Art & Travel Artist, Politician, Photographer Childhood & Family Life Daguerreotype Impact of the Telegraph Invention of the Telegraph…
Primary Source Spotlight: Inventors & Inventions
Inventor primary source sets More inventor primary sources Invention primary source sets More invention primary sources Primary source collections Exhibitions & special presentations Library blog posts
Primary Source Spotlight: Nikola Tesla
Topics in Chronicling America – Nikola Tesla timeline & select newspaper articles More Nikola Tesla historical newspaper coverage Featured Source: Tesla’s 1922 Future Tech Predictions guided primary source analysis activity Messages to and from Outer Space Finding Our Place in the Cosmos: From Galileo to Sagan and Beyond Poems of Personality “Tesla” Another Tesla portrait Tesla Memorial Society…
Guided Primary Source Analysis: Great Moon Hoax
Read the summary of the Lunar Narrative from the Museum of Hoaxes. What details from the articles do you see evidence of in this illustration? Why do you think the illustrator created an inset, or a picture within a picture? Access this .pdf to see the image in more detail. Compare and contrast the information about…
Today in History: Golden Gate Bridge
Today in History–May 27–the Library of Congress features the Golden Gate Bridge, opened on this date in 1937. The orange suspension bridge was the longest at the time, spanning 4,200 feet and connecting San Francisco to the south with Marin County, California to the north. Lead engineer Joseph Baermann Strauss stressed safety during the bridge building, instituting the wearing…
