Press/Journalists

National Archives Continues 75th Anniversary Celebration in September
Press Release · Monday, August 3, 2009

Washington, DC

Special events, programs, and films celebrate important anniversary

The National Archives continues its 75th Anniversary celebration in September with special lectures, programs, and films. These events are free and open to the public and will be held in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, located on the National Mall at Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, NW. National Archives summer exhibit hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m., through Labor Day. Fall/winter exhibit hours are 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Film: 75th Anniversary Noontime Film Series: From the Vaults: Humor & Entertainment
Thursday, September 10, at noon, William G. McGowan Theater

From the Vaults: Humor & Entertainment continues the 75th Anniversary Film Series with a selection of humorous short films from the holdings of the National Archives including Finding His Voice, a fanciful 1929 animated cartoon designed to demonstrate “talking” movies, and a sampling of short subjects from the Army-Navy Screen Magazine featuring stars Bob Hope, Betty Hutton, Lena Horne, and Abbott & Costello. (60 minutes.) Presented by The Charles Guggenheim Center for the Documentary Film at the National Archives.

Panel discussion: 75 Years of Discovering Archival Treasures
Monday, September 14, at 7 p.m., William G. McGowan Theater

The National Archives has been the nation’s record keeper for 75 years, and priceless treasures await researchers. A distinguished panel will discuss their favorite discoveries in the National Archives and explain why records matter. Cokie Roberts, political commentator for ABC News and author of Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation, moderates a panel including Michael Beschloss, author of Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America, 1789–1989; Drew Faust, president of Harvard University and author of This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War; and David Grubin, documentary filmmaker and biographer for the PBS American Experience series.

Noontime Lecture: 75th Anniversary Author Lecture Series
Wednesday, September 23, at noon, Jefferson Room

Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln’s Legacy
Author David O. Stewart re-creates the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, which became the central battle in the struggle to reunite a nation after four years of war. In Impeached, Stewart challenges the traditional version of this pivitol moment in history. A book signing will follow the program. This ongoing lecture series features authors whose research significantly reflects the holdings of the National Archives.

Noontime lecture: 75th Anniversary National Archives Expert Series
Tuesday, September 29, at noon, Jefferson Room

Bruce Bustard, senior curator for the National Archives Experience, discusses the photographic holdings of the National Archives and their use in exhibits. This ongoing series features staff experts who focus on archival treasures discovered among the holdings of the National Archives

Background on the 75th Anniversary

Signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 19, 1934, the legislation established a National Archives to preserve the permanently valuable papers of the Federal government. Today the institution has become a cornerstone of our democracy, making billions of documents created by Federal officials available for inspection, thereby holding public officials accountable for their actions. See the 75th anniversary web site for highlights of defining moments in the agency’s history; photo galleries; and notices of special events at National Archives facilities nationwide.

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For more information about programs and activities for the 75th anniversary, contact the National Archives public affairs staff at 202-357-5300.

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