Tomorrow, February 28, 2009, you too can enjoy the spine-tingling pleasure of bad movies combined with insects (or more accurately in this case, arthropods) at the 26th Annual Insect Fear Film Festival at the University of Illinois. The best thing about the festival is that it is free! Two feature films, two cartoons and a Mr. Wizard special on animals plus an insect petting zoo and an art show of insect art done by area school kids. What more could you ask for or get for so little!
The subject of this year's festival is centipedes. Now, if you'd like something a little creepier and/or more impressive, take a look at the fiercer (and larger) side of centipedes featured on the Damn Interesting web site, which includes images and links to videos of centipedes tackling bats and mice.
If you'd like some additional information about insects or arthropods, you may want to check out some of these web sites. The BugGuide is an online identification guide to both insects and arthopods of the U.S. and Canada that offers lots of pictures, description, food, range, classification information, habitat, risks posed by, and references. The eNature guides include identification guides for both bugs and spiders (rather sadly myriapoda or the multilegs like centipedes and millipedes appear to be left out, although butterflies those arthropoda scene-stealers have their own guide), as well as field guides for birds, mammals, shells, trees, amphibians, and wildflowers among others. The site also includes an archive of nature articles. Want some kid-related bug ideas? Check out the University of Kentucky's Dept. of Entymology's page of activities and ideas. And finally, here's one person's list of the top 10 bug movies of all time...
Friday, February 27, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Keeping Up with the Scandals: Politics Illinois Style
Following the latest twists and turns in the ongoing saga of Roland Burris and Rod Blagojevich, whose recent appearance on Letterman is must see TV for every Illinoisan, one is constantly reminded of Illinois's long history of political corruption. As an old joke goes: A Chicago school teacher as a student how to spell "politics" and the child replied: P-A-Y-O-F-F.
Several recent articles have tracked some of the state's more infamous corruption scandals. This New York Times graphic timeline does a nice job of plotting out the state's more recent scandals, while this earlier playlist of corruption provided by the Chicago Tribune focuses on the Ryan era. This MSNBC article offers perhaps the best piece, skimming off several of the more glaring of the many public officials that have been convicted of wrongdoing. This article would be worth checking out if only for the photos the editors have selected to represent various pols. The shifty-eyed shot of former governor Dan Walker, for example can be seen in interesting contrast to the former governor's own self-assessment in his book The Maverick and the Machine, profiled in this review article.
Gubanatorial Wrongdoing
Another governor who has made a noteworthy contributions to the state's record of wrongdoing is Otto Kerner, a man who demonstrates that no matter how significant an individual's achievements, a felony conviction will be better remembered. Kerner served honorably in WWII, achieving the rank of Major General and earning several commendations. He reformed state adoption laws while a judge in Cook County. And as governor improved access to housing, mental health care, jobs and housing for all state residents. Ultimately he led the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (the Kerner Commission). In the final report, he eloquently defined a key problem facing the United States: ""our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white--separate and unequal." (Recent commentary has brought this commission report back up for reconsideration and noted how far-seeing it was and how short-sighted the government was in failing to follow its recommendations.) All of these achievements would be wiped out shortly thereafter by his conviction on bribery, perjury, mail fraud, and tax evasion charges. Interestingly, as pointed out in this article, had Kerner survived, he might have been granted a new trial and his conviction been overturned because the argument used to convict him was found unconstitutional.
Some might argue that George Ryan's moratorium on the death penalty, which he discussed in this interview with The Nation, made prior to his own conviction on corruption charges, should overshadow the crimes that led to his downfall. Others would make quite the opposite case. As this Chicago Tribune article points out, that's a historical determination, and probably one that is yet to be made.
Not Just Governors
Governors have hardly had a lock on corruption in the state. In recent years, Dan Rostenkowski, the Democratic congressman from Chicago became infamous for laundering money through the Capitol Post Office and then receiving an 11th hour pardon from Bill Clinton. His experiences were described in the book Rostenkowski: The Pursuit of Power and the End of the Old Politics, reviewed by Robin Toner.
Rostenkowski, of course, was a product of the Chicago Democratic Machine, the last of the big city political machines. Machine politics grew out of the era of heavy immigration and internal migration that ballooned urban populations. By providing services to the otherwise unserved and keeping cities working, political machines filled an important niche, despite being rife with corruption, and Chicago's was among the most efficient. Machine politics worked in part because the people it served came from backgrounds that inclined them to accept, at least temporarily, a degree of corruption and arbitrary brutality as the norm. It began to break down as individuals within the system identified its inherent unfairness, a situation that came to a head in 1968.
Probably the most colorful crook in downstate history is Paul Powell, former Secretary of State. The long-time, license-plate king made a big splash when he died, leaving behind a hotel room full of shoe boxes, briefcases, and strongboxes stuffed with cash. A consummate shakedown artist and patronage specialist, Powell was quoted as saying: "There's only one thing worse than a defeated politician, and that's a broke one." (Nest Egg)
Trickle Down Corruption
The Chicago Sun-Times demonstrated just how far corruption trickled down during its Mirage Bar sting operation in 1978. Working with the Chicago police and posing as new bar owners and employees, journalists left a barful of code violations for city inspectors to notably not enforce as they took money and offered advice on how to better avoid meeting the city's building and accounting codes and regulations.
Several recent articles have tracked some of the state's more infamous corruption scandals. This New York Times graphic timeline does a nice job of plotting out the state's more recent scandals, while this earlier playlist of corruption provided by the Chicago Tribune focuses on the Ryan era. This MSNBC article offers perhaps the best piece, skimming off several of the more glaring of the many public officials that have been convicted of wrongdoing. This article would be worth checking out if only for the photos the editors have selected to represent various pols. The shifty-eyed shot of former governor Dan Walker, for example can be seen in interesting contrast to the former governor's own self-assessment in his book The Maverick and the Machine, profiled in this review article.
Gubanatorial Wrongdoing
Another governor who has made a noteworthy contributions to the state's record of wrongdoing is Otto Kerner, a man who demonstrates that no matter how significant an individual's achievements, a felony conviction will be better remembered. Kerner served honorably in WWII, achieving the rank of Major General and earning several commendations. He reformed state adoption laws while a judge in Cook County. And as governor improved access to housing, mental health care, jobs and housing for all state residents. Ultimately he led the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (the Kerner Commission). In the final report, he eloquently defined a key problem facing the United States: ""our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white--separate and unequal." (Recent commentary has brought this commission report back up for reconsideration and noted how far-seeing it was and how short-sighted the government was in failing to follow its recommendations.) All of these achievements would be wiped out shortly thereafter by his conviction on bribery, perjury, mail fraud, and tax evasion charges. Interestingly, as pointed out in this article, had Kerner survived, he might have been granted a new trial and his conviction been overturned because the argument used to convict him was found unconstitutional.
Some might argue that George Ryan's moratorium on the death penalty, which he discussed in this interview with The Nation, made prior to his own conviction on corruption charges, should overshadow the crimes that led to his downfall. Others would make quite the opposite case. As this Chicago Tribune article points out, that's a historical determination, and probably one that is yet to be made.
Not Just Governors
Governors have hardly had a lock on corruption in the state. In recent years, Dan Rostenkowski, the Democratic congressman from Chicago became infamous for laundering money through the Capitol Post Office and then receiving an 11th hour pardon from Bill Clinton. His experiences were described in the book Rostenkowski: The Pursuit of Power and the End of the Old Politics, reviewed by Robin Toner.
Rostenkowski, of course, was a product of the Chicago Democratic Machine, the last of the big city political machines. Machine politics grew out of the era of heavy immigration and internal migration that ballooned urban populations. By providing services to the otherwise unserved and keeping cities working, political machines filled an important niche, despite being rife with corruption, and Chicago's was among the most efficient. Machine politics worked in part because the people it served came from backgrounds that inclined them to accept, at least temporarily, a degree of corruption and arbitrary brutality as the norm. It began to break down as individuals within the system identified its inherent unfairness, a situation that came to a head in 1968.
Probably the most colorful crook in downstate history is Paul Powell, former Secretary of State. The long-time, license-plate king made a big splash when he died, leaving behind a hotel room full of shoe boxes, briefcases, and strongboxes stuffed with cash. A consummate shakedown artist and patronage specialist, Powell was quoted as saying: "There's only one thing worse than a defeated politician, and that's a broke one." (Nest Egg)
Trickle Down Corruption
The Chicago Sun-Times demonstrated just how far corruption trickled down during its Mirage Bar sting operation in 1978. Working with the Chicago police and posing as new bar owners and employees, journalists left a barful of code violations for city inspectors to notably not enforce as they took money and offered advice on how to better avoid meeting the city's building and accounting codes and regulations.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Darwin Does 200 Too!
As most of you know, many of the bicentennial Lincoln celebrations reached a particularly energetic pitch this last Thursday as the actual anniversary of his birth even brought our new president to Illinois to take part in an event. You can check out the Lincoln bicentennial events scheduled for Illinois online.
Darwin-Mania
But somewhat overshadowed by all this Lincoln-mania in our country, and especially here in Illinois, is the fact that Lincoln literally shares the day of his birth with one of the few figures from the nineteenth century who could stand toe-to-toe with him in terms of importance: Charles Darwin. That's right, last Thursday was Darwin's bicentennial as well, and it seemed like a good time to draw attention to a party that England's been holding in his honor much the same way we've been enjoying our stovepipe hats and false beards. It's safe to say that England is firmly in the grip of Darwin-mania. Several major celebrations and exhibitions have been planned, many with entertaining and informative online components. Darwin's Big Idea, an exhibit being run through the Natural History Museum in London, offers online visitors a slideshow that gives you glimpses into Darwin's study, a naturalist's tools and perspective of the time, and a lovely model of the H.M.S. Beagle, the ship in which he sailed to the Galapogos. You can also explore the voyage of the Beagle interactively and learn why the collection of mockingbird specimens that Darwin brought back are viewed as so essential to saving the species today. Down's House, Darwin's home during much of his adult life, offers online visitors an opportunity to glimpse a bit of Victorian family life. You can get a more detailed sense of what the great scientist's study and research equipment was like than in the Big Idea exhibit. You can also link off to the Darwin's Landscape Laboratory site that showcases the research gardens of the property, which have been proposed for World Heritage status because of the work Darwin did there, including his significant contributions on the role of worms in soil production. The web site for the landscape laboratory offers panoramic views of several locations as well as wildlife information for the entire year.
The Written Word
For many people in the U.S. today, Charles Darwin has become a kind of scientific boogeyman. This is an unfortunate characterization because Darwin himself pondered deeply over the nature and implications of the kind scientific analysis he was preparing, and in fact took more than 22 years to finalize and publish The Origin of the Species after his ideas originally developed, a period of time that has produced a great deal of scholarly speculation as to its reasons. If you would like to get a better sense of man's work for yourself, you'll find all of his published writings, and many unpublished as well, online as well as his extensive correspondence. Getting this last accomplished has been a particular effort of the bicentennial celebration project. My personal favorite aspect of the correspondence project is the daily quote, often very entertaining, pulled from some given letter. An interesting site that gives readers unfamiliar with Darwin's work some insight into it is this interactive NY Times page that illuminates Darwin's texts with comments from leading biologists and evolutionists discussing why they find particular passages important or moving.
Not Just Some Islands
The basis of Darwin's pivotal works came from his research voyage to the Galapagos Islands. Today the Galapagos Conservation Trust operates to preserve this unique environment, with its ancient tortoises, sea-going iguanas and flightless cormorants. If you are interested, you have the opportunity to adopt an endangered animal or plant, an activity often embraced by children, for whom it makes conservation more "real." Of particular concern, as with any island environment, are invasive species and outside pathogens. The controls put into place for these species in the Galapagos are described in this web site while pathogen control efforts are managed by the Galapagos Genetics Epidemiology and Pathology Laboratory.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Women of Conscience: Reforming Danville and the World
Back in January, DACC authors Jan Cornelius and Martha Kay appeared on WILL-AM radio's Afternoon Magazine to discuss their recent book Women of Conscience: Social Reform in Danville, Illinois 1890-1930. If you missed it, you can catch the conversation as an mp3 podcast on WILL's archive. Cornelius and Kay's book explores the important role women's groups played in enacting significant social reform, using Danville's experience to exemplify the progressive role played by women's organizations across the country and colorfully reinvigorating the city's past in the process. If you'd like to get a further snapshot of Danville's more "colorful" past, courtesy of Jan Cornelius, come into the library and check out "Danville’s “Sin City” and Reform, 1900-1920," in the Journal of Illinois History 11.2. (Unfortunately the article is not available online.)
Another excellent example of the social role of women's organizations can be seen in the virtual exhibit: Bear Ye One Another's Burdens currently being presented by The Women's Library at the Metropolitan University in London. This exhibition examines the history of the Girls' Friendly Society from 1875 to 2005. The purpose of this girls' organization was to maintain purity and chastity among girls in the working classes. Just prior to the first World War, the group claimed a membership of more than 200,000 and declared itself to be the largest organized girls' group in England.
For a more comprehensive look at the role of club women in Progressive Era in the United States, take a look at this online exhibit on the subject at the National Women's History Museum.
The impact of women's socializing efforts on their respective communities continues to provide fascinating glimpses into human history. Lynda Nead offers a general examination of the role of Victorian women as "moralizing influences" in this BBC essay, neatly demonstrating the expectations and tensions such responsibilities placed upon women. An example that has received growing attention over the last several years has been the housekeeping manual. And probably the single most influential cookbook in the English speaking world was Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management. Fundamentally, Mrs. Beeton's work is a cook book, and The Foody has adapted the recipes (adjusted the measurements, etc.) so that modern readers can give them a try if you'd like to sample a little Victorian cooking.
Modern readers looking into Mrs. Beeton's work for the first time should understand a couple of things. This Victorian Martha Stewart, much like the modern one, is creating an idealized vision of domesticity. Too often, twenty-first century readers confuse this imagined reality for the way in which "typical" Victorians, or at least "typical" middle-class Victorians, lived. Nothing could be further from the truth. Once you realize that Mrs. Beeton herself was only 28 when she died following the birth of her fourth child, it becomes even more apparent what discrepancies existed between the idealized world of the household management book and even its author's reality.
We have our own modern day Mrs Beeton, Martha Stewart. Her blog and the other elements of her media empire function in much the same way that Mrs. Beeton's manual did a couple of centuries ago. If you consider how closely your house matches that of Martha Stewart's televised depiction of her Connecticut farm, you'll have a better sense of the reality versus the ideal at work behind Mrs. Beeton's book, as well as better understanding the purpose for which the manual was created.
Another excellent example of the social role of women's organizations can be seen in the virtual exhibit: Bear Ye One Another's Burdens currently being presented by The Women's Library at the Metropolitan University in London. This exhibition examines the history of the Girls' Friendly Society from 1875 to 2005. The purpose of this girls' organization was to maintain purity and chastity among girls in the working classes. Just prior to the first World War, the group claimed a membership of more than 200,000 and declared itself to be the largest organized girls' group in England.
For a more comprehensive look at the role of club women in Progressive Era in the United States, take a look at this online exhibit on the subject at the National Women's History Museum.
The impact of women's socializing efforts on their respective communities continues to provide fascinating glimpses into human history. Lynda Nead offers a general examination of the role of Victorian women as "moralizing influences" in this BBC essay, neatly demonstrating the expectations and tensions such responsibilities placed upon women. An example that has received growing attention over the last several years has been the housekeeping manual. And probably the single most influential cookbook in the English speaking world was Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management. Fundamentally, Mrs. Beeton's work is a cook book, and The Foody has adapted the recipes (adjusted the measurements, etc.) so that modern readers can give them a try if you'd like to sample a little Victorian cooking.
Modern readers looking into Mrs. Beeton's work for the first time should understand a couple of things. This Victorian Martha Stewart, much like the modern one, is creating an idealized vision of domesticity. Too often, twenty-first century readers confuse this imagined reality for the way in which "typical" Victorians, or at least "typical" middle-class Victorians, lived. Nothing could be further from the truth. Once you realize that Mrs. Beeton herself was only 28 when she died following the birth of her fourth child, it becomes even more apparent what discrepancies existed between the idealized world of the household management book and even its author's reality.
We have our own modern day Mrs Beeton, Martha Stewart. Her blog and the other elements of her media empire function in much the same way that Mrs. Beeton's manual did a couple of centuries ago. If you consider how closely your house matches that of Martha Stewart's televised depiction of her Connecticut farm, you'll have a better sense of the reality versus the ideal at work behind Mrs. Beeton's book, as well as better understanding the purpose for which the manual was created.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
New Online Resources: News & Reference
The library has several new online resources for you to explore. All of them are available from off campus to DACC students and staff with a valid user i.d. and password. American Newspapers provides full-text access to more than 2000 newspapers, including 128 specifically from Illinois. The Commercial News and News-Gazette are among the Illinois titles. In addition the database provides access to news video from several of the major news, sports and entertainment outlets.
But that's not all! In the Gale Virtual Reference Center, the library has added several new online e-reference sources covering several different topics. New titles include American Decades: Primary Sources, a reference series that presents examples of original source documents of all types covering the 20th century. It includes everything from government documents to songs, from homemaking documents to political cartoons, and in so doing presents a comprehensive sense of the history of the last century. The St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, a reference series that looks at the history of world through its popular artifacts and interests. Entries include information on Elvis and Birkenstocks, MAD magazine and Thanksgiving. The library has this title in print as well, and it is arguably our most entertaining reference title. Also added is The Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. This multidisciplinary work examines Latin America from the pre-historic period to the present day, including information on important figures, cultural periods and genres, and events. In a similar vein, the New Encyclopedia of Africa examines that continent's past, from the ancient Egyptian culture of the North to amazing sub-Saharan civilizations of the Great Zimbabwe and other regions, to today's 53 independent nations, which vary radically in degree of success and conflict. Finally, The updated Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology offers those interested in exploring these topics authoratative sources of information on the phenomena, personalities, topics, locales and groups related to the subject.
And one final resource, which actually entered the library's collection late last semester, is the Sage e-Reference collection. The Sage collection consists of 66 online encyclopedias, primarily in the social sciences, but also in history, business, media and education. Invaluable to anyone interested in the social sciences in particular, the Sage set includes titles focused on masculinity, death and dying, law enforcement, white-collar and corporate crime, terrorism, world poverty, human development, distributed learning, religious and spiritual development, disability, activism and social justice, career development, and epidemiology, to name just a few.
Take a few minutes to explore the library's latest resources and see all they have to offer you!
But that's not all! In the Gale Virtual Reference Center, the library has added several new online e-reference sources covering several different topics. New titles include American Decades: Primary Sources, a reference series that presents examples of original source documents of all types covering the 20th century. It includes everything from government documents to songs, from homemaking documents to political cartoons, and in so doing presents a comprehensive sense of the history of the last century. The St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, a reference series that looks at the history of world through its popular artifacts and interests. Entries include information on Elvis and Birkenstocks, MAD magazine and Thanksgiving. The library has this title in print as well, and it is arguably our most entertaining reference title. Also added is The Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture. This multidisciplinary work examines Latin America from the pre-historic period to the present day, including information on important figures, cultural periods and genres, and events. In a similar vein, the New Encyclopedia of Africa examines that continent's past, from the ancient Egyptian culture of the North to amazing sub-Saharan civilizations of the Great Zimbabwe and other regions, to today's 53 independent nations, which vary radically in degree of success and conflict. Finally, The updated Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology offers those interested in exploring these topics authoratative sources of information on the phenomena, personalities, topics, locales and groups related to the subject.
And one final resource, which actually entered the library's collection late last semester, is the Sage e-Reference collection. The Sage collection consists of 66 online encyclopedias, primarily in the social sciences, but also in history, business, media and education. Invaluable to anyone interested in the social sciences in particular, the Sage set includes titles focused on masculinity, death and dying, law enforcement, white-collar and corporate crime, terrorism, world poverty, human development, distributed learning, religious and spiritual development, disability, activism and social justice, career development, and epidemiology, to name just a few.
Take a few minutes to explore the library's latest resources and see all they have to offer you!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration Day 2009
You've heard a lot about the historical significance of Barack Obama's Inauguration as President. And certainly this is a significant moment in the country's history. But Inaugurals, with their promise of new beginnings, have built in drama and historical "moment". As such, it seems like an appropriate "moment" to take a look at this piece of national theater.
The Inauguration Today
Barack Obama's inauguration may be one of the most carefully orchestrated events in history. The Presidential Inauguration Committee coordinates all of the events with exception of those overseen by the Joint Congressional Committee. Its web site a newsroom with press releases, a blog that includes lots of pictures and links, and a store. Want to check in over the course of the day today? Check the Flickr Inauguration site. The Inauguration also has an official YouTube site as well. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugurations handles the actual swearing in ceremony. Its web site provides a good overview of the history of the Inaugural, including video of Ronald Reagan's, Bill Clinton's, John F. Kennedy's and Dwight Eisenhower's ceremonies and information about the physical platform that must be constructed (which must hold 1600 people and blend architecturally with Capitol behind it) including video of the nail-driving ceremony that initiated its construction.
Inaugural Address
Once Barack Obama makes his Inaugural address, it becomes part of the national archives public documentary records. You can access the Inaugural addresses of all of the previous Presidents who gave such speeches (and you'll see in a moment that not all did). Want to see the speeches rather than read them? Check out Hulu's Inaugural Speeches collection. Obviously this is more limited than the other, but it is fun nevertheless. You can get additional audio and video at The American Presidency Project, a site that includes an impressive archive of speeches, data on elections, special topics like the 2000 election and links to other important Presidential sites such as the various Presidential libraries. Another wonderful site of Inaugural material is the American Memory Project's site at the Library of Congress. It includes, in addition to the texts of the addresses, etc. that you would expect the Library to preserve, diary excerpts of attendees, facts and precedents about the event, and a selection of Bibles and scriptural passages selected by the Presidents. Do you know what Bible Barack Obama has selected to use for his swearing in ceremony? The same one that Abraham Lincoln used.
Not Inaugurated
Not every President is inaugurated. Every President takes the oath of office, but they don't all go through an inaugural ceremony. Over the course of the country's history, five Presidents have not had an official inaugural for one reason or another.
Not Just the President
Of course the Inaugural isn't just about the President. The event formally introduces the new First Lady as well, and that means, like it or not, a new fashion statement. PBS's Online NewsHour did this piece exploring the history of Inaugural fashion, from the raves to the gaffes. No first lady since Jackie Kennedy has been as likely to set national style trends as Michelle Obama, and the decision by Women's Wear Daily to solicit designers' ideas on her behalf signals that role.
Inaugural Trivia
The Smithsonian has gathered together some inaugural trivia, including my favorite fact, that John F. Kennedy was the last President to attend the event wearing the traditional stovepipe hat.
Test yourself on your knowledge of inaugural trivia.
1. First inauguration presided over by the reigning Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was that of: a) George Washington b) John Adams c) Thomas Jefferson d) Andrew Jackson
2. Longest inaugural address delivered by: a) Bill Clinton b) William Harrison c) Franklin Pierce d) Herbert Hoover
3. Only time a woman administered the oath of office was to: a) Lyndon Johnson b) Calvin Coolidge c) Gerald Ford d) Richard Nixon
4. First inaugural recorded by motion picture camera a) Woodrow Wilson b) Theodore Roosevelt c) Warren Harding d) William McKinley
5. First inaugural in which African-Americans participated (in the parade) a) Ulysses S. Grant b) Harry S. Truman c) Abraham Lincoln d) Dwight D. Eisenhower
Answers:
1. b. 2. b. (Some contended it contributed to the illness that subsequently killed him in office.) 3. a. U.S. District Judge Sarah T. Hughes swore in Johnson on Air Force One. 4. d. 5. c.
The Inauguration Today
Barack Obama's inauguration may be one of the most carefully orchestrated events in history. The Presidential Inauguration Committee coordinates all of the events with exception of those overseen by the Joint Congressional Committee. Its web site a newsroom with press releases, a blog that includes lots of pictures and links, and a store. Want to check in over the course of the day today? Check the Flickr Inauguration site. The Inauguration also has an official YouTube site as well. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugurations handles the actual swearing in ceremony. Its web site provides a good overview of the history of the Inaugural, including video of Ronald Reagan's, Bill Clinton's, John F. Kennedy's and Dwight Eisenhower's ceremonies and information about the physical platform that must be constructed (which must hold 1600 people and blend architecturally with Capitol behind it) including video of the nail-driving ceremony that initiated its construction.
Inaugural Address
Once Barack Obama makes his Inaugural address, it becomes part of the national archives public documentary records. You can access the Inaugural addresses of all of the previous Presidents who gave such speeches (and you'll see in a moment that not all did). Want to see the speeches rather than read them? Check out Hulu's Inaugural Speeches collection. Obviously this is more limited than the other, but it is fun nevertheless. You can get additional audio and video at The American Presidency Project, a site that includes an impressive archive of speeches, data on elections, special topics like the 2000 election and links to other important Presidential sites such as the various Presidential libraries. Another wonderful site of Inaugural material is the American Memory Project's site at the Library of Congress. It includes, in addition to the texts of the addresses, etc. that you would expect the Library to preserve, diary excerpts of attendees, facts and precedents about the event, and a selection of Bibles and scriptural passages selected by the Presidents. Do you know what Bible Barack Obama has selected to use for his swearing in ceremony? The same one that Abraham Lincoln used.
Not Inaugurated
Not every President is inaugurated. Every President takes the oath of office, but they don't all go through an inaugural ceremony. Over the course of the country's history, five Presidents have not had an official inaugural for one reason or another.
Not Just the President
Of course the Inaugural isn't just about the President. The event formally introduces the new First Lady as well, and that means, like it or not, a new fashion statement. PBS's Online NewsHour did this piece exploring the history of Inaugural fashion, from the raves to the gaffes. No first lady since Jackie Kennedy has been as likely to set national style trends as Michelle Obama, and the decision by Women's Wear Daily to solicit designers' ideas on her behalf signals that role.
Inaugural Trivia
The Smithsonian has gathered together some inaugural trivia, including my favorite fact, that John F. Kennedy was the last President to attend the event wearing the traditional stovepipe hat.
Test yourself on your knowledge of inaugural trivia.
1. First inauguration presided over by the reigning Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was that of: a) George Washington b) John Adams c) Thomas Jefferson d) Andrew Jackson
2. Longest inaugural address delivered by: a) Bill Clinton b) William Harrison c) Franklin Pierce d) Herbert Hoover
3. Only time a woman administered the oath of office was to: a) Lyndon Johnson b) Calvin Coolidge c) Gerald Ford d) Richard Nixon
4. First inaugural recorded by motion picture camera a) Woodrow Wilson b) Theodore Roosevelt c) Warren Harding d) William McKinley
5. First inaugural in which African-Americans participated (in the parade) a) Ulysses S. Grant b) Harry S. Truman c) Abraham Lincoln d) Dwight D. Eisenhower
Answers:
1. b. 2. b. (Some contended it contributed to the illness that subsequently killed him in office.) 3. a. U.S. District Judge Sarah T. Hughes swore in Johnson on Air Force One. 4. d. 5. c.
Friday, December 12, 2008
New Name and New Look
As you can see, the library blog has a new name, Library Lines, and a new look, because it has been moved from LiveJournal to Blogger, a move necessitated by the College's changing web design. In order to be able to provide a short web feed for the blog to the library's web page, a different blog provider was called for. But you can still access the old posts if you want to check back on an old link. In the Blogs links posted on this page, you'll find a link for the old blog. You can go there and search for anything you remember.
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