Franklin D. Roosevelt Day by Day

What was President Franklin Roosevelt doing on December 7, 1941, before he learned of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor? Which advisers did he summon when he realized that America was on the brink of war?

Most Americans know where the President was on December 8th, but where was he on December 6th . . . or the 9th? Find the answers in a new feature of the Roosevelt Library’s website at www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/daybyday.

See the events of December 1941.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Pare Lorentz Center at the Franklin Roosevelt Library officially unveils a new online database of President Roosevelt’s daily schedule: “Franklin D. Roosevelt Day by Day.” This interactive chronology documents Roosevelt’s daily activities as President, from March 1933 to April 1945. The project was inspired by the work of Pare Lorentz, a Depression-era documentary filmmaker, who dedicated much of his life to documenting FDR’s daily activities as President.

“Day by Day” which is supported by a grant from the New York Community Trust to the Pare Lorentz Center, features digitized original calendars and schedules maintained by the White House Usher and the official White House stenographer, as well as additional historical resources scanned from the Roosevelt Library archives. These records trace FDR’s appointments, travel schedule, social events, guests, and more. A searchable database based primarily on these calendar sources is available so that researchers can search the chronology by keyword and date.

As a fulfillment of Pare Lorentz’s original vision, “Day by Day” also includes an interactive timeline of additional materials from the archives of the FDR Library to place each day’s calendar into larger historical context. These materials include scanned photographs, letters and speeches as well as descriptions of events in United States and world history.

To explore President Roosevelt’s daily schedule or for more information on the project, please visit “Day by Day.”

One thought on “Franklin D. Roosevelt Day by Day

  1. The timeline is exceptional- what a great resource this will be- Congratulations!

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