First President to Fly in/Steer a Blimp? Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first sitting president to ride in an airplane, an occasion marked by a very long overseas flight to attend the 1943 Casablanca conference. FDR’s distant cousin, Theodore, was the first president ever to fly, a trip that took place back in 1910 shortly … Continue reading Found in the Archives
How the Roosevelts Spent Christmas, 1936 As the holiday season approaches, we often get asked for details about how the Roosevelts spent Christmas in the White House. This memorandum describes the plans for Christmas 1936, including how the White House was decorated, the First Family's schedule and house guests, and even procedures for opening presents. … Continue reading Found in the Archives
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 . . … Continue reading Franklin D. Roosevelt Day by Day
Medjez el Bab Horseshoe (MO 1944.104.6) In November 1943, President Roosevelt traveled to the Middle East to meet with other Allied leaders and discuss strategy at the Cairo and Tehran Conferences. While en route, FDR visited Tunisia to tour the sites of several battles fought there during the previous year. During a November 21 stop at Medjez el Bab, FDR lunched with General Dwight D. … Continue reading From the Museum
Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Thanksgiving Proclamation At the beginning of Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency, Thanksgiving was not a fixed holiday; it was up to the President to issue a Thanksgiving Proclamation to announce what date the holiday would fall on. President Abraham Lincoln had declared Thanksgiving a national holiday on the last Thursday in November … Continue reading Found in the Archives
Thinking of Sunnier Climates The recent October nor-easter snowstorm made us all think about warmer and sunnier places. And once again, the serendipity of archives provided us with a vicarious escape from the piles of snow. In July 1934, FDR took a lengthy fishing and inspection cruise aboard the USS Houston, traveling to Haiti, Puerto … Continue reading Found in the Archives
The Washington Star published this political cartoon by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Clifford Berryman on October 31, 1934. The parade of jack-o-lanterns asking, “FDR, how long will the cash hold out?” refers to expenditures by President Roosevelt’s New Deal “alphabet agencies.” These agencies, often referred to by their acronyms, were created to reform the nation's financial … Continue reading From the Museum
FDR's Bedside Note In the early morning hours of September 1, 1939, President Roosevelt was awakened in his bedroom at the White House by a telephone call from his Ambassador in Paris, William C. Bullitt, who advised the President that Germany had invaded Poland and that several Polish cities were being bombed. After FDR gave … Continue reading Found in the Archives
Einstein Letter In the summer of 1939, a group of physicists, including several who had fled Hitler’s Germany, met to discuss their fears of Germany developing a uranium-based weapon. It was decided that the best course of action was to inform President Roosevelt immediately of their concerns. Because Albert Einstein had a previous personal relationship … Continue reading Found in the Archives
Eleanor Roosevelt's Engagement Ring (MO 1974.375) On November 22, 1903, 21-year-old Franklin Roosevelt asked 19-year-old Eleanor Roosevelt to be his wife. Eleanor accepted, but Franklin’s mother, Sara, opposed the match, believing her son was too young to marry. She convinced the couple to keep their engagement secret for a year—hoping their ardor would cool. … Continue reading From the Museum
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