By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. It was the worst day of his presidency, the worst day of his life – and the worst military defeat in American history. President Franklin Roosevelt’s beloved Navy lay in smoking ruins in Pearl Harbor, as the Japanese Empire launched well-coordinated attacks across a 4,000 mile front. The Nazis … Continue reading Day of Infamy
By William Villano, Astor Project Digital Curator. Shortly after 10:00 am on Tuesday morning May 27, 1941 the tall, thin, well dressed gentleman approached Hudson Terminal. His fine tailored suit, immaculately polished shoes, and priceless pocket-watch, that relic which had been held by his father as he perished in the icy waters of the North … Continue reading Socialite, and Spy Master: Vincent Astor, FDR’s Area Controller of Intelligence for New York
By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. Eleanor Roosevelt’s Tour of the South Pacific – August & September 1943. The summer of 1943 was a critical time for the Allies. The tide was just starting to turn as the Allied forces marked a series of hard won victories. The capture of Sicily was a stepping … Continue reading A First Lady on the Front Lines
By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. On Oct. 20, 1944 Gen. Douglas MacArthur waded ashore on Leyte Island in the Philippines and fulfilled his promise to return. The charismatic and dashing General was one of the most famous American military leaders in the world and his dramatic return to his beloved Philippines was a … Continue reading “I Have Returned!” – General MacArthur and FDR
It is one of his finest broadcasts, a passionate sermon on the importance of democracy and the threat that dictatorships pose to all free people.
By Paul M. Sparrow, Director, FDR Library. August 14th is a very significant day in the legacy of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Two of the most important and lasting achievements of his presidency occurred on this day - ten years apart. The Social Security Act was enacted on August 14th, 1935, and the official end of World … Continue reading August 14: A Day of Two Anniversaries
D-Day On June 6, 1944, the United States and its allies launched the greatest amphibious invasion in history on the shores of France. Over 150,000 soldiers, sailors, and airmen stormed the beaches of Normandy beginning a campaign that would end with the unconditional surrender of Germany in May 1945. Franklin D. Roosevelt, as Commander in … Continue reading Franklin D. Roosevelt Day by Day – June
Mary Jikhars I am one of the most recent additions to the staff of the FDR Library, having started work as the assistant to Director Lynn Bassanese in May, 2011. After graduating with a B.A. degree in English Lit from Marist College in 1998, I enlisted in the U.S. Army to become a Linguist (98G) … Continue reading Staff Perspectives
This is the first post for our new monthly feature on "Staff Perspectives." Every month we will be introducing you to a member of the staff here at the FDR Library and giving a look into who we are and what we do. Matt Hanson I first began working for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential … Continue reading Staff Perspectives
The Thanksgiving Before War, 1941 It was Franklin Roosevelt's yearly tradition to go back to Warm Springs, Georgia, and celebrate Thanksgiving with the patients and staff at the polio rehabilitation center he had founded there. The patients would always prepare a little program with skits and songs, and FDR would carve the turkeys himself. Thanksgiving … Continue reading Found in the Archives
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