Happy Friday! This week’s historical highlights cover bookstores, libraries, archives, art, music, architecture, refugee camps, currency, and eugenics. I hope you find at least one link that piques your interest.
Let’s start with a picture of the oldest book store in the world. It opened in 1732 and moved to this location in 1755.
Now, would you agree that this is the most beautiful bookstore in the world?
On a sad note, the Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries announced that 54 libraries in the province will be closing.
The most interesting part of this blog post is the mention of a bogus historian who stole hundreds of documents from the U.S. National Archives in the 1960s. I’ll have to do some research on him…
If you want to know more about the behind-the-scenes work of an archivist, read this interview with Josh T. Franco, Latino Collections Specialist at the Archives of American Art.
Or if music is more your cup of tea, listen to some Basque folk songs from the Ralph Rinzler Archives.
“For decades, a modest farmhouse in central Virginia was thought to be what remained of President James Monroe’s home in Charlottesville, Virginia. It turns out, historians were wrong.” Read on to find out how they discovered the truth.
Did you know that during World War II European refugees fled to Syria?
The American nickel is 150 years old. Read its history here.
This article is rather chilling: “The Forgotten Lessons of the American Eugenics Movement.”
As always, comments are welcome. Enjoy the weekend!