Felda Looper recalls her first day as the first female House Page. "I can remember getting up and putting on my suit and doing my hair and putting on these new shoes…" #BacktoSchool https://history.house.gov/Oral-History/People/Felda-Looper/
Official account of History, Art & Archives of the U.S. House of Representatives: history.house.gov. Specific inquiries: history@mail.house.gov. https://bit.ly/HAAComment
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Felda Looper recalls her first day as the first female House Page. "I can remember getting up and putting on my suit and doing my hair and putting on these new shoes…" #BacktoSchool https://history.house.gov/Oral-History/People/Felda-Looper/
Happy #LaborDay from Mary Norton, champion of the 40-hour work week. https://history.house.gov/Collection/Detail/29299?ret=True
Happy #LaborDay! Though Labor Day had been celebrated on the state and local level, Congress created an official holiday in 1894. https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/35569?ret=True
“The leadership belongs not to the loudest.” #HappyBirthday Rep Augustus Freeman (Gus) Hawkins of #CA, born #OTD 1907. http://history.house.gov/People/Listing/H/HAWKINS,-Augustus-Freeman-(Gus)-(H000367)/
Planning one last picnic for the #summer. https://history.house.gov/Blog/2017/May/5-26-Education-Picnic/
#HouseCollection portrait of 1st Latina in Congress, Rep Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of #FL, elected #OTD in 1989. https://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2015/2015-121-000/
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place #OTD in 1963. Judiciary Committee Counsel Benjamin Zelenko remembers attending and its impact on Members of Congress. #CivilRights #OralHistory #HouseRecords #CivicsEducation https://history.house.gov/Oral-History/Events/Civil-Rights/movement/
"You are a blank, blankety blank, blank!" A war of words erupted between Reps William McAdoo of #NJ and Joe Cannon of #IL. "The ladies were horrified…while the gentlemen…blushed with shame." #OTD 1890. http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/36358?ret=True
107 years ago, the first woman took her seat in Congress. Learn all about her career in Congress and the women who followed her into Congress. #WomensEqualityDay #HistoryBlog https://loom.ly/E7y2N0w
Happy Birthday National Park Service! #OTD in 1916. This #HouseRecord asked the House to create it.
From our #HistoryBlog: when Congress ALMOST abandoned DC after the British burned @USCapitol #OTD in 1814. 📷: Library of Congress http://history.house.gov/Blog/2014/October/10-15-capitol-moving/
#OTD 1775, King George III issued “A Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition,” roughly 6 weeks after the 2nd Continental Congress approved a resolution to resist the authority of the English crown. https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/36507227461 #America250
#OTD 1957, House and Senate leaders announced that they had agreed on the first significant civil rights legislation since 1875. #HouseCollection https://history.house.gov/Collection/Detail/30351
#HappyBirthday Rep Joel P. Heatwole of #MN, born #OTD 1856. He proposed renovations to the House Chamber so that one "of average lung power" could be heard. http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/36714?ret=True
49th state? Not quite. Happy Statehood Number 50: #Hawaii! #HistoryBlog https://history.house.gov/Blog/2017/June/6-12-photo-flag/
In response to the Soviet launch of Sputnik, Congress passed the National Defense Education Act #OTD in 1958 to bolster US education in science, math, and foreign languages. #SpaceRace https://history.house.gov/HouseRecord/Detail/15032436195
Uncle Joe's a huge fan of #NationalRadioDay! https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/Electronic-Technology/Radio/
"I remember when Franklin Roosevelt died…in 1945…That was before TVs. We all had the radios in our rooms…I remember running all up and down the halls, 'Turn on your radios! Turn on your radios! The President has died!'" #OralHistory https://history.house.gov/OralHistory/Search?mediaID=15032443782
It was a Spud-Off in Congress in 1937! #NationalPotatoDay http://history.house.gov/Blog/2015/November/11-16-photo-potato/
Take a look at five of the earliest Judiciary Committee portraits on the #HistoryBlog. #HouseCollection https://history.house.gov/Blog/2025/August/8-15-Judiciary/
HJ Res 1, introduced in the House, extended the right of suffrage to women. After ratification by 3/4ths of the states #OTD 1920, it became the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. #HouseRecords #PrimarySources https://history.house.gov/HouseRecord/Detail/25769807409
Summer splash in the #HouseCollection. https://history.house.gov/Collection/Listing/2016/2016-046-000/
The House accepted a portrait of #Speaker Sam Rayburn of #TX #OTD in 1941. https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/36578?ret=True
Uncle Joe takes some much-deserved time on his porch at home in Danville, IL. #RelaxationDay #TGIF
The Social Security Act became law #OTD 1935. In this #HouseRecord a constituent from #OH expresses support for the measure. #RecordsSearch http://history.house.gov/HouseRecord/Detail/15032448820
Abolitionist and fierce advocate for civil rights, #PA Rep Thaddeus Stevens, was honored in the Capitol Rotunda #OTD in 1868. http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/36040?ret=True
Speaking to his former colleagues, POTUS Ford gave his 1st #JointSession Address #OTD in 1974. http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/35260?ret=True
On his 1st day in the House: “I found myself the center of attraction. Everything was still.” #HappyBirthday to early Black Rep Robert Elliott of #SC, born #OTD in 1842. #HouseCollection http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/35179?ret=True
Summer holidays in the #HouseCollection. http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/Souvenirs/Souvenir-intro/
Summertime in the #HouseCollection. http://history.house.gov/Collection/Detail/15032431155
A blast from the past, #HistoryBlog Celebrating #Hamilton and the House https://history.house.gov/Blog/2020/July/7-1-EforE-HamHouse/
#HistoryBlog: What do a teacher, a farmer, a candy maker, and a U.S. President have in common? They're just a few of the careers pursued by Members of the House before they got to Congress! https://history.house.gov/Blog/2025/August/8-6-Education-Careers/
Why join the A.C. Harmer Club? Because it’s his #birthday. #HouseCollection http://history.house.gov/Collection/Detail/15032404522?ret=True
Onlookers packed the Capitol Dome #OTD in 1869 to witness a late-afternoon total solar eclipse. https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/36507223343
"Our Democratic heritage cannot advance until all have the right to vote and participate." This letter from a Brooklyn, NY, resident supported the #VotingRightsAct, which became law #OTD in 1965. #HouseRecords https://history.house.gov/HouseRecord/Detail/25769811474
"But because I was in the cloakroom, we never really got to—you know it wasn’t like CNN or CSPAN and you could sit there and watch it or listen to it. We had...speakers where we could hear some of the debate, but the phone’s ringing, I’ve got to answer the phone." #oralhistory
#OTD in 1965, President Johnson signed the #VotingRightsAct into law. Watch this #OralHistory documentary to learn about the House's role in the bill's passage. https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/Civil-Rights/VRA-Documentary/
#OTD 1965, the Voting Rights Act was signed into law. Use #OralHistory and #HouseRecords to explore how this landmark legislation came to be. #VRA https://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/Civil-Rights/Civil-Rights/
"Ben Jones has endeared himself to all of us…by his...courteous service." He checked coats, served fruit, candy, doughnuts & sandwiches to GOP Members for approximately 40 years. Born #OTD in 1879. http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/36574?ret=True
Representative Clyde Kelly of Pennsylvania was born #OTD 1883. From the Committee on Post Office and Post Roads, he earned the title of “father of the air mail” for his work in revolutionizing the delivery of mail in the U.S. https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/36354
“You know, you’re a leader. You need to, you need to get up and speak on this. “Stop giving me grief. I am going to vote for it. ... but I’m not going to speak for it. That’s political suicide. I’m not going to do it. “And, we just kept at him and finally he said, ‘Enough.’”
The #VotingRightsAct passed the House #OTD 1965. Explore #HouseRecords relating to how the law was made, including the bill as introduced and a letter in support. https://history.house.gov/HouseRecord/Search?subject=United+States.+Voting+Rights+Act+of+1965
President Harry S. Truman signed an act to "modernize our machinery" into law #OTD 1946. http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/35725?ret=True
Rep Shirley Chisholm posed for a photo #OTD in 1969. #HouseCollection https://history.house.gov/Collection/Detail/25769813702
He represented two states, brawled on the House Floor, and was imprisoned under the Sedition Act. Died #OTD in 1822. http://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/36323?ret=True
#OTD 2011, nearly seven months after being critically wounded in a mass shooting at a constituent outreach event, Rep Gabrielle Giffords of #AZ returned to the House Floor to vote on a critical bill to raise the national debt limit. https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/25769820212
“Here I am...this proud daughter of a boilermaker...with a chance to fight for families just like mine.” Born #OTD. https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/S/SUTTON,-Betty-%28S001174%29/
Bob Michel and Tom Foley shared an emotional moment at the rostrum on their last day in Congress. #FriendshipDay #HistoryBlog https://history.house.gov/Blog/2014/June/6-23-Please-Pass-The-Gavel/
Reps Edna Kelly from #NY, Martha Griffiths from #MI, and Leonor Sullivan of #MO supported each other in the House. Rep Kelly's daughter describes their close bond. #OralHistory #FriendshipDay https://history.house.gov/Oral-History/People/Pat-Kelly/
From sharing a chair at a committee meeting to chairing a select committee, Representative Patricia Scott Schroeder of Colorado is featured as one of our "Giants of the House." #HistoryBlog #HouseCollection https://history.house.gov/Blog/2025/July/7-29-Education-Schroeder/
Prominent Reconstruction-era Rep Benjamin Butler of #MA announced his retirement in the press #OTD 1878. Butler played an important role in the passage of the Ku Klux Klan Acts and the Civil Rights Act of 1875. https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/36907?ret=True
The late Rep John Taber of NY, who served two terms as Appropriations Chairman, was posthumously honored for his service #OTD 1971 when his portrait was unveiled in a ceremony in Statuary Hall. #HouseCollection https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/36614?ret=True
A district judge and rancher from Oklahoma, Percy Gassaway brought his cowboy lifestyle to the big city. #NationalCowboyDay #HistoryBlog https://history.house.gov/Blog/2018/August/8-16-photo-Gassaway/
Wheelchairs, Ramps, and a Scooter Named “Lulu”: accessibility in the House before the Americans with Disabilities Act. #ADA #HistoryBlog https://history.house.gov/Blog/2015/July/7-27-photo-accessibility/
#OTD the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law, prohibiting discrimination against those with disabilities and establishing building accessibility requirements. #ADA https://history.house.gov/HistoricalHighlight/Detail/36831?ret=True
Whether grabbing a snack in the cloakroom or settling down at a table in the Members' Dining Room, we've got all you need to know about food in the House. #CulinariansDay https://history.house.gov/Blog/2016/January/1-19-Education-BonAppetit/
#OTD in 1998, two Capitol Police officers, Officer Jacob J. Chestnut, Jr., and Detective John M. Gibson made the ultimate sacrifice. They later lay in honor in the Rotunda. history.house.gov/HistoricalHi...
Ice cream led to a sticky situation @USCapitol in 1921. #HistoryBlog #HouseCollection #IceCreamDay history.house.gov/Blog/2015/Ju...
Get some ice cream from the House Restaurant in 1946 for the high price of 15¢! #IceCreamDay history.house.gov/Collection/D...
Carlottia Scott, chief of staff to Rep Ron Dellums, remembers coordinating Nelson Mandela's first U.S. visit in 1990. #OralHistory #MandelaDay history.house.gov/OralHistory/...
Steamy summertime campaigns once required portable, collapsible, durable handheld fans. #HistoryBlog history.house.gov/Blog/2016/Ju...
#OTD in 2003, Prime Minister of the UK Tony Blair addressed a #JointMeeting of Congress to express his support for the U.S.-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. history.house.gov/HistoricalHi...
The Annual Congressional Women’s Softball Game is tonight. Here's the history. history.house.gov/Exhibitions-...
The capital city "not exceeding ten miles square" to "be located as hereafter directed on the river Potomac." Following negotiations in "The Room Where It Happened," the Permanent Seat of Govt Act became law #OTD in 1790. @DCHistory history.house.gov/HistoricalHi...
Learn about the game's history before the Congressional Women's Softball Game tomorrow. history.house.gov/Exhibitions-...
Everyone give it up for the @USHouseHistory's favorite fighting Frenchman. #BastilleDay #HouseCollection history.house.gov/Collection/L...
#HappyBirthday John Quincy Adams of #MA — Rep AFTER he was POTUS. history.house.gov/People/Listi...
#OTD in 1950, PL 81-603 allowed two large landscape paintings of the American West by Thomas Moran, formerly on view in the U.S. Capitol, to be transferred to the Department of the Interior. history.house.gov/HouseRecord/...
"FY 1789." The government's first budget, submitted #OTD in 1789, can be found in #HouseRecords.
Bossie the Cow showed up as part of a dairy moo-vement in Congress in 1921. #CowAppreciationDay history.house.gov/Collection/D...
By the early 19th century, unlimited debate was seen as impractical in the House. #OTD 1841 the House limited floor speeches to one hour per Member on each question—the first rule of its kind. history.house.gov/HistoricalHi...
How about celebrating #IndependenceDay with a two-act play and a horse-riding show? That's what the Little Congress Club did in 1937! #HistoryBlog loom.ly/qdGjO1A
Stars & stripes galore! Read how the Capitol celebrated the Bicentennial with MANY flags. history.house.gov/HistoricalHi...
"That an archive building is a necessity is a fact familiar to all who have experience with government records" #OTD in 1911 @librarycongress Manuscripts Chief urged funding the design of a place to study "American history from original authentic sources." history.house.gov/HouseRecord/...
President Franklin Pierce approved a new House extension to @USCapitol #OTD 1853. It included a new House Chamber, an expanded press gallery, and telegraph office for quick dispatches. loom.ly/Q-SIS5M
From Abe Lincoln to “artistic French human hair goods,” there’s something for everyone in our recently digitized #HouseCollection treasures. #HistoryBlog history.house.gov/Blog/2025/Ju...
White shoes and straw hats: favorite summer garb @USCapitol and in the #HouseCollection. history.house.gov/Collection/D...
Grateful for the 40-hour work week? Shepherded through the House by Rep Mary Norton of NJ, the Fair Labor Standards Act became law #OTD 1938. history.house.gov/HistoricalHi...
Rep David Robison of #PA died from the "mysterious" National Hotel Disease #OTD 1859. Likely caused by dysentery, dozens died and hundreds were sickened in one of DC's most illustrious hotels. history.house.gov/HistoricalHi...
A Ball Corp exec testified #OTD in 1975 on a shortage of home canning equipment caused by material shortages and high demand driven by the economic recession that prompted Americans to grow and "put up" their own food. loom.ly/eC3moa8
This Brother Activator 800T served Rep Bill McCollum of #FL well. #TypewriterDay #HouseCollection loom.ly/lCxUI3A
President Bill Clinton signed a bill issuing a #CongressionalGoldMedal to Charles Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts comic universe #OTD 2000. @schulzmuseum.bsky.social loom.ly/1DKiooY
Cameramen swarmed over the rostrum of the House for final photos as the 73rd Congress adjourned #OTD in 1934. #HouseCollection loom.ly/wImFFL4
From #BunkerHill to #Capitol Hill: #OTD 1775, Henry Dearborn fought the British at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Later elected to 2 House terms, Dearborn demonstrated the influence of veterans of the American Revolution on the early years of government. 📷: Art Institute of Chicago loom.ly/UKmAl3c
Cucumber, watermelon, parsley, radish, and peas. In 1920, hundreds of seed packets sat in the basement of the House Office Building, waiting to be distributed free to constituents by Reps. #HistoryBlog #EatYourVeggies loom.ly/dl4htjo
Yeah, we've got projects around the House, too. #HouseCollection loom.ly/-f5Jfnk
Capitol Hill crowding led the House to set its sights on a library building. It took a #pickleball -inventing hero to help save it. loom.ly/dxLZNXU
Summer is time for some congressional "vent elation" in 1928. #HouseCollection #HistoryBlog loom.ly/kGzmZ6M
Don't save it for the 7th inning stretch. Catch up on your #CongressionalBaseball history. Play Ball! #CBG25 loom.ly/ZdVLPAg
#HappyBirthday to the 1st #WomenInCongress, Rep Jeannette Rankin of #MT, #OTD in 1880. loom.ly/-1JTMeo
Capitol Hill was ready for #CornOnTheCob day in 1937. loom.ly/CV1rtOs
Lawn & Order [Dun DUN]. #HistoryBlog #HouseCollection loom.ly/asZKhpc
"Some of our boys died last night…" Chaplain James Montgomery eulogized those lost on #DDay. #HistoryBlog loom.ly/1Mr5AvQ
DC Metropolitan police officer Benjamin Jason responded to the call on March 1, 1954, of a shooting at the U.S. House of Representatives. But before that, he served on a US Navy fleet tug and recalls his participation in the invasion of Normandy. #oralhistory #DDay
This 1925 ten-mile race started in the shadow of Calvin Coolidge's inauguration. Runners stored their equipment in the House Office Building's gym. #GlobalRunningDay loom.ly/fVVYs7A
Of "sonorous voice" and "rubicund complexion," Rep Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg of #PA, who served as the first #Speaker of the House died #OTD 1801. loom.ly/fN974Ps
The House Administration Committee announced a pilot program for a "constituent electronic mail system" #OTD 1993…with a *single* e-mail address! loom.ly/eeCPyRo
#HistoryBlog: highlighting the historic career of Representative Norman Y. Mineta of California, a victim of internment who became a Congressman and later a Cabinet member under two different presidential administrations. loom.ly/qNZ9Ssw
Hey, wait up! Rhode Island joined the Union #OTD 1790, after the First Congress had already convened and passed the constitutional amendments that would become the Bill of Rights. loom.ly/3AvRRuc
#OTD 1936, a House committee reported favorably on a resolution to grant musician George M. Cohan a #CongressionalGoldMedal. He would become the first entertainer to receive the honor. loom.ly/JnIwLVc