Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

American history is full of improbable coincidences. For instance, on July 4, 1826, America celebrated 50 years of independence and saw two founding fathers draw their final breaths – Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.

Last year, in a letter to you, we shared another. February 12, 2021 was not only the 212th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth but also the 75th anniversary of the blinding of Isaac Woodard, a brutal event that, arguably, helped usher in the greatest civil rights progress in this nation since the Emancipation Proclamation. Read More

Annual Message to the Congress on the State of the Union

President Harry S. Truman – January 6, 1947

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Veterans Day Values

Lessons from Harry S. Truman in 3 Objects

We can learn a lot from the artifacts of a life well-lived. This Veterans Day, we turned to the Truman Library’s collection and President Truman’s personal possessions to learn what Harry Truman can teach us about service, sacrifice and honor.

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The Nuremberg Trials

This week marks the 75th anniversary of the conclusion of one of the most significant events in history.

From November 20, 1945 to October 1, 1946, leading members of the Nazi Party had to answer to an international court for conspiracy, war crimes, and crimes against peace and humanity. Known today as the Nuremberg Trials, this “alternative justice” set a remarkable precedent for trying war crimes and had a lasting effect on international criminal law. Read More

Surplus WWII-Era Purple Hearts Still Being Awarded

A half-million medals are a reminder of the lives not lost in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

By D. M. Giangreco

Excerpted from “75 Years Later, Purple Hearts Made for An Invasion of Japan are Still Being Awarded,” originally published by George Washington University’s History News Network.

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Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of President Truman

“YOU CAN’T CURE A MORAL PROBLEM BY IGNORING IT.”  – President Harry S. Truman

Today marks the 212th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, remembered for his leadership through the Civil War and our nation’s greatest moral and political crises.

But February 12 marks another important day in American history. This is a difficult and mostly forgotten story, but one we feel certain President Truman would ask us to remember. It changed the course of American history. It changed him.

75 years ago today, Sergeant Isaac Woodard – a returning, decorated African American WWII veteran – was removed from a Greyhound bus in Batesburg, South Carolina, after he challenged the bus driver’s disrespectful treatment of him. Woodard, still in uniform, was arrested by the local police chief, Lynwood Shull, and brutally beaten and blinded while in custody.

You can hear it straight from Harry…

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Inauguration Day 1949

On this day in 1949, Harry S. Truman delivered his Inaugural Address on the U.S. Capitol’s East Portico. More than 100,000 people were gathered in the Capitol Plaza when he began his 2,272-word address with these words…

“Mr. Vice President, Mr. Chief Justice, fellow citizens:
I accept with humility the honor which the American people have conferred upon me. I accept it with a resolve to do all that I can for the welfare of this Nation and for the peace of the world.”

“In performing the duties of my office, I need the help and the prayers of every one of you. I ask for your encouragement and for your support. The tasks we face are difficult. We can accomplish them only if we work together.

“Each period of our national history has had its special challenges. Those that confront us now are as momentous as any in the past…”

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Ernestine “Ernie” Wagner and Women’s Military Service

On June 12, 1948, Harry S. Truman signed the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act (WASIA) which allowed women to serve in official capacities in all four branches of the military. Most importantly, the act permitted women’s military service during peace time.

The WASIA paved the way for thousands of women’s military careers, including a Korean War veteran named Ernestine “Ernie” Wagner. Read More

Harry Truman and the 1918 Pandemic

In 1918, the most severe pandemic in recent history spread through the world at alarming rates. Nearly one-third of the world’s population became infected and approximately 50 million people succumbed world wide — over half a million in the United States.

The H1N1 virus, popularly referred to as the Spanish flu, began wreaking havoc around the globe just as World War I was coming to an end.

Thousands of American soldiers remained in Europe after the war’s conclusion due to logistical transportation issues. One soldier awaiting transport was Captain Harry S. Truman who led Battery D of the 35^th Division. Read More

History Happy Hour: In the Kitchen with Bess

Friday, August 16, 2019 from 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Truman Library Institute
5151 Troost Ave., Ste. 300
Kansas City, MO 64110

On Friday, August 16, the Truman Library is hosting a History Happy Hour event featuring one of the Truman Library’s archivists, Tammy K. Williams. This event takes place at the Truman Library Institute in Kansas City and will feature Williams exploring Bess Truman’s recipe box, including recipes that she gave out and received, food trends in the 1940s and 1950s, and some of the Truman family favorite foods and meals.

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