Major Mike | Today in History 12/24 (Library of Congress Fire)

Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson building in Washington DC circa 1915 (Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, [LC-DIG-ds-07072])

(1851) Massive fire devastates Library of Congress

A large fire ravages the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, destroying about two-thirds of the collection, including books from Thomas Jefferson’s personal library. Congress will open its wallets to replace the lost volumes over the next several years.

The Library of Congress is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the de facto national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. The Library is housed in three buildings on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.; it also maintains the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Virginia. The Library’s functions are overseen by the Librarian of Congress, and its buildings are maintained by the Architect of the Capitol. The Library of Congress has claims to be the largest library in the world. Its “collections are universal, not limited by subject, format, or national boundary, and include research materials from all parts of the world and in more than 450 languages.”

Address: 101 Independence Ave, Washington, D.C. 20540
Customer service: (202) 707-5000
Founded: 1800 · Washington, D.C., United States
Founder: John Adams
Architects: Paul J. Pelz · John L. Smithmeyer · Edward Pearce Casey · Alfred Easton Poor
Awards: Peabody Award (2012)

Thomas Jefferson Building and part of the John Adams Building (upper-right)
wiki/Library_of_Congress

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(1851) Massive fire devastates Library of Congress.
Also on this day,

1865 | Ku Klux Klan is founded in Tennessee

In the aftermath of the Civil War, several Confederate veterans establish the secret vigilante group to threaten and murder freed blacks and their supporters and to restore white supremacy. The name reportedly is derived from the Greek word for circle, “kyklos.” Soon the KKK will spread to every state in the American South.

1955 | NORAD’s newest mission: Tracking Santa

An ad in a Colorado newspaper gives children Santa’s phone number, but a misprint routes calls to a red phone at the NORAD air defense command center. Strait-laced Col. Harry Shoup adjusts on the fly and tells staff to give the kids Santa’s “current location.” A tradition is born.

1966 | Yule log debuts as a burning log starts a TV holiday tradition

New York’s WPIX, Channel 11, replaces its regularly scheduled programming with Christmas music and a shot of a log burning in a fireplace, shot in Gracie Mansion. Viewers cozy up to their TVs, and a tradition is born that will extend to other TV markets and beyond.

Today in History ^12/24/17

Group of men wearing hats with 'KKK' in large letters circa 1870 (Public domain)

(1865) Ku Klux Klan is founded in Tennessee

In the aftermath of the Civil War, several Confederate veterans establish the secret vigilante group to threaten and murder freed blacks and their supporters and to restore white supremacy. The name reportedly is derived from the Greek word for circle, "kyklos." Soon the KKK will spread to every state in the American South.

The Ku Klux Klan, commonly called the KKK or simply the Klan, is three distinct movements in the United States that have advocated extremist reactionary positions such as white supremacy, white nationalism, anti-immigration and—especially in later iterations—Nordicism, anti-Catholicism and antisemitism. Historically, the KKK used terrorism—both physical assault and murder—against groups or individuals whom they opposed. All three movements have called for the "purification" of American society and all are considered right-wing extremist organizations.

Founded: 1915
Founders: John C. Lester · J. Calvin Jones · Richard R. Reed · John B. Kennedy · Frank O. McCord · James R. Crowe

KKK night rally in Chicago, c. 1920 - Altar with K eagle in black robe at a meeting of nearly 30,000 Ku Klux Klan members from Chicago and northern Illinois.