On this day 218 years ago, the Library of Congress was established by the US Congress, providing $5,000 for the purchase of books and maps. After most of the original collection in Washington, DC was destroyed by the British in the War of 1812, Thomas Jefferson restored its shelves, selling to the Library his entire personal collection of 6,487 books. (1800) Click to enlarge this photo of the Great Hall
MORE Good News on this Day:
- The first newspaper in the United States, the New-Letter, was published in Boston, Massachusetts (1704)
- The…
