When Are You Going To Plug It In? -1952

January 30, 1952

What is not commonly known is that his second term was beset with a set of scandals known as “The Mess in Washington.” While never implicated in the scandal himself, Truman appointed many longtime friends who were not as ethical as he was to high political positions. The symbol of the scandal was General Harry Vaughn, Truman’s friend from World War I who became the president’s military aide.

The Gunfather

10/26/1992

Herbert L. Block Collection, Prints & Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Bill required a criminal background check before an individual could buy a handgun. Named after Ronald Reagan’s press secretary, James Brady, who was badly wounded during the assassination attempt on Reagan in March 1981, the Brady Bill was first introduced in 1987 and failed numerous times to get through Congress. Democrats in the Senate blamed the National Rifle Association and charged that this powerful gun lobby controlled President Bush.

The Philanthropist - December 5, 1930

Help The Unemployed - Apples 5 cents

The Great Depression devastated the United States in the 1930s, leaving as much as 25 percent of the workforce unemployed. People who lost their jobs began selling five-cent apples on the streets of American cities, providing a symbol of the economic hardships of the era.