Students of naval and Naval Academy history are probably familiar with the story of the alleged mutiny aboard the US Brig Somers, which served as a rallying point for the founding of the academy. On November 26, 1842,... Read more
On the morning of July 29, 1846, 175 years ago today, sloop-of war USS Cyane, Commander Samuel Francis Du Pont, anchored in the harbor of San Diego, California. On board were Captain John C.... Read more
Two months prior to the USS Cyane’s arrival at San Diego, Congress had declared war on Mexico after fighting broke out along the Rio Grande, the disputed boundary between Texas and Mexico. On June 7, news of... Read more
As the fall semester gets into full swing and the librarians at Nimitz Library take the library's newest instructional space, the Nautilus Room, out for its shakedown cruise, let's take a moment to look back on the founding of the... Read more
Applied Science Department Professor Frederick A. Skove teaching a computer science class, ca. 1978
As one of the nation's leading public schools, the United States Naval Academy offers a rigorous science and technology... Read more
As has been discussed in previous posts entitled "The New Naval Academy That Never Was" and "The New Naval Academy That Never Was, Revisited," by the latter half of twentieth century, the Naval Academy's physical plant, its academic... Read more
With sailing's prominence at the Naval Academy, it seems only fitting that the schooner yacht America, arguably the most famous racing sailboat of her day, became inextricably linked to the school. The America was laid... Read more
The Naval Academy has a long history of appearance on film and television. Part one of this history begins during World War I and after as production studios began filming Yard scenes and movies.
During World War I,... Read more
October 7, 2021 marked the 450th anniversary of the Battle of Lepanto, the greatest naval battle in early modern history and the last major combat between galley fleets. The forces of the Holy League, under the command of Don... Read more
Last year, the Naval Academy set the record straight for one of the most prominent landmarks on the Yard, the sculpture traditionally known as "Tecumseh," when it officially identified the figure as the Native American leader... Read more
Nestled on the southwest corner of Eucalyptus and Gage roads in the Naval Support Activity Annapolis’s North Severn Village residential community sits a small, rectangular, wood-frame chapel capped by a four-sided... Read more
Nimitz Library's Special Collections & Archives has acquired a large collection of manuscripts and other documents related to Admiral Richard Harrsion Jackson (USNA 1887), one of the academy's longest lived graduates who... Read more
On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, adopted Richard Henry Lee's resolution declaring the thirteen American colonies "free and independent states," absolving them from "all allegiance to... Read more
Mahan Hall Bell, 1970.
The familiar chimes ringing the hours from the Mahan Hall clock tower provide a harmonious atmosphere to the grounds of the United States Naval Academy. Turning 100 years old in 2022,... Read more
From the today's mysterious pianist in Mahan Hall to the midshipman musical clubs of old, music lovers of all backgrounds continue to find a home at the Naval Academy.
Naval Cadet Musical Club, 1897
When the Naval... Read more
On September 8, 1522, a decaying and weather-beaten carrack limped to its mooring in Seville, three years since leaving that Spanish port on the Guadalquivir River. The Victoria was the only remaining vessel of the... Read more
Rear Admiral Boon officially receives Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.
While Queen Elizabeth II never visited the Naval Academy, her mother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother paid the midshipmen a formal visit on... Read more
Within the Rear Admiral Paul H. Wiedorn Collection are numerous popular periodicals of the nineteenth century, including Graham’s Magazine, Godey’s Lady’s Book, and the Columbian Magazine; and it... Read more
A couple years ago, when the Army-Navy Game was not played at a neutral site for first time since World War II, a blog post talked about the 1942 and 1943 games when Annapolis and West Point took turns hosting the game. Wartime demands... Read more
Last year, a generous donation from the class of 1980 allowed Special Collections & Archives to digitize a number of videotape recordings in the obsolete formats of U-matic, BetaCam, and... Read more
Although it's common for students to dislike their professors, Naval Academy midshipmen took their antipathy for one instructor a little too far in 1848 when the academy was known as the Naval School. March 22 marks the 175th... Read more
In 1907, the Naval Academy library began a subscription to a new periodical that debuted in Paris on January 10. Published fortnightly, La Vie maritime et fluviale (Maritime and River Life) promised to justify its title. “It... Read more
The granite Japanese pagoda, sometimes called the Saitō Monument, standing in front of Luce Hall has received renewed attention lately. Naval History magazine recently published an article... Read more
In 1856, the Naval Academy library purchased an American edition of George Grote's 12-volume History of Greece, first published in London between 1846 and 1856. Grote's history represented the latest... Read more
"To conduct an energetic fluid to the general seat of all impressions; to distribute its influence to the different parts of the nervous and muscular systems; to continue, revive, and, if I may be allowed the expression, to... Read more
Among the books in the Harry F. Guggenheim Collection are first editions of Charles Dickens's Christmas books, published between 1843 and 1848. These are A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, the Battle of... Read more
Among the books in the original 1845 library of the Naval Academy is John Marshall's five-volume Life of George Washington. Published in Philadelphia between 1804 and 1807, the work is what today... Read more
On Thursday, April 22, 1847, the homeward bound USS Jamestown, a Navy ship with a civilian captain and crew, slipped past Cove [Cobh], having discharged about 8,000 barrels of supplies for the destitute and starving Irish. An... Read more
Gouge is one of the Naval Academy’s contributions to the slang lexicon of the larger U.S. Navy. The website of the Navy’s Chief Information Officer explains that gouge means the heart of the matter; or outstanding... Read more
For the 80th anniversary of D-Day, we feature a selection of photographs from the Edward J. Steichen Collection. Edward Steichen (1879-1973) was a prominent art and commercial photographer who headed the Naval Aviation... Read more
