1978: NOAA announces gender-neutral hurricane naming system
Federal News Network presents a daily update of important moments in the history of the U.S. government.
On this day in 1800, President John Adams approved the appropriation of $5,000 for the purchase of “such books as may be necessary for the use of congress.” The books were the first purchased for the Library of Congress, came from London and arrived in 1801. The collection of 740 volumes and three maps was stored in the U.S. Capitol and on Jan. 26, 1802, President Thomas Jefferson approved the first legislation that defined the role and functions of the new institution. It is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the research arm of Congress. “The Library’s mission is to make its resources available and useful to the Congress and the American people, and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations,” according to its website. As of 2018, the Library had more than 168 million items.
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