FDR Library and Museum Mark the Library's 75th Anniversary with Free Public Events June 30 - July 2, 2016, and New Pearl Harbor Exhibit
Press Release · Wednesday, June 15, 2016

HYDE PARK, NY

The Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) Presidential Library and Museum will commemorate the Library's 75th anniversary with free public events from Thursday, June 30, through Saturday, July 2, 2016. On June 30, the Library will open a new exhibition on Pearl Harbor, "Day of Infamy: 24 Hours that Changed History." Admission to the FDR Library and Museum -- including the special exhibition -- is free of charge on June 30 and July 2, 2016. Event highlights include:

Thursday, June 30, 2016

• 11 a.m.   75th Anniversary Ceremony (Remarks by Michael Beschloss)
• Noon   Pearl Harbor Exhibition Opens
• 2 p.m.   Panel Discussion: A History of the Roosevelt Library

Friday, July 1, 2016

• 3 p.m.   Book Talk: William E. Leuchtenburg
  The American President: From Teddy Roosevelt to Bill Clinton
• 7 p.m.   Theatrical Performance: "In Their Own Words: The Roosevelts"

Saturday, July 2, 2016

• 10 a.m.   Family Fun Festival (circus, WWII music, and food trucks)
• 4 and 7 p.m.   Theatrical Performance: "In Their Own Words: The Roosevelts"

For America and the world, 1941 was a pivotal year. Bookended by FDR's Four Freedoms speech in January and the attack on Pearl Harbor in December. In the middle of that years, on June 30, 1941, President Roosevelt created a national treasure -- America's first presidential library -- and gave it to the people of the United States, to be run by the National Archives. Since that day, more than 13 million people have visited the Library for research, exhibits, education programs and events.

"DAY OF INFAMY: 24 HOURS THAT CHANGED HISTORY"

On June 30, 2016, the FDR Library and Museum will open a new exhibition, "DAY OF INFAMY: 24 HOURS THAT CHANGED HISTORY." The exhibition is located in the Library's William J. vanden Heuvel Gallery and runs through December 31, 2016.

"DAY OF INFAMY" takes visitors behind the scenes to glimpse FDR and his inner circle of advisers during the pivotal 24 hours that followed the Japanese assault, experiencing its drama and confusion as the situation unfolds. The exhibition starts at 1:47 pm (EST) on December 7, when FDR was informed of the attack. It concludes in the early afternoon of December 8, when he delivered his famous "Day of Infamy" address to a joint session of Congress and signed the declaration of war with Japan.

"DAY OF INFAMY" exhibit highlights include:

• FDR's hand-amended first draft of his "Day of Infamy" speech. Rarely on public display, this is among a series of key documents featured that were seen, dictated, or written by the President and his military and civilian advisers.
   
• Dramatic audiovisual programs, including film of the Pearl Harbor attack, interactive touchscreens with updates on the evolving military situation in the Pacific, and audio stations playing first-person testimony from key individuals with FDR on December 7.
   
• A new digitally re-mastered, high definition film of FDR's entire 6 ½ minute "Day of Infamy" speech to Congress. Prepared by the National Archives Film Preservation Lab through a generous grant from AT&T.
   
• "Remembering Pearl Harbor, 1941-2016." a multi-screen video program narrated by CBS news anchor Scott Pelley that explores how the memory of Pearl Harbor continues to exert influence on our defense, intelligence, and foreign policies.

Related online resources from the National Archives:

• Teaching With Documents lesson plan: 'A Date Which Will Live in Infamy'
• Prologue "Pieces of History" blog post: Crafting the "Day of Infamy" Speech
• Video short: "Pearl Harbor: In Their Own Words"
• Prologue Magazine article: "Remembering Pearl Harbor . . . 70 years later"
• Today's Document feature: Radiogram reporting the Pearl Harbor attack

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum

Designed by Franklin Roosevelt and dedicated on June 30, 1941, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is the nation's first presidential library and the only one used by a sitting president. Every president since FDR has followed his example and established a presidential library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration to preserve and make accessible to the American people the records of their presidencies. The Roosevelt Library's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of the lives and times of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and their continuing impact on contemporary life. This work is carried out through the Library's archives and research room, museum collections and exhibitions, innovative educational programs, and engaging public programming. For more information about the Library or its programs call (800) 337-8474 or visit www.fdrlibrary.org.

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For information contact Clifford Laube, 845-486-7745, clifford.laube@nara.gov

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