Big news today in the world of historical and genealogical research: The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA, archives.gov) has added Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to its search engine. According to NARA OCR will affect the NARA Catalog’s JPG or PDF format records added since June 2019. NARA is still determining how to retroactively process records digitized before that date.
As we experience the 75th anniversary of the day the Allied Forces invaded Europe it is worth noting why the day was so vital then and now. The sacrifices of the men that day were monumental. According to the U.S. Army, more than 160,000 men crossed the English Channel to five beaches in Normandy, France marking the greatest sea-borne invasion in history.[1] Nine thousand Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded. Over 100,000 of their brave comrades made it off those beaches and on to defeat Nazi Germany.
The first time I experienced the Gateway Arch I didn’t really “see” it. My mother was pregnant with yours truly the first time she and my father took the elevator to the top. The Gateway Arch, finished in 1965 was still a new attraction so when my parents had the opportunity to visit St. Louis in 1969 it was their first chance to go up inside the arch and take in the view from the 630 foot vista.