CULTURE
Five fun facts you may not know about the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
The Library of Congress, known by the acronyms LOC or Loc, is the de facto national library of the United States of America. With over 158 million documents it is the largest library in the world.
Preserved in the building named after Thomas Jefferson, considered one of the finest examples of the American Renaissance, are countless rare books from North America, as well as a collection that includes texts in as many as 470 different languages.
Although it is world-renowned, partly due to the visual popularity given to it by Hollywood films over the past decades, there are still many curiosities and mysteries about this library that the general public may not know.
Getty Images/Wikipedia.org
Five little-known facts about the Library of Congress
La Bibliothèque du Congrès, connue sous les acronymes LOC ou Loc, est la bibliothèque nationale de facto des États-Unis d'Amérique. Avec plus de 158 millions de documents, c'est la plus grande bibliothèque du monde. Dans le bâtiment qui porte le nom de Thomas Jefferson, considéré comme l'un des plus beaux exemples de la Renaissance américaine, sont conservés d'innombrables livres rares d'Amérique du Nord, ainsi qu'une collection qui comprend des textes dans pas moins de 470 langues différentes. Bien qu'elle soit mondialement connue, en partie grâce à la popularité visuelle que lui ont conférée les films hollywoodiens au cours des dernières décennies, cette bibliothèque recèle encore de nombreuses curiosités et de nombreux mystères que le grand public ne connaît peut-être pas.
A Gutenberg Bible is preserved inside.
The library is most famous for the priceless works that are preserved inside. One of the most valuable and incredibly well-preserved pieces is the Gutenberg Bible (42-line Bible from 1455), or what is considered the first printed book in the history of mankind, made in the 15th century through the technique of movable type printing.
The current library came into being because of Jefferson's books
Inaugurated in 1800, in 1814 the British started a fire and burned most of the books contained within the library. After only a month, retired President Thomas Jefferson offered his own personal library as a replacement (one of the most comprehensive libraries in the United States at the time). Congress purchased all of Jefferson's heavily indebted books for $23,950, and from that initial group, the catalogue that exists today was built.
Every copy of what is published in the U.S.
The library has a unique retention policy for the registration of US publications. It receives a copy of every book, magazine, newspaper and other publication produced in the United States. This ensures that the library has an extensive collection of US publications. Although everything goes through the library, not every single publication is stored there.
Di Carol M. Highsmith - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid
All U.S. laws are also preserved
The Library of Congress also ensures the preservation of an online archive of the acts of the United States Congress, including the texts of laws, the Congressional Record, the summary and status of laws, the Congressional Record Index and the United States Constitution.
Di Diliff - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1608229
An annual award organized by the library
The status of the US Library of Congress is so important that it also organises a literary award every year. Starting in 2008, in fact, the current librarian (i.e. the current administrator) presents the Library of Congress Award for Lifetime Achievement in American Fiction. This award is given to American-born writers, all writing fiction, whose work "tells something new about the American experience".
Villages
02/10/2023
Vatican City, officially the Vatican City State, is a landlocked city-state on the Italian peninsula, the world's smallest sovereign state by population (869 according to a 2019 census).
The Vatican is what remains of the ancient Papal State, a portion of Italian territory over which, for centuries, the authority of the Pope reigned supreme. The real problems began with the birth of the Kingdom of Italy and the Pontiff's loss of temporal power. Today, only a tiny part of the State that once was remains.
Always a place of intrigue and mysteries but also a place of preservation of a great deal of Christian art, Vatican City still remains one of the most visited places in the world, and not only by Catholics or Christians, but tourists from all over the globe.
Travel without booking
30/09/2023
In the desert of Karakum, in Turkmenistan, there is a huge gaseous crater known as the Gate of Hell, which is presumed to have been burning, without ever stopping, since 1971.
The crater was formed following the collapse of a natural gas cave and the name Gate of Hell was given to it by the local population, who live in the nearby village of Derweze. The name is associated with the fact that inside the crater, with a diameter of about 70 meters and a depth of 20, there is constantly fire, flames and boiling mud. At night, flames are visible even several kilometers away.
According to the local population, the Gate of Hell is a supernatural phenomenon. The explorer George Kourounis managed to take some soil samples inside the crater and from the analysis would have discovered the presence of bacteria that survived despite the high temperatures and present are inside the crater and not in the surrounding terrain.
Villages
28/09/2023
Barcelona is a kaleidoscope of art, culture and natural beauty. Start with the Sagrada Familia, Gaudí's masterpiece, still under construction, and the Parc Güell, with its colourful and imaginative sculptures.
The Barri Gòtic, the historical heart of the city, fascinates with its alleys and squares.
Don't miss La Boqueria market, a gourmet's paradise, and Casa Batlló, another Gaudí jewel. Montjuïc offers breathtaking views and the Parc de la Ciutadella is perfect for a relaxing break.
Luxury shopping and modernist architecture await you at Passeig de Gràcia.
Enjoy the beach at Barceloneta and admire Picasso's art at the museum dedicated to the famous painter.