Featured heritage stories

Photo of a NOAA satellite viewing Earth from orbit.

Celebrating Earth Day with NOAA Satellites

April 22, 2024

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Photo of a NOAA satellite viewing Earth from orbit.

Photos of the front of the Owlie Skywarn card, showing Owlie the owl with his wings around three children with the words, "SKYWARN Tips for TORNADO SAFETY."

Friday Find: Owlie Skywarn cards

April 12, 2024

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Photos of the front of the Owlie Skywarn card, showing Owlie the owl with his wings around three children with the words, "SKYWARN Tips for TORNADO SAFETY."

photo of a passage from a handwritten cursive manuscript from an early draft of Rachel Carson's The Sense of Wonder (1965)

April 10, 2024

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Heritage stories

photo of a passage from a handwritten cursive manuscript from an early draft of Rachel Carson's The Sense of Wonder (1965)

A black and white photo of a tornado with multiple vortices, one in the center, which reaches to the ground and a smaller one on either side which do not reach the ground.

Here's one of the first photos of a tornado ever

April 8, 2024

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A black and white photo of a tornado with multiple vortices, one in the center, which reaches to the ground and a smaller one on either side which do not reach the ground.

Black and white photo of Marie Tharpe at her drafting table in 1961.

March 21, 2024

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Black and white photo of Marie Tharpe at her drafting table in 1961.

Photo of a plaque that reads, "About 600 meters East of this location lies the oldest triangulation station in America, Buttermilk 1833, Buttermilk Hill, This plaque is established as a bicentennial commemoration through the cooperation of: The Rockafeller Family, The Nation Geodetic Survey of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, The Westchester-Putnam Association of Professional Land Surveyors, Incorporated, 1976"

Celebrating National Surveyors Week with Buttermilk

March 18, 2024

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National Geodetic Survey

Photo of a plaque that reads, "About 600 meters East of this location lies the oldest triangulation station in America, Buttermilk 1833, Buttermilk Hill, This plaque is established as a bicentennial commemoration through the cooperation of: The Rockafeller Family, The Nation Geodetic Survey of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, The Westchester-Putnam Association of Professional Land Surveyors, Incorporated, 1976"

Photo of a scuba diver swimming past a shipwreck. The story title, "New Study Opens Window to Cultural Past in Great Lakes Sanctuary, By Hans Van Tilburg and Rachel Plunkett" is overlayed onto the image.

New Study Opens Window to Cultural Past in Great Lakes Sanctuary

March 5, 2024

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Heritage stories

maritime heritage

Photo of a scuba diver swimming past a shipwreck. The story title, "New Study Opens Window to Cultural Past in Great Lakes Sanctuary, By Hans Van Tilburg and Rachel Plunkett" is overlayed onto the image.

Black and white portrait of Dr. George Washington Carver

The Legacy of Dr. George Washington Carver

February 21, 2024

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Heritage stories

Black and white portrait of Dr. George Washington Carver

1936 black and white photo of a 22 inch diameter grouping of ice crystals on the ground.

Friday Find: Supersized ice crystals

February 9, 2024

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1936 black and white photo of a 22 inch diameter grouping of ice crystals on the ground.

Photo of the “Coastline” wave pool art installation outside NOAA’s Silver Spring, MD campus. Waves crash against a rough stone wall in a long rectangular pool.

Coastlines: Making waves outside, and inside, NOAA

January 30, 2024

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Heritage stories

tides and currents

Photo of the “Coastline” wave pool art installation outside NOAA’s Silver Spring, MD campus. Waves crash against a rough stone wall in a long rectangular pool.

A collage of the five images from the NOAA heritage story, "Five significant moments in climate history."

Five significant moments in climate science history

January 17, 2024

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Earth science news

A collage of the five images from the NOAA heritage story, "Five significant moments in climate history."

Black and white photo of a woman in a miniskirt and winter coat walking through the snow and holding her hat on her head.

Friday Find: Snowy photos of blizzards from years past

January 12, 2024

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Black and white photo of a woman in a miniskirt and winter coat walking through the snow and holding her hat on her head.

Friday Find: USC&GS rating badge

December 15, 2023

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Marine & Aviation

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Three photos of the 1880s silk bustle dress in which crumpled bits of paper containing a code were found. The back, front, and left side are shown in a triptych. The dress is a deep peach color with a striped placket on the front and a large bustle. The pocket where the code was found is located under the overskirt at the right hip.

'Cryptogram' in a silk dress tells a weather story

December 14, 2023

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weather conditions

Three photos of the 1880s silk bustle dress in which crumpled bits of paper containing a code were found. The back, front, and left side are shown in a triptych. The dress is a deep peach color with a striped placket on the front and a large bustle. The pocket where the code was found is located under the overskirt at the right hip.

Friday Find: USC&GS cooks & stewards pin

December 1, 2023

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Marine & Aviation

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A photo of the bell from the USC&GS Ship Hydrographer. The bell hangs from a cherrywood pyramid-shaped frame.

Friday Find: The Hydrographer’s bell

October 20, 2023

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Marine & Aviation

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A photo of the bell from the USC&GS Ship Hydrographer. The bell hangs from a cherrywood pyramid-shaped frame.

Friday Find: Captain Heck's naval ceremonial sword

October 6, 2023

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Marine & Aviation

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George Washington Carver’s completed Voluntary Cooperative Meteorological Record from December 1899. There are columns for temperature, precipitation, prevailing wind direction, and character of day, as well as a section for overall notes for the month.

Friday Find: The weather logs of George Washington Carver

September 22, 2023

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George Washington Carver’s completed Voluntary Cooperative Meteorological Record from December 1899. There are columns for temperature, precipitation, prevailing wind direction, and character of day, as well as a section for overall notes for the month.

Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz signing surrender document on board the USS MISSOURI (BB-63), at left are Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Adm. William F. Halsey, and R. Adm. Forrest P. Sherman, Deputy Chief of Staff for Adm. Nimitz.

Friday Find: Famous photo honors science contributions to WWII efforts

August 25, 2023

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Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz signing surrender document on board the USS MISSOURI (BB-63), at left are Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Adm. William F. Halsey, and R. Adm. Forrest P. Sherman, Deputy Chief of Staff for Adm. Nimitz.

Photo of the u-tube tsunameter used on USC&GS Ship Pathfinder until 1970 to warn of impending tsunamis.

Friday Find: Mystery tide and tsunami detector

August 11, 2023

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extreme weather

Photo of the u-tube tsunameter used on USC&GS Ship Pathfinder until 1970 to warn of impending tsunamis.

Photo of the Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, ME. The white lighthouse with a black top stands on a small promontory next to a white house with green trim and a red roof.

5 ways historic lighthouses and modern science come together at NOAA

August 7, 2023

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climate impacts

Photo of the Portland Head Light in Cape Elizabeth, ME. The white lighthouse with a black top stands on a small promontory next to a white house with green trim and a red roof.

This is a clear bottle with a US Coast and Geodetic Survey flag. There is a pink drift card inside.

Friday Find: Adrift for the sake of science

July 28, 2023

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tides and currents

This is a clear bottle with a US Coast and Geodetic Survey flag. There is a pink drift card inside.

Dr. Sim Aberson stands in front of a beautiful vista with distant mountains in the background.

A look back with hurricane researcher Dr. Sim Aberson

June 30, 2023

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extreme weather

Dr. Sim Aberson stands in front of a beautiful vista with distant mountains in the background.

A painting of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey ship Pathfinder on the water.

Friday Find: Antonio Jacobsen’s Pathfinder painting

June 23, 2023

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Marine & Aviation

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A painting of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey ship Pathfinder on the water.

Lightning in North Dakota: July 5, 2014.

Lightning detection: From ground to sky

June 20, 2023

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Heritage stories

geostationary satellite (GOES)

satellite images

Lightning in North Dakota: July 5, 2014.

The flag of U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Director Rear Admiral Lee Otis Colbert. It is a blue field with a large white equilateral triangle in the center and two smaller stars on either side. The hoist has two brass grommets and is marked “DIRECTOR.FLAG. NO 2.”

Friday Find: a WWII-era director’s flag

June 9, 2023

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NOAA Administrator

NOAA leadership

The flag of U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Director Rear Admiral Lee Otis Colbert. It is a blue field with a large white equilateral triangle in the center and two smaller stars on either side. The hoist has two brass grommets and is marked “DIRECTOR.FLAG. NO 2.”

Eric Lopez, Kathlyn Nguyen, and Omar Madrigal make calculations for one of the practical tests in the National Society of Professional Surveyor Student Competition. They sit on the ground with the Washington Monument behind them. Nguyen wears a blue velvet period coat and powdered wigs lie on the ground next to them.

Surveying competition introduces students to the past, and a possible future career

May 30, 2023

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National Geodetic Survey

Eric Lopez, Kathlyn Nguyen, and Omar Madrigal make calculations for one of the practical tests in the National Society of Professional Surveyor Student Competition. They sit on the ground with the Washington Monument behind them. Nguyen wears a blue velvet period coat and powdered wigs lie on the ground next to them.

A Purple Heart medal lies on a black background. The medal features George Washington's head and Washington, DC's coat of arms and hangs from a purple ribbon with white borders.

Friday Find: Purple Heart honoring weather observers lost at sea in 1942

May 26, 2023

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A Purple Heart medal lies on a black background. The medal features George Washington's head and Washington, DC's coat of arms and hangs from a purple ribbon with white borders.

Black and white photo of the May 24, 1973, Union City tornado, with the words, "Union City May 24, 1973," superimposed over the image.

TORNADO INTERCEPT: The Union City Twister and the Birth of Doppler Radar

May 22, 2023

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Black and white photo of the May 24, 1973, Union City tornado, with the words, "Union City May 24, 1973," superimposed over the image.

NOAA Corps Basic Officer Training Class (BOTC) 134 poses for their class photo. They all wear the NOAA Corps dress whites.

The long evolution of the NOAA Corps uniform

May 22, 2023

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Marine & Aviation

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NOAA Corps Basic Officer Training Class (BOTC) 134 poses for their class photo. They all wear the NOAA Corps dress whites.

A U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey (USC&GS) cap sits on a dark wooden background. The black cap is shaped like a beret with a wide band at the bottom. On the band, "U.S. C. & G. SURVEY" is written in gold.

Our curator’s favorite object: U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey cap

May 17, 2023

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National Geodetic Survey

A U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey (USC&GS) cap sits on a dark wooden background. The black cap is shaped like a beret with a wide band at the bottom. On the band, "U.S. C. & G. SURVEY" is written in gold.

An early 20th century barocyclonometer. The dark wooden case is closed and bears a sticker with "cyclonometer" written on it.

Friday Find: The barocyclonometer, a hurricane detection relic from an age of unrest and exploration

May 12, 2023

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An early 20th century barocyclonometer. The dark wooden case is closed and bears a sticker with "cyclonometer" written on it.

Traditional fautasi race on the ocean near land in American Samoa. Each boat has about 40 paddlers.

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander knowledge informs NOAA-supported projects

May 3, 2023

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Traditional fautasi race on the ocean near land in American Samoa. Each boat has about 40 paddlers.

The Hand of NOAA sits outside the NOAA buildings in Silver Spring, MD. It is a hand several feet taller than a person reaching up with it's fingers outstretched to release four seagulls and is surrounded by small bushes.

On International Sculpture Day, celebrating art in NOAA’s front yard

April 28, 2023

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The Hand of NOAA sits outside the NOAA buildings in Silver Spring, MD. It is a hand several feet taller than a person reaching up with it's fingers outstretched to release four seagulls and is surrounded by small bushes.

Flooded homes along the Russian River in California. NOAA scientists and colleagues are installing the first of four permanent "atmospheric river observatories" in California this month, to better monitor and predict the impacts of powerful winter storms associated with atmospheric rivers

History Happening Now: Climate ready design, construction and infrastructure

April 24, 2023

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Flooded homes along the Russian River in California. NOAA scientists and colleagues are installing the first of four permanent "atmospheric river observatories" in California this month, to better monitor and predict the impacts of powerful winter storms associated with atmospheric rivers