Bison Library Bytes

If you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of commemorative events occurring in the lead up to next year’s celebration of the 250^th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. There is a website specifically for Alabama (America250Alabama) that highlights events and shares educational resources (even some recipes) related to the semiquincentennial (not quite as catchy as “bicentennial” was way back in 1976).

One of the anniversaries that we are highlighting in the library is the 250^th birthday of the United States Army. The Army was established on June 14, 1775, by a resolution of the Continental Congress. The Army has web pages dedicated to this year’s celebration, including brief videos on some of the Army’s heroes such as SFC Alwyn Crendall Cashe, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, and PFC Roland Bragg, WWII paratrooper awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart. In the Opelika LRC, we have a few books on display about the history of the Army and army related subjects. Additional resources are available at each SU library and online.

To all of the Army veterans who work at or attend SUSCC, THANK YOU for your service!

And HOOAH! Happy 250^th Birthday to the U. S. Army!

Today is the 80^th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, more simply called VE Day. Though we do not celebrate it much in the United States, there are multi-day events commemorating the day in countries such as Great Britain. This day commemorates the unconditional surrender of Germany, ending World War II in Europe. We have a small display of related books in the library in honor of this historic day. Eight Days in May: The Final Collapse of the Third Reich by Volker Ullrich looks at the days between Adolph Hitler and Eva Braun’s deaths on April 30, 1945, and the official surrender on May 7-8, 1945. Ullrich “draws on an astonishing variety of sources, including diaries and letters of ordinary Germans, to narrate a society’s descent into Hobbesian chaos” (from the dust jacket). The effects of major events on everyday people is always interesting. This book looks like a fascinating account of the last difficult days of a war the effects of which are still felt today. The book is on display and available for check out.

Interested in more information about VE Day? Check out the Imperial War Museums’ page “What You Need To Know About VE Day.”

250 Years Young

VE Day