Author Archives: kgmatheny

The Zip Code’s 50th Anniversary

It’s hard to believe, but the zip code, that five-digit number that helps your mail get to the right place, has been around for just fifty years. The Zone Improvement Plan was, however, built on the foundation of earlier attempts … Continue reading

Our Muse, the Moon

Did you catch a glimpse of yesterday’s “supermoon”? While I was checking out the amazing images popping up on the internet today, I started to think about the role the moon plays in our culture, especially its effect on our … Continue reading

Campus Rewind: Morgan Hall

Morgan Hall has been sitting in its corner of the UA Quad for about 100 years, and various Digital Collections in Acumen document its use over the years. According to the University website, Morgan Hall was named for John Tyler … Continue reading

Marking the 50th Anniversary of Desegregation at The University of Alabama

Fifty years ago tomorrow, James Hood and Vivian Malone made history as the first African-Americans to successfully enroll at the University of Alabama. Though initially blocked from entry by Governor George Wallace — during his infamous “Stand in the Schoolhouse … Continue reading

Audio Digitization: a look at the Rohlig process

Audio Digitization is a completely different type of mole hill than Image Digitization. There are different concerns, such as playback speeds, distortion, clipping, etc. There are also different types of technical metadata needed, such as track begin and end times. … Continue reading

Temperance to Prohibition

From 1920 to 1933, the United States was officially a “dry” nation. The 18th Amendment made the sale, production, and transportation of alcohol illegal. But the first steps toward ridding the U.S. of alcohol began in the century before, with … Continue reading

The Siege of Vicksburg

150 years ago today, Vicksburg, Mississippi. was in between two major assaults that began a more than month-long siege of the city. What began as a conflict between Gen. Grant’s Army of Tennessee and the Confederate forces of Lt. Gen. … Continue reading

Family Pets, part two: Dogs

As promised, a return to family pets, this time a look at man’s best friend. All of these images come from the expansive Woodward Family photo collection or from one of the numerous Wade Hall photograph collections. (See this entry … Continue reading

Family Pets, part one: Cats

While our collections document some important local, national, and international history, they also chronicle the lives of individual families, giving us insight into the everyday lives of Americans over the last couple of centuries. It’s no surprise that a big … Continue reading

Turbulent Times: Student Unrest of May 1970

On May 4, 1970, at Kent State University in Ohio, thirteen students were shot during a Vietnam War protest, four of them fatally. This event set off a chain reaction of protests at universities all around the country, including our … Continue reading