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On April 24, 1800, the Library of Congress was established in Washington, D.C. It is our nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world

April 24, 2025

|Recurring Event (See all)

An event every year that begins at 12:00 am on day 24 of April, repeating indefinitely

On April 24, 1800, the Library of Congress was established in Washington, D.C. It is our nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world (!) Since 1801, the collection has grown from an initial 740 volumes “necessary for the use of congress” to over 170 million items. 📚📚📚

Since its inception, the Library has grown to hold not only books, but films, newspapers, historical items and more. Films held there as part of the National Film Registry include American-made favorites such as Jurassic Park, The Shining, and Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. 🎥 🎞 💿

Did you know? Every working day, the Library adds roughly 10,000 new items to its collections. Of this wide variety of items, the smallest book is approximately the size of the period at the end of this sentence, while the largest book tops in at 7’ tall and 5’ wide.

 

 

The Bookworm, Carl Spitzweg, c. 1850

-Written by Anna Zemaitaitis, Communications and Design Officer

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April 24, 2025
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