ON THIS DAY IN UNITED STATES HISTORY
April 24, 1800
The United States Library of Congress is Established
On this day in 1800, President John Adams signed legislation which tranferred the capital of the United States
from Philadelpia to the new capital city of Washington. Also included in the legislation was an appropriation of
$5,000 "for the purchase of such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress..." as well as a place to keep
them.
There are now over 147 million total items including books, pamphlets, newspapers, music, and much more. The
library has a staff of over 3,000 employees and a budget of over $600 million per year.
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