Maybe I should have paid better attention to my history teacher in high school, but I never realized the tremendous amount of awesome "stuff" there is in the National Archives. And now, with the internet, a lot of the stuff in the Archives are now available online. Here is a description of what the National Archives is all about, as written on their website:

"Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever. Those valuable records are preserved and are available to you, whether you want to see if they contain clues about your family’s history, need to prove a veteran’s military service, or are researching an historical topic that interests you."

I am a closet, aspiring, amateur historian. I don't know about you, but I love history! I love learning about the significant people and events that shaped the world into what it is today. There is so much to learn from our past. So recently, I was googling to find some more information about World World II, more specifically, D-Day, when I stumbled my way into the National Archives website. And I was immediately hooked! I spent most of my lunch hour looking at photographs of significant documents like the Magna Carta, Emancipation Proclamation, Apollo 11 Flight Plan, and, um, Elvis's Letter to President Nixon. Don't ask! I listened to the audio of Herb Morrison's live coverage of the Hindenburg disaster, and read through Dr. Robert King Stone's court testimony on treating President Lincoln right after the assassination, as transcribed by the court reporter. There is also a recording of President Kennedy recapping highlights from his meeting with the security counsel on what to do about the Cuban Missal Crisis where he says that he was leaning towards the naval blockade rather than an all-out invasion. Very cool stuff!

So, if you are like me and slept through most of your American history class, you owe it to yourself to check out the National Archives! If you know of any other great resources online, please share!

Click here to go to the National Archives Website.