Thursday, January 13, 2011

History: John F. Kennedy Documents & Recordings Online for the First Time

Regardless of where in the world you live, you might have an interest in American history or American political history.  If you do, the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston, Massachusetts has just put thousands upon thousands of documents, photographs and recorded telephone conversations online that will make you very happy.

Before the digital age, amateur historians, researchers and individuals with just a passing interest would have had to travel from their homes to Boston to read, see and hear the historically significant material at the Kennedy Library and Museum.  Now, anyone with online access can view 200,000 document pages, 1,200 recordings of telephone conversations, speeches and meetings and some 1,500 photographs of the late 35th American president.

Digitizing the material was a four-year project for almost two dozen individuals at the Library and Museum and work is ongoing to further expand the collection.  Even major technology firms were involved in the process to bring these documents to the public.  EMC Corp. donated high-speed storage, Iron Mountain provided secure computing facilities, AT&T provided hosting and networking and Raytheon led project management.

Massachusetts born John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States serving from 1961 until he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald on November 22, 1963.  Many Americans consider Kennedy to be one of the finest presidents to date and he remains an American hero to many to this day.  The Kennedy years, often referred to as "Camelot" are thought of by many as the closest to having royalty as the United States ever came.

Follow this link if you would like to browse the Digital Archive of the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.

Source:  http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70C4WE20110113

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