At the presidential inauguration of John F. Kennedy, that austere man of letters, Robert Frost, had intended to read a poem entitled "Dedication", but was unable to do so because of the glare of the sun, which effectively prevented him from seeing (and reading) the text. Instead Frost read "The Gift Outright" from memory, and yet another legendary moment in presidential inauguration lore occurred....

The latest offering from the Library of Congress (LOC) American Memory Project contains over 200 sheet-music compositions "that represent Lincoln and the war as reflected in popular music." Spanning from 1859 (Lincoln's campaign for President) to 1909 (the centenary of his birth), the sheet-music comes from the renowned Lincolniana collection of Alfred Whital Stern, given to the LOC in 1953. The...

New Air Force One tapes give insight on Kennedy death http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-16821363 Last of secret Kennedy tapes released http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-kennedy-tapes-20120125,0,6198450.story Post JFK Assassination Air Force One Flight Deck Recording http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/GPO-NARA-JFK-ASSASSINATION-AUDIO/content-detail.html The...

Chronicling the life and times of former President Jimmy Carter is a formidable task, but the American Experience Web site established to complement the new documentary about his life offers a valuable introduction to this former peanut farmer turned global humanitarian and peace maker. Not surprisingly, the site contains a substantial amount of coverage about the Camp David Accords and the...

Out of the many dozens of websites dedicated to portraying the various persons who have held the highest elected office in the United States, American President.org may be one of the most thorough and well-rounded in terms of its content and organization. Originally launched in 2000 as a companion to a PBS television series on the American presidency, this current incarnation of the site was...

Eisenhower as a Barefoot Boy? Family Objects to a Memorial http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/07/arts/design/eisenhower-memorial-by-frank-gehry-draws-objections-from-family.html Gehry's design for Eisenhower memorial misses the mark http://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/gehrys-design-for-eisenhower-memorial-misses-the-mark/2012/01/23/gIQAy22jVQ_story.html A Q&A With Susan Eisenhower About...

Sponsored by the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation, this site contains important historical material about the president who garnered the sobriquet "Silent Cal." Along with a variety of galleries featuring rotating exhibits of visual material related to President Coolidge, there is an archive of his speeches ranging from his time as governor of Massachusetts to his time as President. There is...

From Teddy Roosevelt to "We Like Ike," the Cornell University Political Americana Collection offers up a cornucopia of presidential promotional and commemorative items dating from 1789 to 1980. All told, there are approximately 5,500 items here, including cartoons, prints, posters, lapel buttons, and leaflets. The majority of this prodigious collection was donated to Cornell by the private...

"From Revolution to Reconstruction, and What Happened Afterwards" is an ongoing hypertext history of the United States. The backbone of the document is a U.S. Information Agency document called "An Outline of American History." The site is divided into eight chapters covering the colonial period to the Bush administration. Hypertext links are made to literally hundreds of full text documents...

Administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum was opened in 1986. For the benefit of researchers and others who cannot make it to Atlanta, this website provides access to some of the speeches and letters of President Carter, along with biographical information about members of the Carter family. First-time visitors will want to start...