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Want to see what was in President Abraham Lincoln’s pockets when he was assassinated? The “Wanted” poster for his assassin, John Wilkes Booth? A perfect copy of the Gutenberg Bible, the first book published by metal type (in 1454), thereby revolutionizing human communication?
Well, you can! The Library and the History Channel teamed up several years ago to produce a collection of more than two dozen short, entertaining videos that showcased some of the Library’s greatest, most unusual and startling treasures. All of the above and many others are featured in the series. We’ll be highlighting them in the weeks to come.
President Lincoln’s glasses. They were in his pocket the night of his assassination.
Maybe the best news is that this isn’t a huge time commitment — each video is only a couple of minutes long. Each is explained on camera by a curator and there’s a short essay in the link that explains the contents of each. You can watch one at a time if you like, but that’s like trying to each just one chocolate chip cookie when you’ve got a box full of them. (Good luck with that!) It’s also a smart, fun introduction to the world’s largest Library.
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