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Oral History of TED Talks

Before its 2,000-plus videos had been viewed 8 billion times, TED was an annual conference for wealthy eggheads. Starting in February 1984, 1,000 people who could afford to pay $4,000 (and up) would gather in Monterey, California, to hear 18-minute lectures on technology, entertainment, and design. (TED, get it?) Then, in 2006, TED started posting the presentations on its website, transforming a once-exclusive conference into a viral think-piece factory. As TED kicks off its 33rd conference this spring, here’s how the talks went global. Read full story with links to most popular TED Talks here.

Detention Centre Stories in new book

THE detention of those seeking refuge on Australian shores has been a hot-button topic for years. But, in the storm of discourse on immigration policies, there are voices not being heard — the voices of those who have experienced detention under Australian law. They Cannot Take the Sky is an anthology of these stories, gathered through the Behind the Wire oral history project, a non-profit initiative founded in 2014.  For full story click here.

Singapore’s Oral History Project

At the Oral History Centre, Singapore’s stories are kept alive through oral history recordings – interviews with people about their personal recollections.  Since 1979, the Centre has collected 23,000 hours’ worth of interviews with 4,100 interviewees in more than 30 projects. These span a wide range of topics, capturing the broad sweep of Singapore’s history from politics and the civil service to vanishing trades, the performing arts, broadcasting and medical services. For full story with link to interviews, click here.

Stories of Survivors of Genocide

There are firsthand accounts included in a project called “Survivors of Genocide” by Baylor University’s Institute for Oral History (IOH). Researchers with the institute have created an online exhibit, conducting extensive interviews in the homes of 14 people who faced atrocities in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur and Burundi but managed to escape and immigrate to the United States.  For full story with links to website and interviews, click here.

Genomics History

A collection of oral history videos released today by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) features candid conversations with pioneering genomics researchers and an interactive discussion with the institute's three directors to date.  For full story click here.

A collection of oral history videos released today by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) features candid conversations with pioneering genomics researchers and an interactive discussion with the institute's three directors to date.

Read more at: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2017-03-nhgri-oral-history-features-influential.html#jCp

Battle of Beersheba

Logan residents and descendants of indigenous Australian soldiers who took part in the Battle of Beersheba and the Sinai-Palestine campaign are being called on to take part in an oral history project.  For full story click here.

Mormon Oral History

Oral histories are one tool the Church History Department uses to capture and preserve information, gain first-hand insight into historical events, and record the faith-promoting experiences and testimonies of members that would otherwise be lost. Also, when traditional records are inadequate, oral histories are a good way to fill in the gaps, said Matthew K. Heiss, an area manager of Global Support and Acquisitions in the Church History Department.  For full story click here.