Evelyn Berezin, a computer scientist who designed the world’s first word processor, has died at the age of 93. In addition to revolutionizing how the world writes, Berezin also developed the first computer system for making airline reservations — and an automated banking system, a weapons-targeting calculator and gambling terminals for horse tracks, according to the BBC. Read the full story with a link to her oral history video recording here.
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African Americans in Vietnam War
Documentary has been made about nightlife options for African Americans in Saigon during the Vietnam War. For full story click here.
The fiction of memory
Professor Elizabeth Loftus explains why we can’t always trust our own mind. Read more and watch video here.
Memory Loss and Identity
“Our memories and the stories we tell about our lives form the basis of our sense of self. If a brain disorder damages memory it’s not clear what remains of the person left behind. A neurologist from the UK explores memory and identity through the moving stories of her patients.” From ABC Radio National, for more click here.
What was your Christmas like?
This holiday season, if the family dynamics start to get a bit … complicated, take a break by becoming an oral historian. We’ve got one question ready to go: Ask your relatives to describe the menorahs or the Christmas trees of their childhood. See full story here.
New Zealand Oral History Podcasts
Launched in late 2018, the New Zealand Society of Authors (NZSA) Oral History podcast delves into the organisation’s archives, sharing authors’ stories of ‘fighting institutions, government—and sometimes, each other—to advocate for writer’s rights’, according to host Karyn Hay. The podcast ‘is an inside look at surviving as a writer and the battles NZSA authors have fought on behalf of all writers in Aotearoa’, said podcast producer Elizabeth (Libby) Kirkby-McLeod. She spoke to Books+Publishing for our ‘podcast spotlight’ series. Read full story here.
Record your family history
Many people have pieced together their own family tree. But how much do you really know about the early lives of your living relatives, especially those with decades of stories to share? To learn more, take the time to talk during family gatherings over Thanksgiving and the holiday season. And make sure to save that oral history for future generations: Record and preserve it with a multimedia digital archive, with video or audio, or with both. Here are five simple steps to get you started. Read full article here.
1938 Kindertransport
One of the UK’s most significant child rescue efforts began on December 1, 1938: the Kindertransport. Read full story here.
Papua New Guinea Museum
Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said “(It) is a breathtaking monument to Papua New Guinea’s rich cultural heritage, and importantly, it improves considerably the public’s access to this stunning collection of artefacts. Modern technology expands its reach, the oral history website, interactive audio visual voices from the war exhibition. And I want to put the High Commissioner on notice. The next time I’m back, I needed enough time in the programme to have enough time to go through the oral history exhibition and the voices from the war. One of the reasons is that my father served in PNG.” For full story click here.
Saudi Oral History
The Oral History Center of the King Abdul Aziz Foundation for Research and Archives (Darah) has archived around 6,000 interviews with Saudi nationals past and present, said the Saudi Press Agency. The Saudi Oral History Center was established in 1997. It was the third of its kind in the world, after the United States and Britain. Read full story here.