By Donna Scott

College is for expanding one’s intellectual horizons. Unfortunately, drinking and having fun can distract from learning about history’s great thinkers. From Mark Twain to Confucius, an educated individual should posses some knowledge of certain philosophers, artists and thinkers. Here are 25 great thinkers every college student should read, even if professors don’t assign them.

Western Philosophers

Western universities understandably tend to focus on Western philosophers and thinkers. Check out the works from these masters of Western philosophical thought.

1. Ralph Waldo Emerson: Emerson was an influential figure in the first recognized American school of philosophical thought. After marrying a wealthy widow, Emerson lived in relative comfort for most of his life, supporting other famous writes such as Henry David Thoreau.
2. John Stuart Mill: One of Britain’s most famous political philosophers, Mill was a member of Parliament who endlessly debated the nature of liberty and freedom.
3. Immanuel Kant: Kant’s work on the limitations and structure of reason shaped and influenced philosophical thought throughout the twentieth century. His "Critique of Pure Reason" remains a classic of philosophy and is taught in universities around the world.
4. Soren Kierkegaard: This Danish philosopher is one of the leading thinkers responsible for existentialism.
5. Niccolo Machiavelli: A must for aspiring politicians and wannabe despots, Machiavelli’s "The Prince" is the original guide to ruling an empire or corporate boardroom.

Eastern Thinkers

Eastern philosophies have proven influential on figures throughout history from Marco Polo to the Beatles. The sage wisdom offered by these Eastern thinkers still resonates with audiences separate by culture and time.

6. Confucius: A Chinese thinker and social philosopher, Confucius emphasized personal and institutional morality as well as justice and proper social relationships.
7. Avicenna: This Persian mathematician is perhaps one of the most widely known Muslim philosophers. His works discuss topics ranging from medical ethics to metaphysics.
8. Laozi: The philosophy espoused by this ancient Chinese philosopher eventually became the Taoist religion. Laozi has often influenced and served as inspiration for anti-authoritarian movements.
9. Siddhartha Gautama: Siddhartha was a price who gave away all his possessions to find a deeper meaning from life. After extensive fasting and meditation he achieved enlightenment becoming known as the Buddha. The teachings of this humble price have changed the course of history and philosophical thought.
10. D.T. Suzuki: One of the few modern members on this list, Suzuki is largely responsible for introducing Western audiences to Eastern religions such as Zen Buddhism.

Statesman

Polls show few people trust politicians. History tells a different story as great statesmen inspire courage and selfless action. These politicians are some of history’s great thinkers, speakers and individuals.

11. Winston Churchill: In his nation’s darkest hour, Winston Churchill served as a beacon of inspiration and support. Churchill’s writings and speeches are true testaments to the power of words.
12. Thomas Jefferson: Despite many hypocrisies from his actual life, Jefferson’s writings are beautiful tributes to the power of freedom.
13. Ataturk: The powerful, infamous Turkish leader responsible for ushering his nation into a modern era, Ataturk is a highly regarded figure from Muslim and Turkish history.
14. Mao Zedong: The leader of the Communist revolution in China, Chairman Mao’s impact on history is on increasing with time.
15. Nelson Mandela: After surviving 27 years as a political prisoner, Mandela became South Africa’s first black president beginning the healing process from decades of apartheid.

Writers and Artists

The creative representation of life presented by artists can be more truthful than anything presented by real life. These master writers and artists use characters, brilliant technique and artistic vision to boldly explore timeless questions.

16. Mark Twain: A genuinely clever wit, Mark Twain is best known for penning the classic, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Go beyond Twain’s best known works to discover a thinker centuries ahead of his Victorian time.
17. George Orwell: Modern audiences are often frightened by the remarkable foresight Orwell demonstrates in his writing. Indispensible phrases such as "big brother" and "doublespeak" were created by Orwell and are perfectly suited to modern society.
18. Gabriel Garcia Marquez: This Colombian writer focuses on themes of third world poverty and fantasy. His work is often based in history with elements of the fantastic brilliantly incorporated in the story telling.
19. Albert Camus: This French author brilliantly executed complicated existential philosophies into compelling narratives.
20. Khalil Gibran: This Lebanese philosopher, writer and painter was educated in the US before returning to his native land. Gibran’s 1923 book, "The Prophet" was extremely influential on 1960s counterculture.
21. Kurt Vonnegut: Zany, sharp and always funny, Vonnegut was one of the truly great science fiction writers of the 20th century. Even better, his works are extremely accessible and easy to read despite being a little whacky.
22. Gunter Grass: A German writer who won the 1999 Noble prize for literature, Grass writes literature exploring complex moral issues.
23. Marcel Proust: A brilliant French novelist, Proust’s most famous work contains over 2,000 characters over some 3,000 pages. No one could blame you for skimming the volume but the words from this genius are worth enduring.
24. Issac Asimov: One of the reasons for the popularity of science fiction during the 20th century, Asimov is best known for writing the "I, Robot" series.
25. Arthur Rimbaud: Rimbaud was a French philosopher that influenced the Beat Generation of American writers such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Something of a prodigy, Rimbaud produced his best known works in his late teens before giving up writing all together at 21.

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Starting in 1926 and expanded in 1976 to cover the whole month of February, time has been set aside to celebrate the lives and achievements of great African-Americans. Whether you want to educate children about important figures in the past or just learn a little more about a person whose life has inspired you, there are a number of great resources available to you on the Web. We’ve collected a few of them here to help you learn, celebrate and remember the contributions of African-Americans to our nation.

General

These sites address a wide range of historical topics and are a great place to start learning.

1. Black History.com: This site provides visitors with an encyclopedia of important information as well as a growing social network.
2. About.com African-American History: Learn some of the basics about African-American history from this About.com site.
3. African American World: This PBS site contains historical information, profiles of important figures, art and culture photos and media and much more.
4. American Legacy: Check out this magazine that’s dedicated to highlighting the achievements of African-Americans, both past and present.
5. The History Channel: Black History: Here you’ll be able to watch videos and hear speeches about the civil rights movement, memorable events and important figures.
6. CNN Black History Month: CNN provides this site on black history that contains a timeline, stories, important events and even a quiz to test your knowledge.
7. Black Facts Online: Need to find out some facts about important historical events in black history? Then visit this fact-filled site.
8. African American Odyssey: The Library of Congress has created this site to share some of it’s best resources on African-American history covering the history of slavery to the story of Jackie Robinson.
9. African-Americans .org: has a list of all notable/famous African-Americans, information on African-Americans in the Revolutionary War, and more.
10. Encyclopedia Britannica’s Guide to Black History: Give this site a read to find biographies, images, timelines and even important documents related to black history.

Blogs

These bloggers can help you get informed about black history month and important days in black history year round.

11. Black on Campus: This blog focuses on African-Americans in higher education, both in their struggle for equal opportunities in the past and their successes today.
12. Black Media Mine: Check out this blog for some great videos, music and photos covering the work of notable figures in the arts.
13. Discover Black Heritage: If you’re thinking of learning more about black history by traveling to historical sites then this blog is your best bet for great information.
14. This Day in Black History: Get a day-by-day guide to what happened in black history from this useful blog.
15. Every Month is Black History Month: Teachers and students alike will appreciate this blog that contains a number of resources on social studies and black history.
16. We Got Your Black: With sections on music, education and technology, this site can a a great resource for information about African-Americans today.
17. Black Sound History: If music is how you prefer to explore the past then don’t miss out on the information provided by this blog.
18. Jessica’s African-American History Blog: This blog contains profiles about some notable figures in African-American history.
19. Black History 4 Schools: Teachers looking for suggestions and information on black history should give this blog a read.
20. Black History Month Blog: Here you can find posts on important moments in black history.

For Teachers and Educators

Check out these sites for some great information and ideas on teaching lessons about black history.

21. NYISE Black History: The New York Institute for Special Education maintains this site which contains biographies as well as information on the civil rights movement and the Harlem Renaissance.
22. Patchwork of African-American Life: This AT&T site has collected information, lesson plans and technology to help you more effectively teach students about black history.
23. African American History Challenge: Quiz your students and yourself about black history with the history challenge on this site.
24. Black History Month Resources for Children: Check out this family friendly site for some great links to black history resources for your kids.
25. The Black History Calendar: Celebrate black history year round with this calendar.
26. Federal Resources for Educational Excellence: Black History: Put those tax dollars to good use by taking advantage of the educational resources offered by this government site.
27. Culture and Change: Black History in America: Scholastic has put together this great site on black history that can be a big help to teachers.
28. The Black Collegian: Teachers of upper-level students can use the articles on this site to help inform students about important figures in African-American history.
29. Education World: Black History: Here you can find activities like matching games, quizzes and some great source materials for teaching students.
30. Teaching Day-by-Day: Black History Month: Check out this site to find a guide to teaching black history throughout the whole month of February.
31. New York Times Black History Month: Teachers can make great use of this site from the New York Times as it contains a large number of lesson plans on race issues, civil rights, slavery and the harlem renaissance as well as quizzes and games for students.
32. Smithsonian Black History Teaching: Even if you can’t bring your class to the Smithsonian you can still make use of some of their resources with these great lesson ideas, calendars and encyclopedias.

Biographies

Read about important African-Americans in these online biographies.

33. Bio.com Black History: Here you’ll find a wide range of biographies for some important and well-known figures in black history.
34. Notable African Americans: Learn more about people like inventor Elijah McCoy or educator May McCloud Bethune.
35. The Life of Frederick Douglass: This site can help you follow along through the important events of Douglass’ life.
36. Marcus Garvey Life and Lessons: Check out this biography to learn more about this important figure in Jamaican history.
37. A Biographical Sketch of W.E.B DuBois: DuBois is remembered as one of the greatest figures in African American history and you can find out why from this biographical page.
38. Time Heroes and Icons: Jackie Robinson: Read this profile about Jackie Robinson from Time Magazine to find out why they named him one of their top heroes and icons.
39. Biography of Nelson Mandela: Find out about the impact Nelson Mandela has has on South Africa and the world on this site.
40. Official Website of Malcolm X: Here you can read all about the life, work and beliefs of Malcolm X.
41. Great African Americans You Should Know: Feel like you don’t know nearly enough about important African-Americans? This site can help fill in the gaps.
42. Biographies of Great African Americans: Pay this educational site a visit to learn about the stories of notable African-Americans.
43. Sojourner Truth: If you are familiar with her name but not what she did then read this biographical site.
44. African American Biographical Database: Here you can find a large number o biographies that can help expand your knowledge of history.

Topic Specific

If you’re seeking out information about a particular episode in black history, these sites can be a big help.

45. The African-American Migration Experience: Learn about the spread of people from Africa through the slave trade and after from this informative online exhibit.
46. Lynching and Race Riots in the United States: Check out this site from Yale to learn more about this sad chapter in American history.
47. Underground Railroad: National Geographic has put together a great collection of information in this online exhibit to help visitors learn more about the dangers and successes of the Underground Railroad.
48. MLK Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement: Here you can learn even more about the important contributions of MLK to the Civil Rights Movement.
49. Nat Turner’s Confession: If you ever wanted to know more about Nat Turner you can find it on this helpful site.
50. American Slave Narratives: Read the words of slaves themselves on this interesting and moving exhibit.
51. Eyes on the Prize: The site for this PBS series provides a great collection of documents, videos, profiles and more about the Civil Rights Movement.
52. History of Black Military Service: Learn about the contributions of African Americans to the military from the Civil War onward on this site.
53. African-Americans in WWII: Find out what role African-Americans played in WWII here.
54. Juneteenth Worldwide Celebration: If you’ve never heard of this celebration dedicated to the commemorating the end of slavery then check out this site.
55. Exploring the Life and History of Buffalo Soldiers: The government archives are a great place to learn more about the contributions of the buffalo soldiers to the US military.

Online Exhibits and Museums

These museums provide access to a number of great exhibits and resources about black history.

56. AFRO-America Online Museum: From resistance to slavery to the Million Man March, this site provides information, photos and more on a range of important events in African American history.
57. The African-American Mosaic: This free resource guide from the Library of Congress is a great place to learn more and see photos of the history of blacks in America.
58. National Civil Rights Museum: Explore the history of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States on this museum’s website.
59. Touchstone: Explore the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama through these photos provided by National Geographic.
60. The Meredith Mississippi March: Here you can find photos that document the historic march from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi.
61. Powerful Days in Black and White: Browse through the work of photojournalist Charles Moore to see images of the Civil Rights Movement in stunning black and white.
62. The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow: This PBS program’s site contains some great educational tools, maps, and stories to help you learn more about Jim Crow laws and their impact.
63. Civil Rights Movement Veterans: Pay this site a visit to learn more about the individuals who made strides in the Civil Rights Movement.
64. The African American Museum in Philadelphia: Check out some of the collections offered by this museum on this site or find out how to pay them a visit.
65. The Acacia Collection: This great collection, a portion of which is right online for you to look at, helps document important objects that detail the history of African Americans.
66. Association of African American Museums: Looking for a museum in your area that highlights African American history? Then check out this site to get more information.
67. Tubman Museum: Visit this museum’s site to learn more about the life and work of Harriet Tubman.
68. The Frederick Douglass Papers: This online exhibit provides access to some of Douglass’ personal writings and correspondence.
69. The Black Inventor Online Museum: Here you can learn all about the wonderful and innovative things we use everyday that were invented by African Americans.

Literature and the Arts

Learn more about and see the work of some African-Americans who’ve made a big impact on the arts from these sites.

70. Langston Hughes: Learn more about the life and work of this landmark poet from this Poets.org profile.
71. Rita Dove: A Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner, Rita Dove’s biography and a number of her writings are documented on this site.
72. Maya Angelou: Perhaps one of the most well-known poets of the 20th century, Maya Angelou has won numerous awards and critical acclaim for her work. Here you’ll be able to learn about the woman and her work.
73. Etheridge Knight: A noted member of the Black Arts Movement, Knight is well-known for his poetry and you read about him and his writings on this site.
74. Jacob Lawerence: This artist is exhibited in museums around the world and here you can not only learn a little more about him but also see the work that has made him so popular.
75. National Gallery of Art: The National Gallery of Art has created a special online collection to honor the work of African American artists on this site.
76. Traveling the Blues Highway: Following along in this picture essay that explores the history of the blues.
77. A BrieF Guide to the Harlem Renaissance: Learn all about the literary revolution that took place in Harlem in the 1920’s.
78. Jazz History: Find out more about the rich history of jazz music from this site.
79. National Museum of African Art: Pay this museum’s site a visit to learn more about African heritage in both historical and present-day works.

Archives and Research Centers

If you want to do a little research or some in-depth learning, these sites are great assets.

80. Amistad Research Center: This site is home to collections of art, historical records and loads of information that can help you if you’re researching or just learning for the fun of it.
81. The Black Archives: Focusing on the Midwest, this collection of information chronicles the experience of African Americans in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Oklahoma.
82. Princeton University Library: The Princeton University Library has a large collection of resources on African American history, and this site provides the information you’ll need to get in touch with librarians for research purposes.
83. Duke University John Hope Franklin Collection: This division of the Duke Library is a "repository for African and African American studies documentation and an educational outreach" and is named after a noted African American historian.
84. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History: You’ll find a large amount of information and an online exhibit about slavery, abolition and Gilder Lehrman on this site.
85. Harriet Jacobs Collection at Yale: Harriet Jacobs wrote the book Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself. This site is home to a collection of her personal writings and correspondence.
86. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: The New York Public Library is home to this collection, and provides a large number of digitized resources that anyone, not just NY residents, can use.
87. Teenie Harris Archive Project: Teenie Harris, a noted photographer, is highlighted on this site. Here you can check out his photos documenting not only his talent but the history of the Depression and the Civil Rights Movement.
88. Southern Labor Archives: From slavery to industrialization, this collection of documents is a great place to find information on work in the South.
89. The Dorothy Porter Wesley Archives: A lover of books and a librarian herself, Dorothy Porter Wesley is commemorated in this archive collection of manuscripts, speeches, papers, art and more.
90. Moorland-Spingarn Research Center: This research center is noted as being among the world’s "largest and most comprehensive repositories for the documentation of the history and culture of people of African descent in Africa, the Americas, and other parts of the world."
91. Freedom’s Journal: This newspaper was the first owned and operated by African Americans. Here you can read a copy of one and find out more about African Americans in printing.
92. Archives of African American Music and Culture: Check out the wide range of information offered by this site that covers African American music and cultural phenomena post-WWII.

Institutes and Organizations

These sites provide a range of information, assistance and history to visitors.

93. MLK Jr. Research and Education Institute: Stanford is home to this institute where you can read King’s papers and biography and listen to some of his inspirational speeches.
94. NAACP: This organization has played an important role in the battle for equal rights in both the past and present. Learn more about them from this site.
95. Association for the Study of African American Life and History: A list of resources about black history month wouldn’t be complete without a link to the organization that started it all. Read more about how the establishment of black history month came about and the work done by the group on the ASALH site.
96. Civil Rights.org: Find out how civil rights is being taken into the 21st century from this organization’s site.
97. W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African American Research: Check out this site to learn about the research being done by this Institute and how you may be able to get funding for your own work.
98. The Carter G. Woodson Institute: Carter G. Woodson helped found black history month and you can read about his personal accomplishments as well as the work done at his institute on this site.
99. Tolerance.org: This organization is all about teaching tolerance and acceptance to kids and adults alike so visit their site to take advantage of the resources they offer.
100. Center for Black Music Research: If you’d like to learn more about the research that’s been done on black music then this site is a great place to start.

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Researching on the Internet means working from home, viewing collections from around the world and stumbling across rare finds from somewhat obscure libraries or museums. But it also means linking to garbage, weird conspiracy theories, and even plagiarized material. To connect you to the best historical references, we’ve generated this list of 100 terrific sites that feature primary source documents, recordings, images and more.

Libraries

From the Library of Congress to university research libraries, these websites are packed with authoritative information.

1. The Library of Congress: The Library of Congress has a wealth of information available to the public online and in the library, mostly about American history and culture.
2. New York Public Library Archives and Manuscripts: Here you can search archives for full-text resources and more. If something isn’t available online, you can also connect with a librarian to find a similar match.
3. The John Adams Library at the Boston Public Library: This library project features full electronic cataloging of the entire John Adams Library collection, as well as typed transcripts and manuscripts, and a gallery exhibition.
4. The Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley: This unique library holds rare books, manuscripts and other primary sources, including 8 million photographs, 43,000 microforms and 23,000 maps.
5. The University of Chicago Special Collections: The school’s special collections library houses rare books, manuscripts, university archives and a special Chicago Jazz archive.
6. L. Tom Perry Special Collections at Brigham Young University: Find manuscripts, lectures, photographs, rare books and more pertaining to Mormonism, world history, literature, the American West and more.
7. Special Collections at Florida State University: Find rare Bibles from the 15th century, as well as one of the largest collections of Napoleon and the French Revolution in the U.S., including unique letters and journals from Napoleon.
8. Manuscript Reading Room: The Library of Congress’ Manuscript Reading Room features special collections, research tools, and information about preserving and collecting manuscripts.
9. Gelman Special Collections Research Center at George Washington University: This collection of primary sources includes documents and more relating to African American history, labor history, media and journalism, and more.
10. Harvard University Special Collections: Harvard’s Special Collections range from topics like theology, science, art and more.
11. Bibliotheque Sainte-Genevieve: Here you can access one of the most important collections of rare books and manuscripts from the Middle Ages.
12. British Library: The British Library features a "help for researchers" page, which lets you narrow down your search by topic, time period and resource type.
13. Trinity College Library, Dublin: This library is home to the Book of Kells and many other artifacts and archives.
14. The National Library of Ireland: The National Library of Ireland boasts a special collection that features documents and manuscripts that go back almost 1,000 years.
15. LSU Special Collections: Special collections found at the LSU library include a rare books collection, natural history collection and The Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections.

Museums

Here you can visit The Smithsonian, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and more, without having to buy a plane ticket.

16. The Smithsonian: Find everything from original art and design pieces to science, technology, American history and more.
17. The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art: Find original designs from the late 18th century to the modern era, including shoe buckles, lace capes, bonnets, shoes and more.
18. American Museum of Natural History: Read about the research projects undertaken by curators at this famous museum and view permanent collections of iridescent gemstones, the Audubon Gallery and more.
19. Natural Museum of American History: This museum’s online collections include information and resources pertaining to American invention, history and pop music.
20. Tokyo National Museum: Find original works and copies of Chinese rubbings, calligraphy, archaeology and more.
21. Lyrical Legacy: Here you’ll find poems and lyrics and music to songs like Yankee Doodle, Battle of Bunker Hill, Sonnet to Liberty and We Shall Overcome.
22. A Selection of Web-Accessible Collections at Harvard University: Find daguerreotypes, botanical images from Eastern Asia, Chinese rubbings, and a lot more from this Harvard collection.
23. American Memory: Browse topics like government/law, cities/towns, African American history, maps, or literature to find digital files.
24. Smithsonian Folkways: The Smithsonian’s tribute to the sound of culture, this collection features archives American singers, history makers and more.
25. Online Resources for Music Scholars: The Harvard College Library includes primary sources including music theory texts, Medieval and Early Modern music, and more.
26. Music Primary Sources: The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign has tips and resources for music researchers wanting to use the Sousa Archives’ Collection.
27. York University Oral History and Audio-Visual Materials: This Canadian university library has recordings about slavery, American advertising, Canadian history and more.
28. Motion Picture Films and Sound and Video Recordings: The National Archive’s online collection of video and sound recordings can be found here.
29. Lists of Highlights of Recordings of LBJ’s Telephone Conversations: Listen to highlights of LBJ’s telephone conversations with high-profile icons like Jackie Kennedy and Henry Kissinger from the 1960s.

Art History

These art history websites include the Yale University Art Gallery, MoMA, and more, covering British art, Asian collections and others.

31. Museum of Modern Art: New York’s MoMA features an online collection of architecture and design, photography, books, paintings and more.
32. Louvre: One of the most famous museums in the world, the Louvre has databases for atlases, prints and drawings, and more.
33. Yale University Art Gallery: Yale’s eCatalogue can be searched to find works housed in the gallery.
34. Smithsonian Archives of American Art: Listen to oral history interviews and browse the collections here.
35. Artists’ Paper Register: Find archives about artists and designers from British collections.
36. Western History and Genealogy: The Denver Public Library: View images from early Colorado history here.
37. Victor and Albert Museum: View images from their architecture, fashion and jewelry, contemporary, furniture and Asia collections, plus others.
38. Explore Art: The Getty Museum: The Getty Museum’s website features a collection overview and lets you browse artists, subjects, acquisitions and types of art.
39. British Museum: View samples from each of the British Museums galleries, including Americas, Africa, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Rome, the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
40. Worcester Art Museum: Search by artist, genre, or place of origin to find important paintings from Early America here.

U.S. History

These websites boast large collections of U.S. history primary documents, including cultural archives, politics and diaries.

41. American Folklife Center: Find recordings, publications, special collections and more archives relating to American history.
42. The National Security Archive: Find original, though declassified, national security documents and recordings at the George Washington University library here.
43. Colonial Williamsburg: The official site for the Colonial Williamsburg museum and center features online exhibits too.
44. Archiving Early America: Find primary sources related to Colonial America, George Washington and more.
45. Civil War Primary Documents: This teachers’ guide has a wide range of links to primary sources like The Militia Act, orders from Abraham Lincoln, and other letters, literature, diaries and more.
46. Teaching with Documents: Lesson Plans from The National Archives: Find primary U.S. history documents and lesson plans for The Great Depression and World War II, the American Revolution, postwar United States, and Contemporary United States.
47. Core Documents of U.S. Democracy: Access The Bill of Rights, the Constitution, The Federalist Papers, Gettysburg Address and more.
48. Texas Heritage Online: Find online versions of historical documents relating to Texas history.
49. DocSouth Collections: UNC Chapel Hill Library: Access digitized versions of exhibitions and collections like "The First Century of the First State University" and "The Church in the Southern Black Community."
50. Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database: Search voyage databases, and the African names database to learn more about the slave trade between Africa, Europe, Brazil, the Caribbean and North America.

The Classics and Ancient History

These sites have uncovered primary source materials from Ancient Egypt, Rome and Greece.

51. EuroDocs: Get transcriptions and translations of historical documents going back to ancient and prehistoric Greece, Cyprus and more.
52. Perseus Digital Library at Tufts University: Find ancient texts and art, including those found in the new Arabic Collection.
53. Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: From Israel to Mesopotamia to Rome, find ancient texts and documents here.
54. Hanover Historical Texts Project: Find ancient European texts, texts from Africa, The Middle East and more.
55. The Latin Library: Read Persius, Ovid, Livy, Cicero, Augustus and others in their Latin text.
56. MAVORS: The website for the Institute for Ancient Military History offers samples of Ancient Roman army documents and equipment.
57. The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt: View selected objects and take a virtual tour to see ancient artifacts from Egypt.
58. Ancient-Greece.org: View maps and photographs of Ancient Greek temples, theaters and more.
59. Primary Texts: Washington State University: Primary Texts about Ancient Roman history include selections from The Jugurthine War and others.
60. Timeline: Ancient Rome: Read timelines and translations of original Roman texts like "The Rape of Lucretia."

Birth and Death Records

Look up birth, death, marriage and divorce records here.

61. Vitalrec.com: Look up birth certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees and more.
62. Ancestry.com: At Ancestry.com, you can find historical records about the military, immigration and more.
63. National Center for Health Statistics: Here you can search birth, death, marriage and divorce records by state.
64. Podunk: This UK site searches birth, marriage and death records.
65. Public Record Finder: Find public records by state.

Search Engines

Use these search engines to help direct you to the best information out there.

66. iResearch Reporter: Find the most valuable search results from this site, which is designed to save you time during large projects.
67. Google Scholar: Find scholarly material to sort through to make your search more efficient.
68. Google Patents: Find original patents here.
69. American Memory: This tool from the Library of Congress lets you browse by topic, too.
70. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: View images, search the databse and more.

Newspapers and Periodicals

These newspaper and periodical archive sites can go back a few hundred years.

71. LC Newspapers: Browse current newspapers and archived papers on microfilm from the Library of Congress here.
72. Newspapers and Periodicals: Search from The Times in England, plus many newspapers in the U.S.
73. Newslink: Search by state, type, or topic.
74. NewspaperARCHIVE.com: This database has over 1 billion articles and goes back 240 years.
75. Google News Archive Search: This search displays your results by time period, making it easier to categorize your findings.
76. Access: Sign up to use this tool via a public library or K-12 school to access newspapers between 1759-1977.
77. News Library: Search by state, and even save your search history and favorite articles.

Census

Read original census reports from as far back as the 1700s.

78. Census and Voter Lists: Search U.S. federal censuses from the 1700s, 1800s and 1900s.
79. U.S. Census Bureau: Go directly to the U.S. Census Bureau for historical information.
80. Census Records: The National Archives explains how to find census records from libraries, websites or directly from the Archives.

Government and the Presidents

Here you can find documents, recordings, public papers, photos and more pertaining to Congressional legislation, the Constitution, the JFK assassination and more.

81. U.S. Copyright Office: Find registration information, restored copyrights and more for music, art and more.
82. THOMAS: THOMAS is the Library of Congress’ federal legislation research tool, that has information about bills and resolutions, presidential nominations, treaties, and more.
83. The American Presidency Project: Access public papers, sound recordings, election material and more for presidents like John Quincy Adams, FDR and George W. Bush.
84. The National Archives: Gain access to the presidential libraries and obtain copies of historical documents. You’ll find photos from World War II, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, Louisiana Purchase, and even Elvis’ letter to President Nixon.
85. C-SPAN: Find Congressional legislation, documents from the President and Supreme Court decisions here.
86. POTUS: The Internet Public Library’s POTUS page has audio and video files, election information, historical documents and more, pertaining to all 43 presidents of the United States.
87. National Security Council: Read speeches and access documents from the National Security Council here.
88. The White House Proclamations: Read all the proclamations issued by the current President here.
89. FBI Freedom of Information Act: Check out the Reading Room Index to access FBI declassified documents.
90. The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection: Search the JFK Database and JFK Collection Register for photographs, artifacts and more.

Immigration

Verify or discover immigration records from these sites.

91. Immigration and Emigration: Search New York and Boston passenger lists from the 1820s-1950s here.
92. Ellis Island Free Search: Search by ship or by passenger name to find immigrants who passed through Ellis Island.
93. Immigration Records: The National Archives explains its lists of immigration records from Louisiana, Philadelphia and more.

Miscellaneous

This collection of primary source history sites includes the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, historical recipes and a lot more.

94. The Teaching With Primary Sources Program: College teachers can find information about finding and using primary sources here.
95. Veterans and their Families: The National Archives sends records of veterans to next of kin only. This page also includes online historical military documents.
96. Internet History Sourcebooks Project: Access historical texts regarding topics like science, Islamic, African, Byzantium and more.
97. Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute: This Stanford Institute has many speeches and papers online.
98. Historical Recipes of Different Cultures: Find original recipes, supplemented by helpful conversions, from Ancient Rome and Medieval Europe.
99. Calisphere: This website is "a world or primary sources and more." You’ll find themed collections about the Gold Rush, The Great Depression and more.
100. Letters from America’s Wars: Read original letters written during American wartime "ranging from the Revolution to the war in Iraq."

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