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Sound recordings in the collection include original 78 rpm discs (12-inch and
16-inch) and analog tape reels (10-inch). The tapes were duplicated from the
original discs as a preservation copy by the Library of Congress Recording
Laboratory in 1995. Broadcast over the Mutual network, Famous First Facts was an interview program with occasional historical dramatizations.
Persons interviewed included, among many others, Frank E. Vanderhoof, author of
the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933; Anna Jarvis, founder of Mother’s
Day; J. Searle Dawley, an early motion picture director; Mahonri Young, sculptor
and grandson of Brigham Young; W.C. Handy, musician; Simon Lake, inventor of the
modern-day submarine; Julia C. Stimson, first woman major in the Army Nursing
Corps; S.S. McClure, cartoonist; G. Robert Vincent, collector of recordings of
famous people; Thomas J. Valentino, creator of recorded sound effects; James
Brendan Connolly, medal winner in the 1896 Olympics; Horace M. Albright,
conservationist; Glenn L. Martin, airplane designer and builder; Louise Arner
Boyd, polar explorer; and William L. Murphy, inventor of the Murphy bed. |