Oral History Queensland Inc
The “Memory Man”, Rob Mitchell is going on tour. He is a great oral historian using his memory box to trigger memories for senior citizens. Everyone should get a copy of his excellent book. There’s a link to his website in the article which you can read here.
Just over three decades ago, delegates at the Association of Cinematograph, Television and Allied Technicians expressed concern that their colleagues’ experience, memories and insight was disappearing as they retired. As a result, they decided to form a history project to ensure those voices would continue to speak for generations to come. Read story and find website link here.
Read the story and watch video about the dust bowl that affected farmers during the American Depression. There’s a link to an oral history about it and information about a book. Click here for more.
“The astronomical community marked the passing of former NASA Chief of Astronomy Nancy Grace Roman earlier this week. Roman, who founded the agency’s program for space astronomy in 1959 and played a central role in planning and developing the Hubble Space Telescope, was the first woman to hold an executive position at NASA.” For full story, including link to oral history click here.
The notorious Bengal famine of 1943, which killed an estimated 35 million, many people sought a home in the Sunderbans in general and K-Plot in particular. Most of them were from Midnapore district, which was the worst affected. Turns out many of these famine survivors managed to give both tide and time a slip and are still around to tell their olden tale. Read full story here.
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.
Documentary has been made about nightlife options for African Americans in Saigon during the Vietnam War. For full story click here.
Professor Elizabeth Loftus explains why we can’t always trust our own mind. Read more and watch video here.
“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.
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.