See First Known Use: 1603
What is the National Archives?
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever.
Those valuable records are preserved and are available to you, whether you want to see if they contain clues about your family’s history, need to prove a veteran’s military service, or are researching an historical topic that interests you.
The World Digital Library is a project from the United Nations, the US Library of Congress, and libraries and archives from all over the world. It makes primary material freely available online to promote intercultural understanding. The sites is currently hosted and maintained by the US Library of Congress and there are libraries and national archives in more than 40 countries that contritute.
ar·chive noun \ˈär-ˌkīv\