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Chances are, you won't be poking through the stacks at the National Archives any time soon. But if you want a glimpse of the Federal Government's historical records, Digital Vaults gives you a curated view of 1,200 of the most impressive holdings. That includes gems like Swedish-born Greta Garbo's application to become a U.S. citizen and a document detailing Laura Ingalls Wilder's real-world little house on the prairie. Not looking for anything in particular? Then click on "shuffle records" to see hundreds of photos, documents, maps, artwork, video clips and audio files, dating from the 1800s to the present. Records are cross-linked by media type, time and theme, such as "Army" or "presidents." You can get lost here for hours — dusty, old documents have never looked so good.

—Anita Hamilton

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