The Warren Commission Report or The Thrill of the Hunt

I was a weird kid. One of the nuances that stuck out early in my childhood was an interest in the JFK assassination. I don't remember any particular reason for taking an interest in the subject other than my refusal to agree with conspiracy theorists without what I thought was proof. Like I said...a weird kid.

When I was in 4th or 5th grade, back when doing research meant going to the library, I, by virtue of the Dewey decimal system, borrowed a copy of the Warren Commission Report. While my reasoning isn't particularly sound, I at that time was sure that with the use of my trusty magnifying glass I would be able to solve the mystery once and for all. I was under the impression that not many people analyzed this type of stuff and that if I could only get my hand on the Zapruder film or have time to sift through pictures from the Warren Commission report, I would get to the bottom of the case!

Well, I didn't make the ground breaking discovery, or at least there is nothing I am going to write about here, however, I did come across a fascinating story today that reminded me of my days as a young sleuth. Apparently, last december, some 5,000 images were digitized and made available from the Library of Congress. Upon what I expect were countless hours of scrolling through and examining images, John Richter, a historian found what many people now believe to be a previously unknown picture of Abraham Lincoln shortly before the Gettysburg address. I've included the picture which highlights the supposed President and his characteristic hat.

This renewed my hope that there is still much to be discovered. If simply by reviewing images made available from the Library of Congress with a keen eye one can make a discovery such as this, let the search continue!