Biographical essays on anyone deceased individuals "whose significant actions occurred during his or her residence within what is now the United States or whose life or career directly influenced the course of American history."
"Significance" includes achievement (superior
accomplishment as judged by contemporaries), fame (celebrity or notoriety), or influence (effect
on one's own time despite lack of public notice). Even some "ordinary" persons have been
included if they left autobiographies, diaries, or other artifacts that attracted posthumous attention.
Content (from http://www.anb.org/onlinefeatures.html):
- Over 18,300 biographies, including the 17,435 original biographies from the print edition
- New biographies added and others revised semi-annually -- including articles on recently deceased notables as well as figures from the past who were not subjects in the print edition
- Over 900 articles from The Oxford Companion to United States History provide historical and social context to the biographies.
- Over 2,500 illustrations with more added with each update
- Regular updates to the bibliographies
"Subjects included in the original print edition of the ANB had to have died before the end of 1995; the ANB Online will include future entries on important figures who have died since then. It will also fill in the historical record by adding biographies of influential figures who were not included in the print edition."
