Internet Accuracy Project's roots date back to the mid-1980s, when we found an increasing amount of our research time diverted by numerous errors in print. Dismayed by the sheer number of errors contained in major reference sources, we brought many of the errors to the attention of the authors, while offering corrected data. While most were appreciative of the help, thousands of volumes containing the errors remained in circulation. While the Internet has had a positive and most profound effect on the manner in which the public does research, it has also brought about the unfortunate widespread dissemination of erroneous data contained in many of the aforementioned reference books.

Internet Accuracy Project was founded early in 2005, to bring errors in popular reference books to the attention of the general public, while supplying corrected data. We're also dedicated to the presentation of thoroughly-vetted educational materials and classic literary works, entirely free of charge.

Not at all. Inaccurate information in a publication makes it less credible. The overwhelming majority of publishers wish to convey accurate information to the public, and are usually grateful to rid their publications of errors. We're always polite when pointing out erroneous information to any publisher or author. Being courteous and respectful (and offering detailed, authoritative correction data) is key to successfully prompting a correction.

Many libraries regularly obtain the latest editions of the reference books they carry. But some households retain their almanacs and encyclopedias for many years -- in some cases, even decades. Unlike a reference website, such as Wikipedia, where an error can immediately be corrected by users, thousands of older volumes containing the errors that we highlight, remain in circulation. That's the reason we continue to call attention to those errors.

Visit our page of U.S. Postal rate increases for details on that subject.

Frequently asked postage and mail questions covers many other common Postal Service inquiries. Our page of U.S. postage rates, and our comprehensive list of U.S. Postal Service mail holidays - UPS holidays - FedEx holidays may answer other postage and mail holiday questions you have.

Toward the bottom of each page, you'll find the date it was last updated or expanded. Look for the phrase, "This page was last updated . . ." in the last line of text.

Visit latest updates for information on those pages that were most recently updated and expanded. For any other announcements, or the latest news about changes to the site, you can visit our blog.

The text of the poems, stories, and ebooks we present are in the public domain in the United States. But the website and website design are covered by copyright. Additionally, all other materials at the site are covered by copyright.

This is the result of there often being an immediate cause of death, such as heart failure, and a long-term cause of death, such as cancer. The immediate cause of death is always listed first, followed by the long-term cause of death.

Some of the classic works by African-Americans at our site:
A collection of Short Poems by African-American Poets
"The Wife of his Youth" by Charles W. Chesnutt
"The Passing of Grandison" by Charles W. Chesnutt
"O Black and Unknown Bards" by James Weldon Johnson
"The Creation" by James Weldon Johnson

Although he wasn't African-American, we do have several anti-slavery works by John Greenleaf Whittier:
"The Hunters of Men"
"Massachusetts to Virginia"
"The Slave Ships"
"Toussaint L'Ouverture"

We sincerely thank you for considering us when donating your unwanted books.

We no longer need any works by the following authors: Ambrose Bierce, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning, William Cullen Bryant, Robert Burns, Bret Harte, O. Henry, Oliver Wendell Holmes, John Keats, Rudyard Kipling, James Russell Lowell, Guy de Maupassant, John Milton, Edgar Allan Poe, James Whitcomb Riley, John Greenleaf Whittier, and Oscar Wilde.

NOTE: You'll save a substantial sum over standard USPS shipping charges if you ship your unwanted books via Media Mail with the U.S. Postal Service.

Visit our contribute used books page for complete details. Generally speaking, biographical reference books, biographies, autobiographies, and older volumes of poetry and short stories would be most helpful.

Many older volumes are now in the public domain--meaning that no one owns a United States' copyright for these works. This allows us to present these stories and poems to the public, at no cost. Share your love of classic literature with the world by giving any volumes of older poetry or short stories you no longer have use for.

No. We only offer books, short stories and poems that are in the public domain. Their work is not in the public domain, and will be covered by copyright for several decades.

1900 and 2100 are not leap years. Any year evenly divisible by four is a leap year, except centesimal years (years ending in two zeros) which are considered common years and thus have the typical 365 days, unless they are evenly divisible by 400. Therefore, 1600 and 2000 are leap years, while 1700, 1800, 1900 and 2100 are not.

We do not endorse any political party, group or politician -- We never have, and never will.

Any almanac or encyclopedia is better than none at all. Even though we specifically cite errors in them, we still highly-recommend The World Almanac and Book of Facts and the Time/Information Please Almanac. If you're looking for more in-depth information, and have a little more to spend, the Encyclopædia Britannica and the Collier's Encyclopedia, are both fine choices. Better yet, add more than one of the above reference books to your home library so you're not reliant on any one source. Since many almanacs and encyclopedias are now available on DVD or CD-ROM, they're even more helpful, handy, fun, and contain far more features than ever before.

In most cases, when biographical data is found to be completely contradictory, we conduct original research utilizing source documentation, such as birth and/or death records, to conclusively resolve the discrepancy. Yes, we are cognizant of the fact that even these documents sometimes contain errors, and always confirm the data they contain with birth certificates, baptismal certificates, birth announcements, school records, military records, death certificates and/or coroner's reports. Firsthand accounts of births or deaths are used in rare cases.

Information on additional source data utilized in our research can be found in most of our biographical profiles. Additional information on each error correction can be found by clicking on the link at the beginning and/or end of each entry.

Information on sources can be found on our source information/references page, and is also addressed to a lesser extent on the individual biographical and autobiographical sources and references page.

Understand that we must be able to independently verify all errors. To avoid repetitious submissions of preexisting error corrections, please check errors in reference books to ensure we haven't previously addressed the error in question. If you verify that we have yet to tackle the error, please contact us with your information. Thank you in advance.

Many readers are understandably irritated by typographical errors in novels, but consider for a moment all those individuals who rely on reference books, almanacs, encyclopedias and other non-fiction works in their daily work. Unlike a publishing mistake found in a novel, the errors found in almanacs, textbooks and reference books have a costly effect on the businesses, students, researchers and other individuals who count on their accuracy. Errors in educational materials, while common, are simply unforgivable. Literally millions of man-hours are wasted as a result of erroneous data contained in reference sources.

While most publishers take their responsibility to deliver accurate publications seriously, others are quite lax in their fact checking. Publishers argue that they can't possibly check the validity of every last fact, and thus cannot be expected to deliver error-free publications every time. But this does not justify the sheer number of inaccuracies contained in their reference books and websites. In fact, leading online encyclopedias (some of which you must pay to access) actually have disclaimers and provide no warranty as to their accuracy.
Admittedly, editorial perfection in the publishing industry is virtually unattainable at this point in time.

The origin of the faulty data, be it the result of research oversight, deliberate falsification, or simple typo, is irrelevant. Regardless of whether the author, editor or publisher is ultimately to blame for the errors, the erroneous data exists, and must be addressed to prevent its further dissemination.

Absolutely. Consider contributing used biographies, autobiographies, reference books, and older volumes of short stories and poems you no longer have use for.

If you're a scholar with a passion for accuracy, check out our volunteer link for more info.

As an all-volunteer organization, Internet Accuracy Project cannot rely on huge marketing budgets or extensive promotional campaigns. If you like what we're doing, and find the information we present useful, please take a moment to spread the word about us. Let your friends and family know about Internet Accuracy Project's great features, or link to our site from your webpage, blog or website. Word of mouth is a crucial component to our success.

If you have extra items on hand, such as a PDA, books, office supplies, postage, old computer equipment, etc. and would like to help support our organization, we would welcome them.

You can also help spread the word. If you have the ability to share information about Internet Accuracy Project in any media source, we would certainly appreciate your efforts.

If you find value in the work we do, please link to this site from your webpage, blog or website. Alternatively, consider recommending us to your friends and colleagues. Thank you in advance!