On this day in 2003, the first group of 50 recordings was selected for the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. Each year, a new group of recordings is added to the Registry. 50 were selected for each of the first four years, and 25 were selected each year after that; there are now 450 recordings in the Registry. Recordings are chosen for their cultural, historical, or artistic significance, and for how well they reflect or inform American life. Recordings must be at least ten years old to be considered for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.

The first fifty recordings chosen reflect the diversity of the National Recording Registry's selections. There are historic early recordings made by Thomas Edison; 1890 field recordings of the Passamaquoddy Indians; historical events such as the description of the Hindenburg crash and Franklin D. Roosevelt's "fireside chats;" and radio entertainments (Orson Welles' The War of the Worlds and Abbott & Costello's "Who's on First?").

The largest category of recordings in the National Recording Registry is music. Individual songs, albums, and concerts are eligible for inclusion in the registry, and today, we highlight three musical selections from that first class of National Recording Registry selections. The accompanying texts are from the Registry citation for each selection.

	Songs for Young Lovers, Frank Sinatra (1954) Frank Sinatra's Capitol Records "concept" album is filled with American song standards and rich arrangements by Nelson Riddle. This album demonstrated a mature and confident Sinatra who transcended his earlier popularity as a favorite of bobbysoxers. (available for streaming at Hoopla)
	Philomel: For Soprano, Recorded Soprano, and Synthesized Sound, Milton Babbitt (1971) Milton Babbitt's "Philomel" was commissioned by the Ford Foundation for the noted soprano Bethany Beardslee. It is an outstanding example of an early synthesizer composition. (available for streaming or download at Freegal)
	"The Message," Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five (1982) Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five was a pivotal group in the early days of rap, developing crucial aspects of the genre. Their 1982 hit, "The Message," is significant because of its focus on urban social issues--a course followed by many later rap artists. (included on the album The Message, available for streaming at Hoopla)