"The sciences are the 'how,' and the humanities are the 'why' — why are we here, why do we believe in the things we believe in. I don’t think you can have the 'how' without the 'why.'"
- George Lucas
Since 1965, the NEH has opened new worlds of learning for the American public with noteworthy projects such as:
Seven thousand books, 16 of which have won Pulitzer Prizes, and 20 of which have received the Bancroft Prize
The Civil War, the landmark documentary by Ken Burns viewed by 38 million Americans
The Library of America editions of novels, essays, and poems celebrating America’s literary heritage
The United States Newspaper Project, which cataloged and microfilmed 63.3 million pages of historic newspapers, paved the way for the National Digital Newspaper Program and its digital repository, Chronicling America
Annual support for 56 states and territories to help support some 56,000 lectures, discussions, exhibitions and other programs each year