Reference Shelf 2.8.05

The random little sources that you could find helpful one day. Or just enjoy because they’re, uh, enjoyable.
Mapquest is dead. A9 sold out to the OC. All hail Google Maps! Perfect for showing your editor that Illinois does, indeed, touch Kentucky.

Pretrieve, the free public record search engine (via Journalist’s Toolbox)
Who gave money to which campaign when? Via PoliticalMoneyLine (warning: this can be a time-sucker, especially when you start looking up exes and famous people.)
A military history encyclopedia on the web.
Writing one of those “On this day in history” pieces? This will make it a lot easier. Incidentally, here are some very famous people who share my birthdate: Heloise (i.e. the newspaper columnist known for her hints) Roy Clark Meherrin (from Hee Haw) Elizabeth Montgomery (from Bewitched)

Create a social media strategy, launch your campaign, and track the results in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. The online event and workshop will feature speakers including The Onion's Baratunde Thurston (left), Facebook's Morin Oluwole, and bitly's Tim Devane. Register now.