I would first like to thank Lisa Louise Cooke of the Genealogy Gems podcast for putting together the beautiful video below, available on YouTube. Take a minute to watch this video for an in-depth view of using this new tool, then continue reading for my thoughts.
As she demonstrated in the video, using the example of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, this experimental tool from Google can be used to learn more about events that surrounded your ancestors' lives. If you know that one of your ancestors participated in a specific event, or was affected by one, use the tool to learn more about that event.
At this point, it looks like only results from the New York Times archives and Wikipedia are provided. Obviously, as an original source, the New York Times articles are the most valuable. The New York Times was established in 1851, so many events since that date will find some coverage. One of its founders was a chairman of the Republican National Convention, which means that many issues and events relating to African-American history during the 19th century will be covered. I tried searching for a few events relevant to African-American history:
First, I searched for "emancipation," and in the box marked "Date," I specified "1865." Quite a few reports about the Emancipation Proclamation, and reactions to it, from contemporary New York Times issues were found and displayed.
I also tried a more specific event -- a tragic event during the Civil War -- the Fort Pillow massacre. By entering "Fort Pillow" and the date "1864," reports about the massacre and the subsequent congressional hearings appeared. But it also showed articles relating to Fort Pillow from as early as 1861! By putting the massacre in the context of earlier military actions in the area, one gains a little more insight into the battle that preceded the tragedy.
A third search, more broad and relating to the Reconstruction, was also conducted: "Freedman's Bank." The results here were a little disappointing, as it only brought results from 1874, when the Bank ceased operations. However, being able to read the original news about this event was still a great reward!
As mentioned, this tool is still in its developmental stage. However, I believe that in time, as more newspapers and other sources are added to the tool, this may develop into an amazing resource. Even now, the New York Times and Wikipedia entries are a great way to easily access sources online - both original and derivative sources. Having the two sources together is a bonus, as one can easily view and compare the contemporary opinions and reports with those of modern historians.
For more information:
Google New Blog: Introducing Google News Timeline (4/20/2009)
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