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A diary is often the most personal of the three. They are often arranged by date and have space for you to write what has happened over the course of the day. Many diarists often think of their diaries as a special friend that they can confide to. For example, Anne Frank named her diary "Kitty. " She begins her entries with "Dear Kitty" so it as though she is writing to a dear friend that she can tell all of her secrets to. The naming of a diary has a unique psychological effect as it gives the writer a feeling of someone listening to his or her inner secrets and feelings.

The word diary itself is for the Latin word diarium or "daily allowance. " A diary tends to be more focused on daily thoughts and events, while a journal can be written sporadically. The "page a day" diary is popular amongst young girls and are often given as gifts. However, the diary goes back hundreds of years and one of the first most popular diaries belonged to Samuel Pepys. Pepys is known for making the diary more personal, while it had been more of a business notation in the past. Several books have been published from diaries as well. It is these diaries that have given us great insight and knowledge into history from all parts of the world.

A journal is a diary in a sense. It can be used to document life events like a diary, but it is not necessarily a daily activity. There are also several different types of journals that a person may keep. There are travel journals to document your various travels across your state, country or the world. There are workout journals that help to keep track of the type of workout you do and make comments on it.

Journals have also become popular in schools. Teachers often give students a writing prompt to get them started in their journal writing. Each week the students may write from the prompt and then share the journal with their teacher. These are excellent because they get children to think creatively and to learn to put their thoughts and feelings down on paper. This is an important step in teaching children to express themselves and communicate effectively through the written word.

A blog is another form of diary or journal, but it is one that is digital and on the Internet. These are often referred to as online diaries/journals or personal blogs. They may document your day-to-day experiences or even social commentary. Many people use personal blogs as a way to keep in touch with friends and family, as well as to share with them their thoughts and feelings on certain subjects. You may choose to keep your blog personal or to share it with the world. By sharing it with the public, you can open the blog up to personal comments from those who view and read the blog. This is unique to the blog and many personal opinions are common throughout the world of blogging, some are kind and others may be quite blunt.

One of the first online diaries or blogs was Claudio Pinhaneza's "Open Diary. " This was the first web site that was published in a diary format on a web page. This site was published in 1996 by the MIT Media Lab. Since, there were several different online diaries that popped up and now the web is full of them. There have also been several websites open up since then to allow people to have their own online journals and diaries. They are especially popular with teenagers and college students.

The blog has also changed the world in terms of marketing. In 2006, Entrepreneur magazine listed it as one of the top marketing tools of the year that can get your website noticed. Website promotion is a common hurdle in marketing an online business and because blogs are easy to set-up and use, they have become a popular way of sharing information and news with the online community.

One of the most famous diaries is that of Anne Frank. Anne Frank depicted her life in hiding during World War II through her personal diary "Kitty. " The diary described life with her family and four friends in Amsterdam during German occupation. As she and her family were Jewish, they were forced to hide in a hidden apartment.

The diary for which she is famous was given to her on her thirteenth birthday. The diary chronicles the life of her and her family from June 12, 1942 to August 1, 1944. The book was originally published by her father, Otto Frank, who returned to Amsterdam and found the book. The original title was The Backhouse: Diary Notes from 12 June 1942-1 August 1944. The book would later be published as The Diary of a Young Girl. The book has been translated from Dutch into several languages and has also been made into films, television movies, theatrical productions and an opera. Anne Frank accurately described every detail of what it was like to live under Nazi occupation in hiding.

Lewis Carroll, or Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was a famous author. He is best known for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. He is known for his unique word play, logic and unique fantasy tales. Dodgson kept several diaries, but there is some controversy over several diaries that have disappeared. These diaries are for the years 1858-1862. It appears that these pages of the diaries have been deliberately removed, but by whom nobody knows.

Many scholars believe that these pages were most likely removed by the family interest of hiding personal information that they did not want shared. This period of time seems to be between the ages of 22 and 32. One explanation is that during this time period, Dodgson had proposed marriage to the 11-year-old Alice Liddell. This Alice is believed to be the heroin in his famous children's story.

The diary of Samuel Pepys is one of the most important diaries in history. The diary is a personal record of his life and the writing indicates that it was never intended for publication. It is also apparent that Pepys took great steps to preserve the diary, as he had the pages bound into six volumes and then catalogued in his personal library.

The diary itself was written in shorthand. This made it a very unique record to transcribed, as it had to be translated from a key that Pepys provided in his personal library. The first to transcribe the diary into English was Reverend John Smith, whom did not know of the key to the shorthand. Pepys recorded ten years of his life. He was very honest in his accounts and documented everything from the women he courted to his friends and business dealings.

The diary also provides an accurate account of life in London in the 1660's. It was during this time that the city saw many catastrophes including the Great Plague of London in 1665 and the Great London Fire of 1666. The diary itself provides historians great insight to how people lived during the 1600s and how these events shaped the face of such a large and populous city.

Virginia Woolf was another famous diarist. She wrote numerous autobiographical accounts of her life. There have also been several personal diaries and letters published that give us a look at the life Virginia Woolf led. Woolf was an English novelist and writer who grew up in Kensington, England. She lived in a family comprised of children from three different marriages, as her mother and father were both widowed. She married writer Leonard Woolf in 1912 and often referred to him as the "penniless Jew. "

Virginia Woolf's diary was highly personal and documented each day. She documented days and feelings between her and her husband, who was also a writer. She began keeping a diary around the age of 15, around January of 1897. Her family often called her the "unofficial family historian. " Her diaries provide us with a view of the thought processes of such a provocative writer. You see how she feels and how she develops her characters. You also see that she was severely depressed later in her life and she provides great insight into how depression can affect life.

Most of the presidents kept diaries throughout their life and their term as president. We know this as we have several diaries from presidents including George Washington, John Quincy Adams and Thomas Jefferson. However, one unique diary belonged to President Harry S. Truman.

Truman would write notes and comments throughout the day. These may not have been official diary entries, but they are very poignant and show us how the president felt. According to Mr. President: The First Publication from the Personal Diaries, Private Letters, Papers and Revealing Interviews of Harry S. Truman, Thirty-Second President of the United States of America we are able to gain great insight on his day-to-day life, which is something that many Americans ponder about when they think of how a president lives.

Truman would write notes about each appointment he had during the day. After visiting with a public figure, he jotted down a comment stating, "This man not only wants to run the country, but the universe and the entire Milky Way. " Another note after an appointment read, "Baloney Peddler. " After having dinner at the Mayflower Hotel for Jackson Day Dinner, he wrote, "An enthusiastic meeting. My first political speech as President. Rang the bell, I believe. "

These quirky comments provide us with an insight on the daily life of a president, but they also show that they too are human and like to be recognized for their achievements as well. Truman was also known to write memorandum notes on a daily basis. He said that they helped to clarify his thinking and serve as notes for his studies and decision.

These unique accounts of historical diaries are yet another reason to keep a diary or journal. Although you may not be a famous writer, nor do you aspire to be one, but your journal may be an insight into life later on in history. Pepys' diary is an excellent example. He played no major role in history and was a simple businessman in the 1600s, yet his diary documented numerous events that changed London forever. His diary was one of the first diaries ever discovered. Truman's personal notes and comments give us a glimpse at the life of a president.

You may never aspire to be a famous writer, political figure or famous person of the sort, but it is possible that your personal journal could provide an insight on life one hundred years from now. Many people are not aware that historians seek the personal journals of individuals from the past. Journals provide us with a view of what a person felt and saw during this time period.

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