Acta Diurna

The best-selling album of all times, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, has been added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress today. The disc, including the legendary singles “Beat it”, “Billie Jean” and of course “Thriller”, will be conserved for its cultural importance around the world.

Thriller was released on November 30, 1982 by Epic Records, produced by Quincy Jones. It became immediately a bestseller and finally reached the top among the best-selling albums with more than sixty thousand copies sold worldwide. Plus, seven out of the nine songs of the album became top10 singles in the United States of America.

Together with Michael Jackson’s album, twenty-four other recordings were also added to the National Recording Registry for their "cultural, historical or aesthetical significance". For instance, Harry Truman’s speech at the 1948 Democratic National Convention, Roy Orbinson 1964 song “Oh, pretty woman” and Ronald Reagan radio broadcasts between 1976 and 1979 received this honor.

In fact, the Library of Congress chooses twenty-five recordings every year to add to its registry. These must “reflect life in the United States” according to the Library’s rules. With this year’s selection, the registry reaches a total of 250 sound recordings.