Today marks seven years since the September 11th terrorist attacks. So in this edition of “What We’re Reading” we link to an article on the new memorial for 9/11 victims at the Pentagon, which is opening to the public today. We also point to the National Historic Trust for Historic Preservation’s review of the PBS film on the aftermath of 9/11, “Objects and Memory.” In other topics, we include an article about the lawsuit (of which the AHA is a part of) to preserve vice president Cheney’s papers, a look at the Mississippi Freedom Riders then and now, and a “fledgling historian’s” use of Google Maps to track Marco Polo.

• Memorial to 9/11 victims set to open at Pentagon
  News of the new memorial at the Pentagon, which opened to the public today, and will continue to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• PBS Special to Commemorate the Seventh Anniversary of 9/11
  The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s PreservationNation blog notes PBS’s film “Objects and Memory,” shown tonight to commemorate the seventh anniversary of 9/11.
• Lawsuit to Ask That Cheney’s Papers Be Made Public
  As mentioned in a blog post yesterday, the Washington Post covers the case over the preservation of vice president Cheney’s records. The AHA is a part of this lawsuit, along with the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, Stanley Kutler, Martin Sherwin, the Organization of American Historians, and the Society of American Archivists.
• Eric Etheridge: Breach of Peace
  A new book takes a look at the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders, juxtaposing their 60’s mug shots with their photos today, and recounting their histories over the past forty years.
• Indulgence and Sin
  A self-described “fledgling historian” uses Google Maps to track The Travels of Marco Polo. Each marker on the map shows more information and related pictures.

Contributors: Elisabeth Grant and Robert B. Townsend

This post first appeared on AHA Today.