Queen Latifah and Super Mario Bros. make history in National Recording Registry debut

Queen Latifah sings the National Anthem at the opening ceremony of the 2002 US Open at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Flushing, New York. (Gary M. Prior/Getty Images)

It's a year of notable firsts for the National Recording Registry.

One of the nation's most august collecting institutions, the Library of Congress, includes nearly four million sound recordings. Since 2000, the LOC has promoted its preservation work through the National Recording Registry.