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Help me better understand how any one in the past can have their exact words known. I am sure I am not the only doubter that thinks this way. In this case just how does one know these are the words Lincoln said.

Washington Adams Witherspoon anyone

Any reading that agrees with me?

Speeches were written beforehand, texts are stored in archive. This is a proven tech.

Alternatively, it was (and in justice courts, still is) to have people write down everything that was said. There are several techniques to write fast enough to catch every word of a fast speaker. It is called stenography, or shorthand. An almost lost skill nowadays.

Very much alive and kicking.

The local government here in Uruguay periodically makes calls for applications for Stenographers to work in the judiciary, at a locally very enticing wage, so lots of people train in shorthand, and you see ads on the street advertising shorthand training.

Heh, thanks for reminding me to kick my eurocentrism out of the way :-)

Yes, judiciary is still a user of that, and depending on the country they may not be allowed to use recorders. But before the time of cheap and light recorders, almost all secretaries in private companies used to learn steno to be able to take dictation at a natural speed. It was much more widespread at the time.