According to the National Home Study Council, these distinguished men are three of the millions of Americans who studied through correspondence education, or distance learning - a nontraditional form of education that goes as far back as before the American Revolution.
Distance learning - being educated through mediated information and instruction by using technology and other forms of learning at a distance - began in a time when educational opportunity was a rare commodity. However, this form of correspondence study didn't receive formal government recognition until the late 1800s, when New York authorized the Chautauqua Institute to award degrees via home study instruction.
In the century that followed, significant steps were taken in advancing home study. These developments included creating curriculums for distance-learning programs to follow and incorporating the most up-to-date technology.
In turn, research indicates that correspondence students perform just as well as their classroom counterparts. Over the past 100 years, home study enrollments in the U.S. have grown from a few hundred per year to more than 3 million annually.
"If you are 18 years or older, online education is the best way to get your high school diploma and not sacrifice social, family or work commitments," said Jerome Polvay, president of Careertel, an organization that represents the Liberty High School Diploma Program. "A high school diploma will open doors for your future and help you achieve your dreams for a better tomorrow."
The Liberty High School Diploma Program provides educational home study for adults looking to gain a high school diploma.
