For instance, Anne Frank, the preternaturally articlate Jewish girl who jounaled her travails as she and her family hid in the "Secret Annexe" from the Nazis in Amsterdam was given instant Copyright protection as she put her pen to paper beginning on Sunday, 14 June, 1942 to Tuesday, 1 August 1944, her last recorded jounal entry.  It is believed she died only a few months later after this last journal entry as she was captured and detained in a concentration camp. 

Therefore, in her case her copyright protection would begin from 1942 (actually depending from which day the jounal entry was written by her) until 70 years after her death.  Since it is believed she died either in 1944 or 1945 her copyright protection would last until approximately 2015. 

However, there is additional copyright protection for her father Otto Frank who further compiled her diary after her death.  Needless to say, Otto Frank survived his daughter Anne and lived until 1980.  Therefore, in Otto Frank's case, his copyright protection will last until the year 2050.

It should be pointed out that valuable works should be registered with the Copyright Office.  First, you must register a work with the Copyright Office before you can go to a courtoom.  And more importantly, registering your copyright will provide evidence of your ownership on the particular date in which you created it.  And there are also some other procedural and miscellaneous benefits which will accrue to the owner as well.