Monthly Archives: May 2015
HISTORIC RESTORATION: HITHERTO UNDEVELOPED WW II FILM
Historical film collector, Levi Bettweiser, has restored 31 rolls of film taken by an unknown solider in WW II. http://www.boredpanda.com/rescued-photo-film-project-world-war-2-soldier-levi-bettweiser/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Newsletter
HISTORY CHALLENGE: ENDURING FICTIONAL CHARACTERS HUNT
My great-nephew is three today. At this point in time, his favourite fictional characters are Peter Rabbit and Thomas the Tank Engine. If three-year-olds cared about such things (which they don’t), he would doubtless be surprised to learn that they are both older than great-auntie. But the disobedient oryctolagus cuniculus and hard-working locomotive are not […]
HISTORY SHARE: IMMIGRANT POSTERS
With all the media resources available today, posters are probably not the most effective way of luring the masses, but in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, these served to attract immigrants to Canada. (You’ll notice none of them depict blizzards, floods, droughts, tornadoes, and the various other hazards of life here.) http://ocanadablog.com/2015/04/11/theyre-giving-away-land/
HISTORY TIDBIT: SIR NICHOLAS WINTON
In 1988, a woman came across an old leather briefcase in the attic of her home. Inside it were lists and photographs of the children her husband had brought out of Czechoslovakia in 1939 and placed in the keeping of British families. Most of the 669 children he saved were Jewish, and most were the […]
TRIVIA TRAIL: DANCE CONTROVERSY
Question: What European dance was considered vulgar when it was introduced into English ballrooms? Answer: The waltz, which made its first appearance in England on May 11th, 1812. Peasants had been waltzing in countries like Austria, Germany, and France for centuries, but it didn’t find favour with the higher born until the middle of […]
HISTORY TIDBIT: VE DAY
* Alfred Jodl signing Germany’s WW II surrender. Though war with Japan went on for several more months, the Allies were finally able to achieve Victory in Europe on May 7th, 1945. Official celebrations took place the very next day, and May 8th is now known as VE Day. My mother was up in Dundee, […]
HISTORIC CELEBRATION: JAPAN’S KODOMO NO HI (CHILDREN’S DAY)
Japan’s national holiday of Kodomo No Hi is a combination of Hina Matsuri (Girls’ Day, March 3rd), and Tango no Sekku (Boys’ Day, May 5th). On this day, Japanese families put koinobori (carp shaped streamers) up in their yards in celebration of children. The largest fish represents the father, the next largest the mother, and […]
Time Travelling With Kids 