From the Trenches of WWI to the Hundred Acre Wood

Did you know this about Ernest Howard Shepard, the man behind the charming original illustrations for Winnie the Pooh?

Forgotten History: Ice Delivery in 1918

From a fascinating collection of colorized vintage photos comes this great image. Caption: "'Girls deliver ice. Heavy work that formerly belonged to men only is being done by girls. The girls are delivering ice on a route and their work requires brawn as well as the patriotic ambition to help.' September 16, 1918. Original black and white photo by American Unofficial Collection of World War I Photographs, 1917 - 1918, colorized by Dana Keller."

Frozen.

This Day In History: November 11, 1918

History in Photos: WWI German Pilots

The Kaiser's boys enjoy a drink while they can.

Quote of the Day: Remembering WWI

Apparently a kerfuffle has arisen over how to commemorate "the Great War."  The Germans and the Brits are not quite seeing eye to eye.  As food for thought, I give you a thought by a British history professor at Oxford:

“I understand Germany’s position. There is no virtue in offending Germany. But if we are going to honest to the history of this war from a British perspective, then it can’t all be about waste and futility. A lot of people fought and died thinking it was worthwhile. We need to respect what those motivations were. It’s not about being triumphalist, or even necessarily celebratory. It is about acknowledging that when the war ended there was a victory. The allies thought it was pretty important and would have been pretty disastrous if they had lost it.”

World War I in Photos: the Walter Koessler Project

Here's a fantastic and very personal photo project:

As I was getting ready to leave home after Thanksgiving, almost two years ago, my mom said she had something to show me. She pulled out a big black photo album from under our coffee table, casually laid it out in front of me, and blindsided me with the most meaningful, wonderful project I have ever undertaken.This is my great-grandfather Walter Koessler’s photo album from when he was an officer throughout all four years of World War One.

... My family has also saved a box of about a hundred more stereographs that show WWI in 3D. I’ve since found that my grandma saved hundreds of the original negatives from both the album and the stereographs, and they’re practically pristine. It’s a formidable, and frankly somewhat intimidating collection. Nearly a hundred years later, it seems almost impossible that these things have been kept in such great condition, and I’m so grateful my family has let me take charge of it.

Finally, I think I’m prepared to start the process of scanning and sharing them here. I hope you’ll find it as fascinating as I do.

Just as noteworthy: great-granddad Walter was a German officer, so we get a rare personal glimpse at the other side in its daily life. Do take a look for yourself at http://wwiphotos.tumblr.com/

The Post-WWI Map That Ruined the Middle East?

Cartography matters: thoughts from a PhD candidate in international relations at Georgetown.  The collapse of the Ottoman Empire opened a Pandora's Box.

The History of Veterans' Day

Enjoy the day, thank a vet, and recall the history.

Nerd News: Meet This WWI History Buff

This Brit takes being a history buff to a different level entirely.  Amazing.

A Little Historical Perspective on July 4

More Thoughts on Bombing Auschwitz

I'm pretty sure I've blogged about this before (though I can't seem to find the actual post since apparently I'm a blithering idiot today), but here's a new iteration: "Politicians, Historians, and the Holocaust."

History Lesson: 100 Years in 10 Minutes

This is an interesting compilation, though I do take issue with the fact that the selection is often desultory and that it focuses too much on the negative and does not include enough mention of humanitarian, scientific, medical, artistic, and other forms of achievements.  (No, mentioning the founding of Greenpeace does not count.)   It's so pessimistic, complete with the depressingly doom-tastic soundtrack.  I also found it a little odd that the founding of Israel in 1948 was not included, even though this moment in history is hugely important both to supporters and opponents.  Well, still, whoever made this took the time and effort to do this, so props to them.  Maybe I should make my own video.

Book Reviews: 5 Excellent War Memoirs

Read up, my fellow history buffs!

History Lesson: World War I Archives Go Online

Here is fitting news for Remembrance Sunday: 400,000 documents from WWI are going online.  More here:

History, Mangled and Not: Gavrilo Princip's Sandwich and Start of World War I

Fascinating.