Sunday, December 31, 2017
The Halifax Millennium Markers, part one
In the lead-up to the year 2000, Halifax, the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, launched a campaign to celebrate the area's rich history and look forward to the future.
Tourists could visit markers at important historical sites throughout the area, and the Board of Tourism printed up a pamphlet featuring a map with all the markers.
I was able to take pictures of one of the pamphlets at Halifax's huge public library while I was on a cruise through Boston, Maine, and parts of Canada over the summer, and shall host its entire contents on the Millennium Museum.
The opportunity to take pictures of this book literally fell into my lap while I was wandering around Halifax waiting for a Titanic-themed excursion. At the time of finding out about it, I had about a half-hour until I had to get back to port and get on the coach bus. There are about sixteen pages in the book, and, being strapped for time, I had to get as much of it as I could. If an image turned out blurry but readable, it would have to do.
Tourists could visit markers at important historical sites throughout the area, and the Board of Tourism printed up a pamphlet featuring a map with all the markers.
I was able to take pictures of one of the pamphlets at Halifax's huge public library while I was on a cruise through Boston, Maine, and parts of Canada over the summer, and shall host its entire contents on the Millennium Museum.
The opportunity to take pictures of this book literally fell into my lap while I was wandering around Halifax waiting for a Titanic-themed excursion. At the time of finding out about it, I had about a half-hour until I had to get back to port and get on the coach bus. There are about sixteen pages in the book, and, being strapped for time, I had to get as much of it as I could. If an image turned out blurry but readable, it would have to do.
Reflections and resolutions.
Back when I first had the idea for the Museum, I didn't think it would be anything more than a place where I could post whatever I owned from the turn of the millennium and say "Look at this! Isn't this cool?" with a couple of sentences.
That it would eventually become a pretty in-depth look at the Millennium phenomenon didn't even cross my mind in those early days. It's been quite an adventure, going to flea markets and swap meets and long-forgotten corners of the Internet, finding and reporting on some pretty unusual things, developing artwork and designs...
Even though I'm starting to run out of ideas, it's something I don't want to let go, not while there are still new insights to share. Running the place has kind of stopped being fun, though, and I want to reintroduce that early sense of fun from 2012-2014.
Look forward to seeing all of you in 2018!!!!!!
That it would eventually become a pretty in-depth look at the Millennium phenomenon didn't even cross my mind in those early days. It's been quite an adventure, going to flea markets and swap meets and long-forgotten corners of the Internet, finding and reporting on some pretty unusual things, developing artwork and designs...
Even though I'm starting to run out of ideas, it's something I don't want to let go, not while there are still new insights to share. Running the place has kind of stopped being fun, though, and I want to reintroduce that early sense of fun from 2012-2014.
Look forward to seeing all of you in 2018!!!!!!
Friday, December 22, 2017
Five years old already!
Wow! It's hard to believe that the Museum has already hit its fifth anniversary!
Here's to many more years of Millennium collecting and research!
Here's to many more years of Millennium collecting and research!
Wednesday, December 13, 2017
The World Almanac For Kids: Millennium Edition
It's almost the end of December and the beginning of January. For those of a certain age, that can only mean one thing: A new semester of school is about to start.
If you were going to school in 2000, this book would probably have been very helpful.
If you were going to school in 2000, this book would probably have been very helpful.
I got this book in about 2015 or so at the Evergreen Park Public Library's annual book sale, and never got around to posting it until now.
Believe it or not, the information in this compact volume doesn't date too badly. It could still be pretty useful; the only stuff that really dates is the list of U.S. Presidents, certain exchange rates, and the entire sports section.
The most interesting part of the book is at the very beginning. It's a prologue of sorts, a "Millennium Primer," if you will. There's a little bit about the so-called MillenniumFR1CK1N' N3RD Bug problem, a section on how other countries would ring in the big event, a timeline of things that happened in 1900/1901 (one hundred years prior) and 1950/1951 (50 years prior), and a little thing called "Predicting the Future: Correct or Incorrect?"
This bit contains some hilarious eye-openers: When Dr. Edward Jenner invented the cowpox vaccine in 1796 (not "smallpox" as the book says), naysayers of the time erroneously believed that the vaccine would "cause people to grow cow-like features." As you might expect, their prediction turned out to be udder nonsense. Still, a few people had a cow about it, and, though there was a moovement against Dr. Jenner's efforts, nothing ever took hold.
It also mentions--cough--Nostradamus' predictions about the French and Russian Revolutions, and lists them as "correct." I always say: Any prediction, whether it's Nostradamus' writings or your weekly horoscope in the newspaper, can be applied to anything as long as it's vague enough.
The final part of the "Millennium" subsection features fifty major events from the past 1,000 years. (Part of my resolutions for the new year is to finally finish the Time Millennium book.)
The list contains all the usual stuff: Leif Ericson discovers Newfoundland around 1000 A.D.; Genghis Khan invades China in 1211; Christopher Columbus discovers the New World in 1492; Declaration of Independence signed in 1776; Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier in 1946; Soviet Union collapses in 1991.
It's nothing more than a series of one-line descriptions in chronological order, but it's worth a look for trivia night at the bar.
After that, the book continues as a normal kids' World Almanac would.
Believe it or not, the information in this compact volume doesn't date too badly. It could still be pretty useful; the only stuff that really dates is the list of U.S. Presidents, certain exchange rates, and the entire sports section.
The most interesting part of the book is at the very beginning. It's a prologue of sorts, a "Millennium Primer," if you will. There's a little bit about the so-called Millennium
This bit contains some hilarious eye-openers: When Dr. Edward Jenner invented the cowpox vaccine in 1796 (not "smallpox" as the book says), naysayers of the time erroneously believed that the vaccine would "cause people to grow cow-like features." As you might expect, their prediction turned out to be udder nonsense. Still, a few people had a cow about it, and, though there was a moovement against Dr. Jenner's efforts, nothing ever took hold.
It also mentions--cough--Nostradamus' predictions about the French and Russian Revolutions, and lists them as "correct." I always say: Any prediction, whether it's Nostradamus' writings or your weekly horoscope in the newspaper, can be applied to anything as long as it's vague enough.
The final part of the "Millennium" subsection features fifty major events from the past 1,000 years. (Part of my resolutions for the new year is to finally finish the Time Millennium book.)
The list contains all the usual stuff: Leif Ericson discovers Newfoundland around 1000 A.D.; Genghis Khan invades China in 1211; Christopher Columbus discovers the New World in 1492; Declaration of Independence signed in 1776; Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier in 1946; Soviet Union collapses in 1991.
It's nothing more than a series of one-line descriptions in chronological order, but it's worth a look for trivia night at the bar.
After that, the book continues as a normal kids' World Almanac would.
The Museum's fifth anniversary is next week!
Yes, it's hard to believe: The Millennium Museum is already five years old!
I'm off work next Friday, so I'll use that time to design a logo to commemorate the event.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, everyone!
I'm off work next Friday, so I'll use that time to design a logo to commemorate the event.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)