Tag: history

The saga of WD-40

[podcast]https://edwardwillett.com/wp-content/upLoads//2009/07/WD-40.mp3[/podcast] For as long as I can remember, we’ve had WD-40 around our house, and I’m quite sure I’m not alone in that experience: most houses contain a can somewhere. But I’d never really thought about it, or even why it was called what it’s called, until this week, when I read the New York …

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It’s my birthday, and I’ll blog if I want to

Yes, today marks the completion of 1/20th of my first millennium. Or half a century. Personally I prefer the first formulation. And, yes, today is also the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. My tenth birthday present, and what a terrific present it was. I remember watching the coverage on our little black …

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R.I.P.: the girl who named Pluto

[podcast]https://edwardwillett.com/wp-content/upLoads//2009/05/the-girl-who-named-pluto-rip.mp3[/podcast] Three years ago I wrote a column about someone I was astonished I’d never heard of until that week: Venetia Phair (née Burney), at the time an 87-year-old retired schoolteacher in Epsom, England. At the age of 11 Venetia suggested the name Pluto for what was then (and for many decades after) considered the …

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Surveying technology

[podcast]https://edwardwillett.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/surveying-technology.mp3[/podcast] I’m working on a history of the Saskatchewan Land Surveyor’s Association—and, as with everything I work on, learning stuff I never knew before. In this case, stuff about the technology of surveying. The ancient Romans did pretty well using just three simple instruments: the groma, the chorobate, and measuring rods. The groma consisted of …

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Page proofs of my book about the Bounty mutiny arrive

I received the PDF page proofs of one of my upcoming children’s non-fiction books, The Bounty Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie, from Enslow today. That’s the title page. It’s part of a series called Famous Court Cases That Became Movies–among the others in the series are books dealing with the Amistad mutiny …

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The First World War Memoirs of Sampson J. Goodfellow, Part 37: Home to Canada

I’ve been posting the First World War memoirs of my grandfather-in-law, Sampson J. Goodfellow, a few pages at a time. Coming soon: the whole thing, compiled into a single ebook. I’ll keep you posted! (Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7. Part 8. Part 9. Part 10. Part …

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The First World War Memoirs of Sampson J. Goodfellow, Part 36: Officer in Charge

I’m posting the First World War memoirs of my grandfather-in-law, Sampson J. Goodfellow, a few pages at a time… (Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7. Part 8. Part 9. Part 10. Part 11. Part 12. Part 13. Part 14. Part 15. Part 16. Part 17. Part 18. …

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The First World War Memoirs of Sampson J. Goodfellow, Part 35: The Canadians Trash the Joint

I’m posting the First World War memoirs of my grandfather-in-law, Sampson J. Goodfellow, a few pages at a time… (Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7. Part 8. Part 9. Part 10. Part 11. Part 12. Part 13. Part 14. Part 15. Part 16. Part 17. Part 18. …

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The First World War Memoirs of Sampson J. Goodfellow, Part 34: Post-War Rail Strike

I’m posting the First World War memoirs of my grandfather-in-law, Sampson J. Goodfellow, a few pages at a time… (Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7. Part 8. Part 9. Part 10. Part 11. Part 12. Part 13. Part 14. Part 15. Part 16. Part 17. Part 18. …

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The First World War Memoirs of Sampson J. Goodfellow, Part 33: Back on Duty

I’m posting the First World War memoirs of my grandfather-in-law, Sampson J. Goodfellow, a few pages at a time… (Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7. Part 8. Part 9. Part 10. Part 11. Part 12. Part 13. Part 14. Part 15. Part 16. Part 17. Part 18. …

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The First World War Memoirs of Sampson J. Goodfellow, Part 32: The Curious Case of the Steam Engine at the Zoo

I’m posting the First World War memoirs of my grandfather-in-law, Sampson J. Goodfellow, a few pages at a time… (Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7. Part 8. Part 9. Part 10. Part 11. Part 12. Part 13. Part 14. Part 15. Part 16. Part 17. Part 18. …

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The First World War Memoirs of Sampson J. Goodfellow, Part 31: Revisiting Boyhood Haunts

I’m posting the First World War memoirs of my grandfather-in-law, Sampson J. Goodfellow, a few pages at a time… (Part 1. Part 2. Part 3. Part 4. Part 5. Part 6. Part 7. Part 8. Part 9. Part 10. Part 11. Part 12. Part 13. Part 14. Part 15. Part 16. Part 17. Part 18. …

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