Tag Archives: Aviation

10th Annual (?) Year in Review (100 Years Later): Round 1

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By Aaron Boyes and Sean Graham It’s hard to believe that this year marks our 10th year of the Year in Review (100 Years later) bracket. We could not have imagined back in 2013 when we wrote the first bracket that this would actually become an annual event (hence the question mark in each year’s title), but that little joke… Read more »

History Slam 203: Flying to Extremes

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https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/History-Slam-203.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham If you read any edition of the Year in Review (100 Years Later) series, you’ll notice that I, to the great frustration of my co-author Aaron Boyes, insist on including advancements in aviation each year. There is something that I find completely riveting about flying – that we can get into… Read more »

9th Annual(?) Year in Review (100 Years Later)

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By Aaron Boyes and Sean Graham It’s that time of year again where we get together and use the incredible power of hindsight to look back on the events of 100 years ago. In the past we have used this space to note the struggles of the current year and hope for better in the new year, but the past… Read more »

Year in Review (100 Years Later): Winners at War

By Aaron Boyes and Sean Graham Welcome to the First Decennial(?) Year in Review: Winners at War (100 Years Later) bracket. In 2013, we had an idea to do a recap of 1913. The idea came out of our frustration with the annual recap columns that declared winners and losers, often before the year is even over. As historians, we… Read more »

Year in Review (100 Years Later): The Incredible 1912

By Aaron Boyes and Sean Graham For the past 7 years, whenever we have convened for another installment of the Year in Review (100 Years Later)™, we have, for the most part, have enjoyed the process of selecting the top 16 items to include in the bracket. While most years have an easy top 10-12 things, there is always some… Read more »

Annual Year in Review (100 Years Later): Physical Distancing/Bored At Home Edition

By Aaron Boyes and Sean Graham Remember December? It was only 4 months ago, despite how long ago it feels. When we convened for our Annual(?) Year in Review (100 Years Later)™ we wrote that 2019 had been “a slog” and that “consuming news this year has rarely left us with an overwhelming feeling of optimism.” Then 2020 came along… Read more »

Sixth Annual(?) Year in Review (100 Years Later)

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By Aaron Boyes & Sean Graham Every time you open a new tab you are bombarded with “Best [TV, sports, news, etc.] Moments of 2018!” At this time of year, it’s unavoidable. While some lists are appropriate – such as the worst sports ?blunders of the year, or best dressed of the year – others require some more time to… Read more »

“Deeply regret to inform you”: War and Loss in the Trapp Family

By Mike Bechthold The loss of a loved one during the First World War was often conveyed by a telegram beginning with the life-altering preamble, “Deeply regret to inform you….” This simple piece of paper heralded the deaths of sons, fathers, husbands, and brothers leaving families to pick up the pieces.  Rudyard Kipling, writing of the loss of his son… Read more »

Marjorie Stinson, the Flying Schoolmarm

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By Liz Millward On December 4, 1915 Joseph Gorman of Ottawa graduated from the Stinson Flying School at San Antonio, Texas, and returned to Canada in order to sign up with the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). He was the first graduate for twenty-one year-old Marjorie Stinson, the instructor who taught him to fly in the record time of two… Read more »