Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

Do Inuit languages really have many words for snow? The most interesting finds from our study of 616 languages

From The Conversation. For a bit of fun, try the Concepts across Languages tool.

Twisted Truth: Understanding Robert Carney’s Legacy and Confronting the Dangers of Denialism

The Strategic Exploitation of Conspiracy Theories by Populist Leaders

The hybrid meeting on Saturday, 12 April, focuses on the Society’s 30th Anniversary.

At 9 am, Nigel Lloyd and Sheila Dohoo Faure will give an introduction to the No. 1 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station Project.

Just over 10 years ago, BIFHSGO launched a new research project: transcribing the 879 World War I soldiers’ death records appearing in a diary maintained by chaplains at No. 1 Canadian Casualty Clearing Station. The diary’s information on these deaths was transcribed and added to BIFHSGO’s online Name Index. As a tribute to the centenary of WW I, BIFHSGO volunteers began writing biographies of the 879 soldiers. Nigel Lloyd will present the background and approach to this project, while Sheila Dohoo Faure will identify some of the more interesting soldier stories and present one soldier’s life.

At 10 am, Sue Lambeth presents the 30th Anniversary Spotlight on BIFHSGO’s research and projects.

She will describe initiatives undertaken over the past 30 years that highlight our collective achievements and the important work of our many volunteers. She will also reflect on how past and current initiatives are helping us to develop new innovative projects and connections with others.

Free to explore online until 8 May, Findmypast marks the upcoming 80 year anniversary of Victory in Europe by opening the 1939 Register.

For each person living in England and Wales (and some from the Isle of Man and Channel Islands), it typically includes: name, full date of birth, marital status, occupation, and address. Updates were made after 29 September 1939, mostly for name changes due to marriage.

Scotland compiled its own version not yet publicly available.

Two new military collections are now on Ancestry

UK, WWI Hospital Registers, 1915-1919

The collection is an index of 818,003 British military hospital records from the First World War, including admissions and discharges from facilities such as field ambulances, casualty clearing stations, hospital trains, and ships. While the records are index-only on Ancestry, they may link to original documents on Fold3 and Forces War, which may offer additional details like medical diagnoses, hospital names, and lengths of stay. The collection includes entries for both servicemen and servicewomen, including members of the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps and other wartime organizations. It also contains records for non-British individuals treated in these hospitals, including members of the Chinese Labour Corps. It includes nearly 5,000 Canadian service personnel.

UK, Recommendations for Honours and Awards, 1935-1990

An index of 348,129 military personnel recognized for gallantry or distinguished service in the British and allied armed forces. It includes recommendations, award lists, and London Gazette announcements for members of the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force. While the collection primarily covers post-1950 records due to archival practices, it offers valuable genealogical insights such as rank, service details, award names, and in some cases, narratives describing the actions that led to the award. The index is hosted by Ancestry, with access to original documents via Fold3 or Forces War.

These records, held at The National Archives in Kew, span a period marked by major global and regional conflicts. British forces were involved in events like the Spanish Civil War, World War II, Cold War-era conflicts in Asia and Africa, and later engagements including the Falklands War and Gulf War.

Two new large US databases are now on MyHeritage.

New York, New York City Air Arrivals, 1957- 1962
Created by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and related authorities to document the arrival of international airline passengers and crews. . The 3,911,129 records, with images, typically include the name of the passenger, date and place of departure, date and place of arrival, and the nationality of the passenger. Some records include the date and place of birth.

United States, World War II Draft Registrations, 1940-1947
This collection contains WW2 United States Selective Service System registrations. The 42,012,273 cards, indexed with AI,  include personal details such as names, birth dates, addresses, and occupations,

Miscellaneous items I found of interest during the week.

The pannotype mystery

Take a Media Vacation
Close your eyes and imagine you’ve travelled to a holiday destination. Do it without leaving home — skip the journey. Enhance the experience by listening to a local radio station via Radio Garden. There’s also TV Garden if you’d rather keep your eyes open.

Finding and Navigating the Old Maps of Ireland.

Ancestry updates Web: Quebec, Canada, Marriage Contract Index, 1761-1941 (in French). Now with 71,094 records.

GLAM Makeover at AO

See also https://ischool.utoronto.ca/news/a-glam-makeover-for-the-archives-of-ontario/. 

This initiative appears to involve presenting existing finding aids in a new visual graph format rather than any full-text digitization of records.

Thanks to Ann Burns, Anonymous, Brenda Turner, Chuck B., Teresa, and Unknown for this week’s contributions.

This March, the mean temperature in Ottawa was -1.0C; the OFA prediction was -2.5C, which is 1C warmer than normal.
SUCCESS

The OFA predicted 95 mm of total precipitation at Ottawa; 25 mm wetter than average. The actual was 73 mm, above the long-term average of 60.9 mm, and 22 mm less than predicted.
FAIL

Choose from selected free online events. All times are ET except as noted. Assume registration in advance is required; check so you’re not disappointed. Find out about a few more, mainly US events, at Conference Keeper.

Tuesday 1 April

 2 pm: Ottawa Virtual Genealogy Drop-in, from OGS Ottawa Branch.
https://ottawa.ogs.on.ca/events/virtual-genealogy-drop-in-2-2025-04-01/

2:30 pm: Ancestors Calling! Luck, Research and Science, by Judy Nimer Muhn for Allen County Genealogy Center.
https://acpl.libnet.info/event/13054168

7:30 pm: How DNA Can Reveal Truth – A Case Study, by Mags Gaulden for OGS Durham Region Branch.
https://ogs.on.ca/events/durhams-april-1st-virtual-meeting-how-dna-can-reveal-truth-a-case-study/

Wednesday, 2 April

7:30 pm: Breaking Through Brick Walls in Scottish Research, by Christine Woodcock for OGS Huron County Branch.
https://huron.ogs.on.ca/events/huron-branch-2/

Thursday 3 April

5 pm: DNA Meets the Paper Trail: Pedigree Triangulation Strategies for Early 19th-Century Research, by Diana Elder for
for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/dna-meets-the-paper-trail-pedigree-triangulation-strategies-for-early-19th-century-research/

7 pm: Solving Your Picture Problems, by Allyson Maughan for OGS.
https://ogs.on.ca/events/april-webinar-solving-your-picture-problems-allyson-maughan-2/

8 pm: GPTs for Family History: Unlocking the Potential of AI, by Andrew Redfern for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/gpts-for-family-history-unlocking-the-potential-of-ai/

Friday 4 April

4 pm: The Science Behind the Stories: Using Genetic Genealogy in Crime Fiction, by Nathan Dylan Goodwin for Legacy Family Tree Webinars.
https://familytreewebinars.com/webinar/the-science-behind-the-stories-using-genetic-genealogy-in-crime-fiction/

Saturday 5 April

10 am: Old Family Letters: A Genealogist’s Dream Resource, by Carol McIntosh Small for OGS London and Middlesex Branch.
https://londonmiddlesex.ogs.on.ca/events/london-and-middlesex-branch-old-family-letters-a-genealogists-dream-resource/

Looking Ahead
On Wednesday, 9 April at 7:30 p.m., Ken McKinlay will be the guest speaker for the Lakeshore Genealogical Society. His topic is Exploring Library and Archives Canada Online. Register at LGSregister@gmail.com a few days before the meeting to receive the Zoom link.

In what may be his most outlandish—and surprisingly cool—plan yet, Donald Trump has revealed the motivation for his audacious scheme to expand the United States’ borders by annexing Canada and Greenland. According to insiders, the underlying rationale is as unexpected as it is ambitious: a bold attempt to combat climate change by lowering America’s average temperature.

“Think about it,” Trump reportedly quipped while sporting a red parka at a press conference near the border. “With our current boundaries, it’s getting too hot. But with Canada and Greenland in the mix, our average temperature would drop—making America cooler, literally and figuratively. We’re not just making America great again; we’re making it cool again!”

Critics have been quick to point out that the logistical challenges of incorporating vast, frostbitten territories are as formidable as the challenges of halting global warming. Historical lessons—from Napoleon and Hitler’s icy misadventures in Russia to the grueling conditions in the Vietnam war—remind us that conquest is not a “mere matter of marching.” Still, the prospect of slashing temperatures has captured the imagination of climate skeptics and environmental enthusiasts alike.

Diplomatic experts warn that such a move might upset long-standing allies and disrupt trade in maple syrup and ice fishing charters, but Trump remains unfazed. “It’s a win-win,” he claimed. “We cool down the planet and make history simultaneously!”

Interestingly, Trump’s plan leaves out capturing the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, a victory the US Army may just be capable of achieving.

While many are laughing—and others shaking their heads—at what is undoubtedly an audacious April Fool’s joke, one thing is clear: this is a political stunt that even the polar bears might find chillingly humorous.

(Thank you ChatGPT)