100 Years Ago: January 1915

[George Thomas Wilson]

This is the first of hopefully many month reviews of the National Geographic Magazine.  Over the past several years, I have been reading two NGM's per month: my latest issue and one from 100 years ago.  I have decided to write a brief review of the older issue to try to drum up interest in these "snapshots of time".  First up: January 1915.

As you can see from the cover, there are five articles in this issue; all with illustrations albeit black and white.

The first two articles are about Holland with the first being a photo-tour of the county "caught in the middle" of the great war.  The second article focuses on the City of Jacqueline and includes a brief bio of the town's namesake, the "Joan of Arc" of Holland.

The next article discusses earthquakes, tidal waves, and volcanoes in general and the survival of the author after being washed 2 miles inland by a tidal wave while aboard the U.S.S. Wateree in the aftermath of an earthquake in Peru.  The article notes that no link between eathquakes and volcanoes had yet been established (plate tectonics would not be established as theory until the 1960's).  Also of note in this article is the photo of the sole survivor of the eruption of Mt. Pelee on Martinique in 1902.

The next article discusses (almost celebrates) the end of the Cherokee Nation and the granting of full citizenship to the Indians.  It paints the government as a "guardian" but posits the question: Must the Indians remain a ward of the Government forever?

The last article is on a region of Europe that once was (and would become again) the country of Poland, its geography and its people.

On the last page there is a notice that the indexes for volumes XXVI and XXVII "may be secured by any member of the Society desiring them.

Happy New Year,

Tom Wilson

[Melvin L. De Vilbiss]

Thanks Tom - a very interesting read!

Mel

[Scott T. Shier]

Tom,

Interesting about Poland here; I'll have to pull this one and re-review this article. It's so fascinating to read these articles "in hindsight" so often, isn't it?

Thanks for the share. Look forward to more monthly installments. I love this kind of "100 years ago, 50 years ago...etc." postings. I had some for 2014 planned and didn't get them up in time. And 1914 was a very interesting year for the NGM and Society, as well as the world.

*Some interesting milestones were to be had for 1904, 1914, 1964, and 1984 in Society/Mag history. I'll still get to them sometime, but I've lost the special cachet of the '14, '64, '84 to 2014 cachet, haha.

    - Scott