Historical Mysteries lead to More Questions

I love a good “who-done-it”. I am a big fan of Murdoch Mysteries. I enjoy how the show melds early forensic techniques, history, and humour into an entertaining hour.

I am also a history geek so I find the show often leaves me with questions. Did Timothy Eaton really hold inventor fairs? When did the Black Hand come to North America? In the case of “Who Killed the Electric Carriage?” I wanted to know how much was fact and how much was fabrication. Did Henry Ford race his combustion engine against an electric car? 

I am not concerned if they played with the historical facts to make a good story but it would enhance my viewing experience to know what was fact, what was extrapolation, and what was fabrication. As a writer, I want to know what was the inspiration for the plot. It would be interesting, for me, to know if the plot was inspired by true events found in an old newspaper or a family story.

I quite often end up doing some research after an episode. I would love it if the creators of the series added a historical references page to their website; links to historical newspapers and online exhibits, etc.

For more thoughts on historical research join me Tuesday, October 16th, 2012 @ 7pm-9pm at the
Golden Ears Writers Lobby Night at the Maple Ridge Arts and Culture Theatre (The ACT).
There is no charge for admission.

Coming to a mail box near you

British Columbia History Fall 2012 Vol. 43.3

The Fall issue of British Columbia History is at the printer and should be heading to mailboxes and bookstores soon.

Jennie Korsnes in Stanley Park, BC. circa 1929.

Jennie’s Journey to British Columbia
by Ingrid Buschmann and Noreen Buschmann Jacky
Nineteen year old Jennie Korsnes travelled alone from Aalesund, Norway to Barnet, British Columbia in 1927. She wrote enthusiastically about her new life in Canada.

Lt. Col. Eric Parker Tibetan Collection at MOA
by Ann Poole
Family mythology created a desire for Ann Poole to know more about her grandfather, Eric Parker, and how his journey is captured at the UBC Museum of Anthropology.

Toil and Trivia — A Newspaper Editor’s Life
by Vern Giesbrecht
Vern Giesbrecht recalls his time as a journalist and editor of a weekly newspaper; the long hours, too much criticism, not enough praise, and relentless deadlines.


The Fringe: 1201–1299 West Georgia
by Bruce Dyck
Each year, the British Columbia Historical Federation offers two W. Kaye Lamb Scholarships for student essays relating to the history of British Columbia. Bruce Dyck is the winner of the $750 prize for a student in 1st or 2nd year  university or college in British Columbia.

Come on, Jayo; We’re Cheering for You
by Ken MacLeod
John Oliver High School, for many years the largest high school west of the Great Lakes, celebrates its 100th Anniversary on September 21 and 22, 2012.

Archives & Archivists
by Shannon Bettles; edited by Sylvia Stopforth
Shannon Bettles, Heritage Records Manager for the Chilliwack Museum and Archives, talks about the archives renovation project that has given many of us facilities envy.

Book Reviews

Miscellany

Cabinets of Curiosities
by Rosemarie Parent
Rosemarie Parent of the Arrow Lakes Historical Society, tells the tale of the Siamese pig in her grandfather in-law’s unique collection.

Mr or Mr.; BC or B.C.? abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms.

I have noticed a trend recently towards writers dropping the period on abbreviations. No longer is it Mr. or Dr. but Mr and Dr; P. D. Smith has become PD Smith and so forth. I have wondered if this is a trend, laziness, or self-correcting software gone mad.

I decided to go to the source — the Chicago Manual of Style.

According to the Chicago Manual of Style:

• an acronym is a term based on the initial letters and read as a single word (scuba, NASA, AIDS);
• an initialism refers to terms read as a series of letters (UBC, NHL, HTML);
• and a contraction (not the apostrophe kind) is an abbreviation that includes the first and last letters of the full word (Mr., amt., Dr.).

So that seems straightforward enough but, of course, there are exceptions. What about XML (extensible markup language), or JPEG, or ©, or FAQ?

According to Grammar Girl:

Finally, there's no strict rule about putting periods after each letter in an acronym or initialism. Some publications put periods after each letter, arguing that because each letter is essentially an abbreviation for a word, periods are necessary. Other publications don't put periods after each letter, arguing that the copy looks cleaner without them, and that because they are made up of all capital letters, the fact that they are abbreviations is implied.

 The Chicago Manual of Style, however, recommends the following:

1. Dr., a.m., Mr., Ms., vol., rear Adm., Esq. — essentially abbreviations that end in a lowercase letter should have a period.
2. Given names should use periods: P. D. Smith; unless, and here it comes, it replaces the whole name: JFK.
3. No periods for abbreviations that appear in full capitals even when there are lowercase letters within the abbreviation. Here are some examples to help clarify things: CEO, BA, US, BC, PhD.

As always, it depends on the style guide of the publication. Traditional publications will use U.S.; the British and French omit the periods on contractions (Dr, Mr). The US military omits periods for the official forms of its ranks but there are variations within branches. SSG for an army staff sergeant; SSgt for the air force and marines.

Are you thoroughly confused now?

There are more rules to do with science and technology, biblical abbreviations, units, business, and so forth.

How do you feel about it all? Is it something that you are diligent about? Are you thwarted in your attempts by your software program indicating you have grammatical errors? Do you think it matters?