Genealogy This Week - 20 February 2010
Our weekly compilation of interesting new tools, resources and stories for genealogists:
Take the Genealogy In Time™ Date Test – Genealogists deal in dates. We have birth dates, marriage dates, death dates and a variety of other dates. So, do you think you know how to say a date? Take our test. Say the year “1840” out loud. Now say the year “1910” out loud. Do you see a pattern? Try one more. Say “1999” out loud. Chances are, you said “eighteen forty”, “nineteen ten” and “nineteen ninety-nine”. Why? Because it is easier, faster and shorter to say “nineteen ten” than it is to say “one thousand, nine hundred and ten”. Got it? OK, now say “2010”. Did you say “two thousand and ten”? Why did you say that? You should have said “twenty ten”. Our point is that we have been saying our dates wrong. Where did we develop the habit of saying “two thousand and ten”? We should be saying “twenty ten”. Remember, you heard it first at Genealogy In Time™. Pass the word.
Identify the Language – This free site is a real gem. Have you ever come across a snippet of text in an old letter or document and you are not sure of the language? This is where LangID comes in. This great little site will take any text and analyze it to tell you what language it was written in. The site will even translate the text for you into English. Very useful. [Link]
The Great Genealogy Microfilm Giveaway – Do you live in the UK or have ancestors from the UK? Then do we have a deal for you. The UK National Archives is giving away for free their microfilm collection. Apparently, they don’t need it anymore now that everything has been digitized. The microfilms are going to be given away in batches. Included are all the microfilms from the 1841 to the 1901 census as well as many other great genealogy collections. The microfilms will be given away by lottery. You can enter your name by email. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any genealogist. Hurry, you have only until March 5th to apply! [Link]
Test Your Internet Speed – Here is another very handy little site that is absolutely free. It will test the speed of your internet connection with a very intuitive speed dial. This site can be very useful when you complain to your internet service provider about slow internet connections. [Link]
Check Your Computer Stats – Here is our third cool internet site for the week. This free site will tell you your computer’s screen resolution, operating system, IP address and several other useful statistics. [Link]
Build a Runway, Destroy a Cemetery – We hate to see headlines about cemeteries being destroyed. Unfortunately, these types of headlines are all too common. This week, it is Chicago’s O’Hare Airport that wants to ‘relocate’ 1,200 graves to make way for a future runway. Ughh! [Link]
Secrets of King Tut Revealed – King Tutankhamen is one of the best-known Egyptian pharaohs. Millions have seen the exhibition of the boy-king’s mask and heard the rumours of his untimely death. Now, detailed DNA tests released this week have revealed that he likely died of malaria. But that is not all. King Tut had a club foot. He also had two children who died at child birth. As well, his mother and father were brother and sister. It appears that sibling marriages were common among pharaonic royalty (see Did Cleopatra have African Ancestry?). [Link]
