Then and Now

A Fellow Named Pulitzer

2017-04-11T11:02:00-05:00

Readers paging through volume 6 of the first edition of The World Book Encyclopedia, published in 1917, could learn a bit about an ambitious Hungarian immigrant by the name of Joseph Pulitzer. Pulitzer became one of the greatest American newspaper publishers in history. Yet today’s readers may wonder why there is no mention in the article of the famous annual prizes that bear his name.

As the 2017 edition of World Book explains, Pulitzer died in 1911. In his will, he provided $2 million for Columbia University in New York City to establish a graduate school of journalism. Pulitzer specified that after the school had operated for at least three years, prizes should be awarded for the advancement of education, journalism, literature, music, public morals, and public service in the United States. The Columbia University School of Journalism was founded in 1912.

On June 4, 1917, about six months after the first edition of World Book was published, the Pulitzer Prizes were awarded for the first time. The first journalism prizes went to Herbert B. Swope of The World (New York) for reporting for a series of articles entitled “Inside the German Empire” and to the New York Tribune for editorial writing. At that time, Germany seemed close to winning the war that would come to be called World War I (1914-1918). The first literature prizes went to J. J. Jusserand for the historical work With Americans of Past and Present Days; and to Laura E. H. Richards, Maude H. Elliott, and Florence H. Hall for their biography Julia Ward Howe. Although categories for public service, fiction, and drama also existed in 1917, no prizes were awarded in those categories that year.

Today there are 14 prizes awarded in journalism, ranging from investigative and beat reporting to cartooning and breaking-news photography. Literature prizes are now also awarded for poetry and general nonfiction. A music prize has been awarded since 1943. Today, the Pulitzer Prizes are awarded in April.

The 2017 World Book Encyclopedia lists all the Pulitzer Prizes ever awarded from 1917 to today. A number of the winners have their own articles in World Book. You can learn more about these winners, as well as Pulitzer himself, in the latest World Book set.

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In one woman’s lifetime

2017-04-07T10:56:00-05:00

On Nov. 19, 1917—the same year the first edition of World Book was published—a girl who would play a major role in the history of India was born in the northern city of Allahabad. Although the child couldn’t know it, she was born at a time when her family and homeland were on the brink of a transformation.

The article on India in the 1917 edition of World Book described the important role of that land as part of the British Empire. Because India’s large population was so diverse, the article said, the people possessed “no feeling of nationality.” However, the article did acknowledge that there had already been several “risings” that were “inspired by men of the educated classes who dreamed of a free and self-governing India.” In 1917, Indian nationalism was indeed growing.

In the 1920’s, the little girl’s father and grandfather became active supporters of independence for India and of the great Indian reformer, Mohandas K. Gandhi. In 1928, her grandfather, Motilal Nehru, wrote the Nehru Report, which outlined a new constitution for India. In 1942, the girl, now a young woman, married Feroze Gandhi (who was not related to Mohandas K. Gandhi). She and Feroze also worked for independence and would be imprisoned for 13 months for their actions.

India finally won its independence in 1947, and the young woman’s father, Jawaharlal Nehru, became its first prime minister. In 1953, her aunt, Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, became the first woman president of the United Nations General Assembly. Meanwhile, the young woman worked closely with her father, who was prime minister until his death in 1964. From 1964 until 1966, she served in India’s Parliament. In 1966, she became India’s first woman prime minister. Her name was Indira Gandhi. Unimaginable changes had taken place in India—and the world—in one woman’s lifetime.

To read more about those changes, you may want to look at these articles in the 2017 edition of World Book: Gandhi, Indira; Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand; India, History of; Indian National Congress; Nehru; Pandit, Vijaya Lakshmi.)

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The Tallest Structure in the World: 1917 and Now

2017-03-29T11:43:00-05:00

Is there a more familiar structure in the world than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France? Both the first edition of The World Book Encyclopedia, published in 1917, and the 2017 World Book devote an article to this impressive architectural monument. The 1917 World Book calls it “a marvel of execution and design” but notes that is it only “one of the interesting and ornamental features of Paris.” The tower musters a bit more enthusiasm in the 2017 World Book, which calls it “the most famous landmark in Paris.”

The Eiffel Tower, built by the French engineer Gustave Eiffel, was erected as the symbol of a world’s fair called the Universal Exposition of 1889. It stands in a large park called the Champ de Mars. The tower is 984 feet (300 meters) tall. The 1917 World Book text says that “The great height of the structure exceed(s) that of any other in the world.…” Today, the Eiffel Tower has long since been surpassed by giant buildings around the world. According to the 2017 World Book, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, for example, which is currently the world’s tallest building, stands 2,716 feet (828 meters) tall.

The 1917 article provides a great deal of detail about the early history of the Eiffel Tower. For example, the article reports that “The great height of the structure…made it an important military observation station during the War of the Nations [known to 2017 readers as World War I], which began in 1914. Repeatedly the Germans attempted its destruction by hurling bombs from airships.”

In 1917, Eiffel was still alive. (He died in 1923.) The 1917 World Book article notes that Eiffel, who was a leading bridge designer, also designed the gigantic locks of the Panama Canal and the framework for the Statue of Liberty.

Regardless of the buildings that have followed it, in the minds of many people throughout the world, the Eiffel Tower may have been eclipsed in height but not in stature.

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The Roof of the World

2017-03-20T11:45:00-05:00

Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, has fascinated Western explorers and adventurers since the British first saw it in the 1850’s. It towers 29,035 feet (8,850 meters) above sea level along the border between Tibet and Nepal, north of India. For many years, Mount Everest seemed an almost insurmountable challenge. The 1917 edition of the World Book Encyclopedia notes that “[m]any adventurous mountain-climbing scientists have endeavored to reach the summit of this giant among peaks, but no one has accomplished the feat.”

Since the publication of the 1917 edition, however, many people have “accomplished the feat” of scaling Mount Everest. Here are just three milestones in the history of summiting the mountain, taken from the 2017 edition of World Book.

1953: Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Nepalese Sherpa guide, became the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest. Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom knighted Hillary for the achievement.
1963: James W. Whittaker, accompanied by Nepalese guide Nawang Gombu, became the first American to reach the top.
1975: Junko Tabei of Japan became the first woman to reach the top.

What a difference 100 years make. What was just a dream in 1917 has become a reality many times over. Today, in fact, hundreds of people scale Mount Everest every year by joining commercial expeditions operated by licensed guides.

One more difference between the 1917 and 2017 editions. The 1917 edition says the mountain rises to a height of 29,002 feet (8,840 meters). But the 2017 edition says the mountain is 29,035 feet (8,850 meters) high.

Why the difference? The current World Book explains: “In 1999, a team of researchers used advanced satellite technology to calculate the mountain's height at 29,035 feet (8,850 meters). However, the same geological forces that created Mount Everest are still at work. The mountain will probably grow higher over the course of many years.”

So, not only is Mount Everest the world’s tallest mountain—it’s still growing!

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Women on the March in 1917

2017-03-07T13:55:00-06:00

March is Women’s History Month in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, where it coincides with International Women’s Day (March 8). As we celebrate this relatively recent annual observance of women's achievements and contributions to society, it is interesting to look back 100 years, when The World Book Encyclopedia was first published, to see how women in these countries and others fared back in 1917.

As a map in the 1917 World Book article “Woman suffrage” illustrates, in January 1918, women had full suffrage (the right to vote) in 12 U.S. states: Wyoming (1869); Colorado (1893); Utah and Idaho (1896); Washington (1910); California (1911); Arizona, Kansas, and Oregon (1912); Nevada and Montana (1914); and New York (1917). Women could vote in presidential elections (but no others) in an additional five states: Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Rhode Island.

In Canada, women had provincial suffrage rights in Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan. In the other provinces there was municipal or school suffrage. In addition, in 1917, the Dominion Parliament enacted a war-time election bill giving Parliamentary suffrage to the mothers, sisters, wives, widows, and daughters of men in active military service.

As the World Book article states, women in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, New Zealand, and Norway had full suffrage in 1917.

The article also notes, “It may be true that there are ignorant women voters, but there are likewise ignorant men, and as a rule the really telling arguments against woman suffrage apply equally against democracy itself. “ It also suggests essays to consult “for favorable expressions” as well as “for “ opposing views” on the subject!

The first World Book set also contained articles on the “revered pioneer of the now-popular cause of woman suffrage” Susan B. Anthony and fellow American suffrage leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton; “Miss Jeannette Rankin,” who in 1916 became the first woman ever elected to the law-making body of an independent nation when she was chosen to be representative-at-large for the state of Montana; and “English militant suffragist” Emmeline Pankurst, “the world’s most conspicuous advocate of woman suffrage.”

Today, women have the right to vote in every country where men have the right, except Vatican City. Since earning the right to vote, women have, of course, made great strides in many areas. A number of women have held the highest political office in their country, including Indira Gandhi of India, Golda Meir of Israel, Margaret Thatcher of the United Kingdom, Angela Merkel of Germany, Jenny Shipley and Helen Clark of New Zealand, and Julia Gillard of Australia. And, as the 2017 edition of World Book notes in its “Women’s movement” article, in 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be a major party’s nominee for president of the United States.

In addition to the “Woman suffrage” and “Women’s movement” articles, you’ll also find many fascinating articles about women leaders in the latest print set of The World Book Encyclopedia.

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Guess Who: “English author, soldier and statesman”

2017-02-27T11:23:00-06:00

Guess who?

In 1917, The World Book Encyclopedia found him important enough to merit a 2-paragraph biography. A picture caption identified him as an “English author, soldier and statesman.” The article’s lead sentence called him “one of the best-known of the modern group of English statesmen.” Can you guess who he was?

Achievements to 1917. He had served in the British army in India and northern Africa and as a war correspondent in South Africa. He entered Parliament in 1900 as a Conservative, but “he rose to distinction in the House of Commons as a Liberal.”

He became First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911. In 1915, during the War of the Nations (that is, World War I), he supported a campaign in the Dardanelles that failed disastrously. He resigned from the Admiralty and joined the British Army in France.

That’s as far as the 1917 article went, but he wasn’t done yet.

Life goes on. The World Book of 2017 continues the story with his return to the Cabinet in mid-1917. The current article discusses his life in the interval between the end of one world war and the beginning of another. During that time, he painted, wrote history books—and switched back to the Conservative Party.

After World War II began in September 1939, he was reappointed as First Lord of the Admiralty. The following spring, as German troops swept across Europe, he became prime minister of the United Kingdom. World Book says his “personal courage, the magic of his words, and his faith in victory inspired the British to ‘their finest hour’” as he led his nation to victory.

After the war, he continued in government, painted, and wrote books (winning a Nobel Prize in literature in 1953).

His service to his country had begun in 1895 under Queen Victoria and lasted until 1964 in the reign of Elizabeth II, Victoria’s great-great granddaughter. Today’s 57-paragraph World Book biography of him calls him “one of the greatest statesmen in world history.”

So, who was he? Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill.

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FOOTBALL, 1917 STYLE

2017-02-07T10:41:00-06:00

In the early 1800’s, a running and kicking ball game originated in the English schools of Rugby, Eton, and Harrow. As the article in the 1917 edition of The World Book Encyclopedia noted, ”The boys’ playground at Rugby was large, and there was plenty of room for running and tackling.” A game emerged called rugby that soon was brought to the United States. Shortly after 1830, several colleges in the eastern United States began playing a sport called American Rugby. In1869, the first intercollegiate game took place, between Princeton and Rutgers. Eventually, the name of the game changed from American Rugby to football, becoming what the 1917 World Book called “…next to baseball the most popular athletic game in the world.”

The 1917 World Book article describes football’s early history and development. Readers today may be surprised to learn that football in the 21st century remains largely unchanged from the sport World Book described 100 years ago. As the article explains, “Weight, physical fitness and endurance are prime requisites in players, but quick thinking is vitally necessary.” That was true in 1917 and it is true today.

The 1917 article also includes several illustrations that capture the flavor of the game in those days. Black-and-white engravings illustrate basic equipment—a leather helmet, trousers, and a small, odd-looking protective piece that served as a nose guard. A detailed diagram shows that a football field’s dimensions and markings have changed little in 100 years.

In 1917, organized football was limited to several colleges, primarily in the East and Midwest. Rivalries were intense, with Harvard and Yale universities' teams regularly playing each other in front of crowds that could reach 40,000 at the Harvard Stadium and more than 70,000 at the Yale Bowl in New Haven, Connecticut.

What the 1917 article’s author could not foresee was the future spread of football in high schools and the rise of professional football across the United States. Nobody 100 years ago anticipated that a then-nonexistent form of communication called television would explode the popularity of football, with millions of fans watching games every week. For information on today’s game, the reader can confidently consult the 2017 edition of The World Book Encyclopedia.

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Changing Map of Africa | Africa: 1917 and Now

2017-01-31T11:59:00-06:00

When the first World Book was published in 1917, there were only two independent countries in Africa: Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) and Liberia. Together, they made up less than 5 percent of the land area of the continent. The rest of Africa was divided into colonies controlled by the European nations of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Organized groups in some African colonies began demanding self-government early in the 1900’s. But a mass independence movement did not take shape until after World War II (1939-1945).

Some countries gained their independence relatively peacefully. In 1951, Libya, which was an Italian colony in 1917, became the first country in Africa to gain independence. In 1956, France granted Morocco and Tunisia independence. That same year, the United Kingdom granted Sudan independence as well. Other countries saw much bloodshed before their independence was granted. In Algeria, a bloody revolt raged against the French from 1954 until the country won independence in 1962. In Kenya, members of a movement called Mau Mau revolted against British control in the 1950’s. The revolt failed, but it contributed to Kenya’s eventual decolonization in 1963.

Today, Africa is divided into 54 independent countries. Several European countries still control a few small islands: the Madeira Islands (controlled by Portugal), Mayotte and Réunion (France), and Saint Helena (United Kingdom).

The 1917 article presents the story of Africa as one of contrasts. Like today’s World Book article, it provides a broad overview of the physical and cultural geography of Africa. The article rightly calls Africa the home of the world’s foremost civilization, Egypt. The article also describes how Africa “sank into barbarism” after the great ancient civilizations declined. Africa is described as exotic and largely untamed. Today, World Book recognizes the continent’s complex, yet unparalleled history, confronted with many challenges inherited from colonialism and brought by independence, but also with all the promise, fascination, and enormous beauty and potential that the people and land of Africa hold.

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A pestilence that walketh in darkness

2017-01-06T12:09:00-06:00

In 1917, World Book quoted this description of a mysterious disease that often led to death or paralysis. The illness mainly attacked children, so people called it infantile paralysis. Today, we know it as poliomyelitis, or polio.

The 1917 article was frightening, reflecting doctors’ limited understanding of polio a century ago. It said infantile paralysis was caused “by a special microbe, the nature of which is not fully understood.” The disease spread strangely—one member of a family might catch it, while the rest seemed untouched. A recent outbreak in 1916 had killed thousands, mostly children. Patients who survived could suffer complete paralysis of the limbs “within twelve hours.”

Parents spent summers—the usual season for polio outbreaks—in fear. That changed in the 1950’s, when the American research scientist Jonas E. Salk developed a vaccine to prevent polio. Grateful parents praised Salk as a national hero.

Today, the unknown no longer overshadows World Book’s “Poliomyelitis” article, which says polio is caused by a virus that may attack the brain and spinal cord. Polio’s spread had seemed random because many cases go unrecognized—they never progress beyond early symptoms, such as fever and headache. The “Virus” article explains why such a pattern may occur with viruses.

Polio is still not a disease to take lightly—no known drug can kill it or control its progress within the body. However, vaccines that prevent people from catching polio have nearly eliminated it in many parts of the world. The World Book Encyclopedia’s articles on the disease in 1917 and 2017 mirror one of the most dramatic medical success stories of the 1900’s.

(By the way, in case you were wondering, the edition of World Book published in 1917 did not have an article on Salk. He was born only three years earlier, in October 1914. He now, of course, has a World Book article.)

THE WORLD BOOK DIFFERENCE

Throughout the nearly 100 years of publication of The World Book Encyclopedia many things have changed, but World Book’s dedication to providing timely, reliable, and readable educational and reference materials has not wavered.
Today, World Book remains dedicated to fostering a deep desire to learn in students of all ages. In print and online, World Book content is especially crafted with young readers in mind to help ensure that their commitment to reading is rewarded with easily understandable text that engages and educates.

THE WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA 2017

Celebrating 100 years of publication!

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Theodore Roosevelt: 1917 and Now

2016-12-28T11:34:00-06:00

Imagine that you were a fifth-grader in 1917, and that you wanted to learn about former U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. You go to your school’s brand new set of The World Book Encyclopedia, which was first published that year, for help. As you read the article about Roosevelt, you would have learned many facts about him. However, there are things that the encyclopedia editors could not have known and presented in his biography—because those things had not happened yet!

You would have read how, in 1898, Roosevelt led the cavalry regiment known as the Rough Riders in their charge up San Juan Hill in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. But you could not have known that, in 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery during that charge. He is the only U.S. president ever so honored.

You would have read that, in 1901, when Roosevelt became president of the United States, he was the youngest person to hold that office. He was only 43. Although Theodore Roosevelt still holds that distinction, you could not have known that his fifth cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, would later have the distinction of serving as president for 12 years, longer than anyone else.

You may have read with interest—even amusement— a caption that accompanied an illustration of Roosevelt in the 1917 edition, which says of him: “The millions who believe in him call him ‘Teddy.’ His opponents call him many things. His intense activity makes a neutral viewpoint almost impossible.” So, knowing what a controversial figure Roosevelt was during his lifetime, it is unlikely that you—a student in 1917—or an encyclopedia editor of the time could have imagined that years later he would be immortalized with three other presidents—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln—on a famous memorial, Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.

THE WORLD BOOK DIFFERENCE

THE WORLD BOOK ENCYCLOPEDIA 2017

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From “Moving Pictures” to IMAX and CGI

2016-12-20T14:59:00-06:00

The “Moving pictures” article in the first edition of The World Book Encyclopedia, published in 1917, was just 8 ½ pages long. Readers looking for information on this “most revolutionary invention since the printing press” could find black-and-white illustrations of the latest “moving-picture camera” and “projecting machine.” Both patented that year, each machine was, as a caption points out, “the most modern device of the kind.” A century later, advances in motion-picture technology would no doubt be enough to make a 1917 moving-picture fan’s boater-hatted head spin.

The first edition of World Book emphasized the possible uses of film in science and education. Today, movies are made as much to entertain as to inform. In addition to emerging as a major art form, motion pictures have become a gigantic industry. As the 2017 World Book “Motion picture” article explains, a typical feature-length film costs millions of dollars to make and requires the skills of hundreds of workers. Today’s highly technical devices include not only cameras and projectors, but sound-recording equipment and computers—from the IMAX projection system with its gigantic screens to computer-generated imagery (CGI), which has been used in almost every film made in the 2000’s.

But motion pictures today could not exist without many of the scientific and technological discoveries made since the late 1800’s. For this reason, movies have been called the art form of the 20th century. You can learn more about the history, technology, and impact of motion pictures in the 2017 World Book “Motion picture” article—which is now more than 30 pages long. In addition to many illustrations, diagrams, and full-color photos, the article also includes tables of all the Academy Award-winning actors, directors, and films from the first Oscars, recognizing 1927-1928 films, to today. A number of these winners also have their own articles in World Book. So be sure to look them up: they are ready for their close-ups!

THE WORLD BOOK DIFFERENCE

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Toys for Girls and Boys

2016-12-12T11:10:00-06:00

“If the little girl has no cups and saucers for her afternoon tea party, acorns and leaves can be made to take their places.”

No, that’s not a quote from a recent back-to-nature seminar at some rustic, yet comfortable forest lodge. It’s from the article on “Toys” in the 1917 edition of World Book.

A century ago, World Book defined toys as “artificial helps” used by children who, by nature, wished to imitate the actions of adults. It praised the role of imagination in play, claiming that to give a child “toys too elaborately wrought is to do him a real injury. Creative imagination is all too rare, and it should be fostered.” There was no mention of plastic action figures, video games, or tie-ins to movies and television—all of those kinds of toys would come later.

The 1917 World Book emphasized home-made toys. It said “any boy who has taken manual training [shop classes] should find no difficulty in making, for the delight of his younger brothers and sisters, the wooden toys” pictured in the article. The pictures featured animals, such as a duck and an elephant, mounted on wheels. World Book directed girls to the “Dolls” article, which had two pages of patterns for paper dolls and costumes. Not surprisingly, nearly all the toys recommended for boys in 1917 were different from those suggested for girls. Today, by contrast, much of the “Toys” article in The World Book Encyclopedia is about why certain toys are suited to each developmental stage of childhood—infancy (rattles, blocks), early childhood (counting toys, picture books), and late childhood (paints, action figures).

The Biggest Cities and How They Grew (or Didn’t)

2016-11-30T14:15:00-06:00

Cities are the world’s most crowded places. Even in ancient times, there were many large cities in the world, though ancient cities had far fewer people than today’s cities. When the first edition of The World Book Encyclopedia was published in 1917, its “City” article ranked London as the world’s largest city. London had a population of 7,252,963. 100 years later, in the 2017 edition, World Book lists Tokyo as the world’s largest city, with a population of 38,065,000. London is ranked No. 28 on the list of the 100 largest cities, with a population of 10,418,000. In 1917, Tokyo, then spelled “Tokio,” ranked No. 6 on the list of the 50 largest cities. “Tokio” had a population of 2,033,321. Some of the top 10 largest cities 100 years ago no longer rank among even the 50 largest cities in World Book’s 2017 article.

Top 10 largest cities of the world 100 years ago (from World Book’s 1917 edition)

1. London, United Kingdom – 7,252,963 (No. 28 in 2017; pop. 10,418,000)

2. New York City, United States – 5,602,841 (No. 10 in 2017; pop. 18,633,000)

3. Paris, France – 2,888,110 (No. 25 in 2017; pop. 10,927,000)

4. Chicago, United States – 2,497,722 (No. 39 in 2017; pop. 8,770,000)

5. Berlin, Germany – 2,071,257 (Not among 50 largest cities in 2017; pop. 3,292,365)

6. Tokio, Japan – 2,033,321 (Now spelled Tokyo; No. 1 in 2017; pop. 38,065,000)

7. Vienna, Austria – 2,031,498 (Not among 50 largest cities in 2017; pop. 1,714,227)

8. Petrograd, Russia – 2,019,000 (Now called St. Petersburg; No. 77; pop. 4,998,000)

9. Philadelphia, United States – 1,709,518 (No. 68 in 2017; pop. 5,610,000)

10. Moscow, Russia – 1,618,000 (No. 22 in 2017; pop. 12,227,000)

Top 10 largest cities of the world today (World Book’s 2017 edition)

1. Tokyo, Japan – 38,065,000 (No. 6 in 1917; pop. 2,033,321)

2. Delhi, India – 26,385,000 (Not among 50 largest cities of the world in 1917)

3. Shanghai, China – 24,376,000 (No. 33 in 1917; pop. 651,000)

4. Mumbai, India – 21,387,000 (Called Bombay in 1917; No. 17 in 1917; pop. 979,445)

5. São Paulo, Brazil – 21,272,000 (Not among 50 largest cities of the world in 1917)

6. Mexico City, Mexico – 21,169,000 (Not among 50 largest cities of the world in 1917)

7. Beijing, China – 21,084,000 (Called Peking in 1917; No. 29 in 1917; pop. 690,000)

8. Osaka, Japan – 20,294,000 (No. 14 in 1917; pop. 1,226,590)

9. Cairo, Egypt – 19,115,000 (No. 32 in 1917; pop. 654,476)

10. New York City, United States – 18,633,000 (No. 2 in 1917; pop. 5,602,841)

From Soup to Strawberries: 1917 World Book Preserved Them All

2016-11-17T17:29:00-06:00

When we take a can of soup off a store shelf, we don’t usually think about the temperature the soup needed to reach as it was canned to be sure it was safe to eat. In our 21^st-century world, most of us think of food preservation as something done in a factory, using machines attended by workers in white coats.

However, in the world of 1917—the year the first edition of The World Book Encyclopedia was published —home canning in glass jars was a popular way to feed a family during the winter, when fresh foods were not available. Some industrial methods of food preservation were known back then. But, according to the World Book article “Food products, preservation of,” people canned an estimated 150 million quarts of food in their homes in 1916. In those days, it wasn’t easy to transport fresh foods to the general public: “The areas of production ... are frequently far distant from the center of population, and the distribution of foodstuffs, especially of perishable products, such as fruits and vegetables, is a serious problem.”

In World Book’s 2017 edition, the entire “Food preservation” article is about industrial methods of preserving food. An assembly line of open cans, filled with a soup-like product, moves on a conveyer belt past an observing worker. Heating, canning, cold storage, and drying are among the techniques described to keep foods fresh and safe for consumption. The article focuses on large-scale, industrial operations that use such tools as air-blast freezers and chemical additives.

The World Book article of a century ago provides step-by-step instructions for preserving a variety of foods. Home canners would have read that making strawberry preserves requires heating the fruit to 219 °F (114 °C). To make soup, the cook was instructed to “Secure twenty-five pounds of beef hocks, joints and bones containing marrow” and then to “crack bones with a hatchet or cleaver.”

Today, our industrially preserved food is generally safer, and certainly less labor-intensive for the average family to acquire. However, there is nothing quite like opening a glass jar of your own strawberry preserves, hearing that “pop” that indicates it was well and safely sealed, and tasting the fruit you grew last summer. Thousands of families who purchased a set of World Book in 1917 were able to get through the winter doing just that.

Two Peach Baskets and a Soccer Ball

2016-11-09T11:20:00-06:00

In 1891, a Canadian named James Naismith tacked two peach baskets onto a gymnasium balcony in Springfield, Massachusetts. Naismith, who had been born in Canada, was working as a physical education teacher at the International YMCA Training School (now Springfield College). He wanted to develop an indoor game that could be played during those harsh Massachusetts winters. The first game involved the peach baskets as goals and a soccer ball. The game caught on and soon was being played in schools and colleges across the United States. By the end of the 1900’s, basketball was annually drawing millions of fans to gymnasiums and arenas throughout the world, along with millions more who regularly watched games on television.

When the first edition of The World Book Encyclopedia was published in 1917, basketball was barely 25 years old. The 1917 article called the game “basket ball” and portrayed it as a form of self-improvement. “It is an excellent game not only for physical exercise but for mental training as well, as it calls for concentration, quickness of perception and thought and the ‘team work’ which is so valuable for all group play.”

The game as described in the 1917 World Book did resemble the modern game in some basics. Each team had five players, a basket counted as two points, and a free throw counted as one point. The ball was about the same size and weight as today’s ball. But the court was almost 25 feet (7.6 meters) shorter and 15 feet (4.6 meters) narrower than today’s court. Dribbling was not part of the game. Players passed the ball among themselves until someone took a shot. The 1917 article cautioned that the game makes considerable physical demands on a player and advised “Any intending player of basket ball, man, woman, boy or girl, should be examined for heart condition by a regular physician before engaging in play.”

The 1917 article had only one illustration, a simple black and white drawing of a court of the time. The 2017 World Book devotes almost 15 pages to the game, combining text, tables, and 40 diagrams, drawings, and photographs to capture basketball’s color, excitement, skills, and history. James Naismith died in 1939, never suspecting that his two peach baskets would inspire one of the world’s most popular sports.

Celebrate a century of knowledge with The World Book Encyclopedia 2017!

A Day in the Life of a 1917 Baseball Fan

2016-11-03T10:42:00-05:00

The “Baseball” article in the 2017 edition of The World Book Encyclopedia states, “Baseball is so popular in the United States that it is often called the national pastime.” The 1917 World Book was even more enthusiastic: “Baseball, the national game of the United States, is rapidly conquering the world.” To back up that claim, the 1917 edition notes that “While William H. Taft was governor of the Philippine Islands, baseball was successfully introduced among the Igorrotes (a native people) as a substitute for head-hunting.”

Baseball fans in 1917 and 2017 both would enjoy a game that has barely changed in 100 years. The distance between bases and between the pitching mound and home plate remains the same, and so do the sizes of the bat and ball. Nine players still play the same defensive positions. But a 1917 fan would be dazzled by the difference in baseball outside the playing field.

Players in 1917 were fortunate to earn a few thousand dollars for an entire season, though a star pitcher could make $10,000. Today, major league players average $4 million a season. Baseball was also strictly segregated. African Americans did not play in the major leagues in 1917. They played only in the Negro leagues until 1947.

Fans in 1917 did not have an easy time following their favorite team. The first radio broadcast of a major league game did not take place until 1921. The first televised game took place only in 1939. Newspaper sports sections did not become common until the 1920’s. Fans would have to live in or visit the eastern half of the United States to see a game live. The farthest west that teams played was in St. Louis. The major leagues did not go truly national until 1958, when the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to California. Canada did not get its first major league team until 1969.

Baseball was a more intimate sport in 1917, with attendance at a game averaging about 4,500. Today, crowds of 40,000 are common. Back in 1917, a fan could buy a bleachers ticket for 5 or 10 cents and a grandstand seat for 50 cents or 1 dollar. Parking was no problem. Fans could ride a trolley car to the ballpark. Today’s fans pay handsomely to see a game. The average cost of a single game for a family of four—including tickets, food, and parking—is more than $210.

As World Book begins to celebrate its 100th anniversary, the Chicago Cubs are also celebrating. In 2016, the Cubs won their first World Series in 108 seasons. In winning the series, Chicago ended the longest World Series winless streak in baseball history.

Halloween Then and Now

2016-10-31T10:18:00-05:00

Are you excited that it's Halloween? Halloween has been a popular and festive holiday in America since the beginning of the colonial period. Many early American settlers who came from England brought beliefs about ghosts and witches with them. In the 1800's, many immigrants from Ireland and Scotland arrived in the United States and introduced their Halloween traditions. By the end of the 1800's, the United States had developed a variety of regional Halloween customs.

Halloween was just as popular in 1917 when World Book published its first encyclopedia. In the 1900's, Halloween became a celebration for children more than adults. Children played more at being witches, ghosts, and fairies than their favorite superheroes or movie characters. Halloween parties were more common than trick-or-treating, but Halloween traditions including jack-o-lanterns and bobbing for apples were just as popular. Trick-or-treating only became widespread during the 1940's and 1950's.

In 1917, World Book mentions the peculiar Halloween superstitions of the Scots highlighted in a poem by Robert Burns. World Book’s advice to teachers was that the day was best suited for “busy work,” such as crafting pumpkin-shaped paper notebooks, as children were likely to be too excited and distracted by thoughts of Halloween festivities to concentrate on their studies. World Book provided a handy program of Halloween-themed songs and poems to help teachers keep students occupied.

Today, Halloween has become one of the most profitable holidays for American business. Many people decorate their houses with Halloween themes. Halloween celebrations among adults have also become increasingly popular. Many cities provide Halloween entertainments for families at parks, zoos, and amusement parks. Many private and civic organizations create mock haunted houses for entertainment and to raise money for charity.