Rogers’ Chocolates since 1885

 

Rogers' Chocolates celebrated its 125th Anniversary on October 25th, 2010. The company is steeped in tradition and a rich history that has earned them a reputation as one of Canada's premiere chocolate makers. The first Rogers' chocolates were made in 1885 by Charles "Candy" Rogers in the back of his grocery store in Victoria, British Columbia. He quickly became a popular man.

In 1891, Rogers expanded his chocolate operation to the company's current heritage storefront on Government Street in Victoria and the rest, as they say, is history. Today, there are 8 retail stores, several hundred wholesale outlets that ship to over 50 countries, and a 20,000 square-foot factory.  For more information, visit the History webpage. Also, see the timeline on A Brief History of Chocolate from 250BC to 2010, and view the Rogers Videos on YouTube.

 

A Review of Bookkeeping and Accounting in 1945

A 1945 Vocational Guidance Film on Bookkeeping and Accounting is available for viewing online at the SEC Historical Society website. This entertaining 10-minute video was provided by courtesy of the Prelinger Archives, United States Library of Congress. It discusses a variety of matters including the household budget book, business bookkeeping, the role of the bookkeeper compared to that of the accountant, an accounting department, calculating and bookkeeping machines, cost accounting, special investigations, preparing tax returns and business principles. It also distinguishes a private accountant from a public accountant (such as a CPA) who should have a pleasing personality, a strong moral character and legible handwriting.

 

AICPA - Evolution of a Profession

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) was formed in 1887 and is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2012. As part of the celebration, this short video (about 6 minutes), called “Evolution of a Profession,” reviews the history of the accounting profession from its origins 8,000 years ago to present day.

The Accountant Who Changed the World

The birth of accounting rocked the world 500 years ago. In the 1400s, much of Europe was still using Roman numerals and finding it really hard to easily add or subtract. Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) started catching on and' with those numbers, merchants in Venice developed a revolutionary system we now call “double-entry” bookkeeping.

Every transaction gets entered twice in financial records. If one day, you sold three gold coins' worth of pepper, you would write that the amount of cash you had went up by three gold coins. You would also write in that the amount of pepper you had went down by three gold coins' worth. Before double-entry, people just kept diaries and counted their money at the end of the day. This innovation allowed merchants to see every aspect of their business in neat little rows.

Luca Pacioli was a monk, magician and lover of numbers. He discovered this bookkeeping in Venice. In 1494, he wrote a huge math encyclopedia and included an instructional section on double-entry bookkeeping. Thanks to the new printing press, his book was mass produced and became a hit. One of the first readers was Leonardo da Vinci, who at the time was painting The Last Supper. Pacioli’s encyclopedia covered the mathematics of perspective painting which fascinated da Vinci.

Read the article “The Accountant Who Changed the World” and listen to the full story (about 5 minutes) at NPR online.
 

Canada Day 2012 – a country celebrates 145 years of confederation

Canada Day is often called “Canada’s Birthday,” ever since Canada was united into a single country on July 1, 1867, 145 years ago. Each year, Canadians celebrate that event on Canada Day, July 1. From coast to coast to coast, communities will put their unique stamps on the day.

On Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the Peace Tower carillon will ring in British-legacy military pageantry, including a 200th anniversary look-back to the War of 1812 and a concert. Elsewhere, people will celebrate with citizenship ceremonies, maple beer swigging, a yoga fest, block parties, some cheering for our Olympians, kicking back at the cottage, horse shows, “O Canada” singing contests, a Montreal “mega-cake,” salmon barbecues, Inuit games, bannock-making, a Bollywood fashion show, line-dancing, and all manner of revelry.

View a video from the Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, and statements from Thomas Mulcair and Bob Rae. See the Toronto Star article, “On Canada Day 2012, show the flag for all of us.” Also, refer to “Google celebrates Canada Day with home-page doodle.”

History of Income Tax in the United States

The story of how the United States wound up with the income tax is the story of two wars, a Supreme Court justice on his death bed, and Donald Duck. It’s also the story of how the government overcame three obstacles. Obstacle No. 1 was Logistics — How do you make sure people pay? Obstacle No. 2 was The Constitution — In the 19th century, the income tax fell almost exclusively on the rich who, as it turns out, had some pretty good lawyers.

Obstacle No. 3 was The Love — Until World War II, the income tax was levied only on the rich. But wartime spending meant the government needed money, and ordinary folks are now asked to pay. The government needed Donald Duck. In a movie from 1943, Donald Duck marches around his house, listening to the radio and filling out his tax form. Occupation: actor. Dependents: three (Huey, Dewey and Louie). This wartime patriotic motivation campaign worked. Maybe we didn't love the income tax. But we paid it. [Copyright 2012 National Public Radio]

To learn more, read the NPR news story called “FromAbe Lincoln To Donald Duck: History Of The Income Tax” dated March 22, 2012.

Titanic Tragedy Remembered - 1912-2012

April 14, 2012, marks the centennial since the HMS Titanic hit an iceberg and sank in the Atlantic Ocean. Everything about the Titanic and its journey was big. Its biggest promise — one few stopped to question — was that it was an unsinkable ship.

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic left Southampton, England, to travel west across the Atlantic Ocean and reach New York City on the other side. It carried 2,435 passengers and 892 crew members. But arrogance on the part of the White Star Line and lax maritime safety regulations of the time, ensured most on board never reached the US. To add deck space, designers of the ship had a second row of lifeboats removed. That left only 20 lifeboats — not nearly enough for all who were on board.

When the ship struck an iceberg 600 kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland and sank, its once awe-inspiring size and capacity became a hindrance. Women, children and some men were ushered into lifeboats that had no hope of holding every person on the ship. More than 1,700 people were still on the Titanic when it broke apart and slipped into the frigid North Atlantic. Anyone who fell into the water would have died within minutes because of hypothermia.

When the news reached Europe and North America — that the mammoth unsinkable ship had indeed sunk — the headlines in newspaper were big too. An estimated 700 people survived but more than 1,500 died. Titanic photographs still haunt 100 years after disaster.

How did the Titanic sink? According to an article in the National Post, experts who have advised both National Geographic and the History Channel for their 100-year anniversary documentary programs offer their views. The following represents the best estimations science and history can currently make as to what happened in the moments immediately before and after the Titanic disappeared beneath the surface.

As the world remembers the tragedy of the Titanic, CBC News looks back at some of the stories and legends of the doomed ocean liner. From the ship's comforts and luxuries to the personalities on board, there is no shortage of anecdotes and details about the Titanic. The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has a permanent connection to the sinking of Titanic. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary, visitors can see many exhibits, programs and special events.

Encyclopaedia Britannica ends print edition after 244 years

The 32-volume Encyclopaedia Britannica has been discontinued. The first edition, a three-volume set, was printed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1768. Now, after 244 years in print, the encyclopedia will live on and grow in the myriad digital forms which have been popular with millions for years. In announcing the end of the print set, on March 14, 2012, the company stressed the wide diversity of its product line today, which includes not just reference works but curriculum and learning solutions used in schools around the world.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica began exploring digital publishing in the 1970s, and created its first digital version, likely the first digital encyclopedia ever, for LexisNexis users in 1981. That lengthy history of online information may come as a surprise to many. As the company switches off the presses, it faces new forms of competition, notably Wikipedia, which also contains a history of the company dating from 1768 to the present.

For more information, watch the YouTube videos “Totally Digital: The Encyclopaedia Britannica Now” and “End of an era for Encyclopedia Britannica video - CNET TV.” Also, see the FoxNews article “After 244 years, Encyclopaedia Britannica ends sale of print edition” and read the Vancouver Sun article “Stop the presses: Encyclopaedia Britannica ends its print publication”

SEC Historical Society – 10th anniversary and timeline update

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Historical Society, through its virtual museum and archive, shares, preserves and advances knowledge of the history of financial regulation. It is a non-profit organization, independent of the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

The SEC Historical Society celebrates the 10th anniversary of its founding in 2012. Since opening on June 1, 2002, this independent and objective resource provides access to primary materials on the creation and development of the regulation of the capital markets from the 20th century to the present.

The comprehensive collection includes a Virtual Museum Timeline that highlights significant developments in the history of financial regulation against US and world events. To start, choose a decade, click the arrow button to move through the years, and click on any development to read more. In addition, learn more about building the Timeline.

The collection also includes: Galleries (permanent exhibits within the museum, providing access to materials from throughout the collection on a particular topic); Papers (letters, speeches, memos, telegrams and reports, many not accessible through other online sources); Photos (historic and current images of people significant to financial regulation); and Oral Histories (remembrances, available in audio, MP3 and edited transcript formats, from people who helped create and continue to shape the financial regulatory system). As well, the collection comprises a variety of original programs - including Fireside Chats, the Society's Annual Meeting, The Best of NERA, etc. - offering historic perspective on current regulatory issues (broadcast live and preserved in audio, MP3 and edited transcript formats).

Air Canada's 75-year History - 1937-2012

In the early 1930s, Canada was one of the few industrialized countries without a national airline. There were a number of regional bush airlines scattered across the country, and Canadian Pacific had part ownership in Canadian Airways, a group of regional airlines that served mining communities and transported mail. However, there was no air service linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. R.B. Bennett's Conservative government was interested in launching an airline, but couldn't afford to do so during the Great Depression. It wasn't until 1935 when Mackenzie King came to power that the idea became a reality. King created a Department of Transport and appointed Clarence Decatur Howe, the man who would be Air Canada's architect and most passionate defender, as minister.

C.D. Howe intended for the airline to be under government control, but also initially wanted private enterprise to take a role in it. He proposed collaboration between CP Rail, CN Rail and Canadian Airways. Although Canadian Airways badly wanted to operate the airline, political manoeuvring got in the way and it was shut out. Trans-Canada Air was legislated into existence April 11, 1936, a subsidiary of CNR, which was in turn owned by the federal government. Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCA) started up with $5 million in seed money. It bought three airplanes from Canadian Airways, and hired a number of executives from US airlines, such as United and American.

TCA set forth on its inaugural flight July 30, 1937 (data and photos of the historical fleet are available online). C.D. Howe boarded a Lockheed aircraft in Montreal at dawn, and more than 17 hours later landed in Vancouver at dusk, after touching down in five cities across the country. TCA’s first regular route was between Vancouver and Seattle, a flight that cost $14.20 round trip. Travel was quite a bit less comfortable back then. Pressurized cabins were a thing of the future, the planes were drafty and no oxygen was provided during flights.

The market for air travel increased after the Second World War. The romance of the RCAF and the booming post-war economy made Canadians less afraid and better able to afford to fly. TCA expanded quickly over the next 30 years adding routes to the U.S., Europe, Asia and the Caribbean. The company changed its name to Air Canada in 1965 to reflect the fact that it no longer flew solely within Canada.

Air Canada marked its 75th anniversary in Toronto, Ontario (Canada) on Friday March 2, 2012. About 800 customers, employees, partners and dignitaries attended, along with Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner which was on display for attendees to tour (see a gallery of photos online). Canada’s largest air carrier has centred its future fleet renewal around the 787. Air Canada has 37 aircraft on order, but delivery of the first seven Dreamliners will not be until 2014. The remaining 30 will be delivered between 2015 and 2019.

For extensive information on Air Canada’s history, see Wikipedia, CBC News – May 14, 2004, Funding Universe and FlightGlobal’s Canadian Aviation Blog (Part 1 and Part 2).

About the Community Video Archive

The Internet Archive contains a section on Moving Images which is called “Community Video.” It was originally named “Open Source Video.” At present, this archive contains 149,895 items. Everyone is invited to view or upload videos to the Community collection.

Contributed by Archive users and community members, these videos are available for free download. Users can browse by title, author, collection, subject/keywords, language, date and creator. An RSS feed is also available. For a sample, see the “Earth Time Lapse View from Space” (5 minutes) which is also embeded below for ease of access.

Toronto Transit Archives

The Transit Toronto Archives contain scanned and other electronic images, including maps, old brochures, news clippings, annual reports, schedules, sound files and a photo gallery. The materials were produced by the Toronto Transit Commission and other transit agencies in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) over the past century. While not a complete list, this material is useful for understanding how public transportation in Toronto has grown and developed since its beginnings in the mid 19th century.  The TTC’s Previous Websites can be accessed courtesy the Internet Archive. More maps and photographs are available online at Mike’s Transit Stop.

IBM celebrates 100 years

“Of the top 25 industrial corporations in the United States in 1900, only two remained on that list at the start of the 1960s. And of the top 25 companies on the Fortune 500 in 1961, only six remain there today. Some of the leaders of those companies that vanished were dealt a hand of bad luck. Others made poor choices. But the demise of most came about because they were unable simultaneously to manage their business of the day and to build their business of tomorrow. As you read this, IBM begins its 101st year. Today we take a moment to step back and view the longer arc of history. We’d like to share some of what we have learned—sometimes in humbling ways—on our journey so far.” Read the full essay on the IBM 100 website. Explore an evolving collection of stories about the 100 IBM innovations that helped shape the last century. Celebrate IBM’s 100-year history with commemorative memorabilia designed exclusively for IBMers, families and friends.

A History of the Bar Code

In 1949, a young graduate student was wrestling with the concept of automatically capturing information about a product. He believed that the dots and dashes of Morse code would be a good model, but he could not figure out how to use those familiar patterns to solve his problem. Then, one day as he relaxed at the beach, he idly drew dots and dashes in the sand. As his fingers elongated the dashes he looked at the result and said, "Hey, I've got it." Three years later that graduate student, Joseph Woodland, and his partner received a patent on what began as lines in the sand, and the linear bar code was born. Today, the best-known and most widespread use of bar codes has been on consumer products. The Universal Product Code, or U.P.C., is unique because the user community developed it. Most technological innovations are first invented and then a need is found for the invention. The U.P.C. is a response to a business need first identified by the US grocery industry in the early 1970s. (For more information, see “A History of the Bar Code” at the Economic History Association online and "How UPC Bar Codes Work" at How Stuff Works online.

Supreme Court of Canada - Creation and Beginnings

The Supreme Court of Canada, which stands today as the final arbiter of legal disputes in the Canadian judicial system, has not always enjoyed the status of court of last resort. Its history begins more than a century after the appearance of courts in Canada and its role has evolved considerably since its creation in 1875. Learn about the Creation and Beginnings of the Court, webcasts by session (since February 2009)and This Day in History.

About the past, present and future of the Internet

It's the year 2000, and the Internet "is making the world a very different place for us," says Canadian Internet expert Jim Carroll. In this January 23, 2000 episode of Mansbridge One on One, Peter Mansbridge interviews Carroll about the past, present and future of the net. The typically optimistic Carroll does express a few fears. He worries the current Internet business boom could soon crash in a big way. "There's something massive going on here, but it doesn't mean we need to throw out our collective sanity." View the interview at CBC Digital Archives. Also read about current perspectives in Jim Carroll's regular column in CAmagazine online.

Canada Says Hello: The First Century of the Telephone

If the telephone wasn’t born in Canada, it was certainly conceived here. In 1874, in Brantford, Ontario, inventor Alexander Graham Bell first described the scientific principle that would convey the human voice over wires. By the Second World War, Canadians led the world in talking by telephone. Later they reached out to each other and around the globe with long distance calling, transatlantic connections and predictions for the future. Read the online features, watch television clips (including “Telephones go transatlantic” originally broadcast on January 14, 1957) and listen to numerous historical radio clips at the CBC Digital Archives.

Canadian corporate archives - The Canadian Tire Heritage Collection

At the D.B. Weldon Library on the campus of the University of Western Ontario, an expression of Canadian culture like no other quietly sits waiting to be uncovered. This incredible collection of materials is known as The Canadian Tire Heritage Collection. It's a treasure trove that includes hundreds of catalogues dating back to the early 1930s, internal newsletters, annual reports, 39,000 photographs, various versions of Canadian Tire money and hundreds of audio and visual files including some now-famous television ads.  To learn more, read the article “Canadian Tire archives - treasure trove” in Western News (November 22, 2007 Vol. 43 No. 32) which is also available online.

A Day of Recognition and Celebration for Quebec Chartered Accountants

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Quebec City CA Group and the 130th anniversary of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec (OCAQ). A day of activities under the theme "Active capital for your success!" was held in Quebec City on September 30, 2010 to celebrate these two important milestones for Quebec CAs. Read the OCAQ News Release and view the Photo Album online.

Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia - Centenary Website

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia (ICABC) celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2005. It was marked with events, articles in Beyond Numbers, Centenary Artwork, an online timeline of the history of CAs in BC, and a calendar. An expanded look at these contributions is provided on the ICABC centenary website which describes the people and events that have shaped the profession in BC.