Winds of History: Notable Newfoundland Events

Les Harding is the author of The Voyages of Lesser Men: Thumbnail
Sketches in Canadian Exploration and The Journeys of Remarkable Women:
Their Travels on the Canadian Frontier.

What we have here is a selection of about 75 notable events from
Newfoundland’s long and colorful history. To describe each event the
author has chosen a page-long contemporary account, usually from
newspapers. On the opposing page is a large black-and-white photograph
accompanied by a paragraph of additional information. Although the text
passages are well-chosen and always interesting, it is the photographs
that really make this book something special. Obtained mostly from
archives, the photos are filled with fascinating details. The
reproduction is excellent.

The selection of events is as wide-ranging as possible. Everything from
John Cabot’s discovery of Newfoundland in 1498 to the visit of Pope
John Paul II is included. We can find the famous (such as Marconi,
Amelia Earhart, and Charles Lindbergh) and the formerly famous (such as
Georgina Twillingate Sterling, a Newfoundland opera singer who was the
toast of two continents at the turn of the century). Shipwrecks,
ceremonies, parades, riots, fires, the laying of the trans-Atlantic
cable, and the building of the Hibernia petroleum development are just
some of the notable Newfoundland events included.

The author has done an excellent job and the book is an enjoyable
browse.