Comments | ommadawn: Globes

ommadawn

Globes

Apr 01, 2009 12:57

I found myself waiting, idly twirling a globe. The globe was obviously not new, but I started entertaining myself with identifying when this one had been produced by looking at countries that didn't exist any more ( Read more... )

Comments 7

_conscience_ April 1 2009, 21:22:18 UTC

Usually the copyright is written where the manufacturer/legend and whatnot are located, which tends to be in the middle of large bodies of water.

In recent history: USSR. East/West Germany. Prussia. Bangladesh. Bosnia/Serbia. Moldavia/Romania/the Caucasus. Does Argentina have a coastline? It used to.

Israel/Palestine is fun to watch on maps, too.

flwyd April 2 2009, 01:54:01 UTC

Argentina has one of the longest coastlines in the world. ITYM Bolivia a long time ago. HTH,HAND.

_conscience_ April 2 2009, 04:23:54 UTC

Yes, I did mean Bolivia. Thanks for the correction.

flwyd April 2 2009, 02:04:29 UTC

Most of the '80s was about renaming without changing borders; 1989-1996 or so had lots of shattering. Rhodesia became Zimbabwe almost 30 years ago. Upper Volta became Burkina Faso in '84. Maps started changing Ivory Coast to Côte d'Ivoire around the early '90s. If it's quite recent it will have Eritrea and East Timor. I think the Burma/Myanmar changeover came in the 80s as well. And others have mentioned Bangladesh, which came in the late '70s.

I've got a globe that's old enough to have a giant purple blob labeled French West Africa and a unified Korea, yet it's got Israel. If you've got late-50s vintage, check to see if Alaska and/or Hawaii are states.

docr April 2 2009, 15:35:37 UTC

Unfortunately, many globe makers (and map makers) don't immediately change border, or other, names. Nailing down name changes will get you an approximate date but depending on mfr., you could be several years or more off.
There are some map/globe forums out there. If you can find the mfr info one of the forums might help you to find the mfr date, if it is that important to you. I have seem some maps/globes that aren't dated in the traditional manner but rather the date is tied to the version number of the object and requires a cross-reference.

oldvolvo April 2 2009, 17:57:20 UTC

I know you can get upgrade patches- for lack of a better term- for globes.
Rand McNally and such have updates that overlay the continents with the new borders and names.

Hello, Tech support? I have a globe. Model number? Errr, ahh, 311, rev 9. I'm trying to install "central europoe patch version 2002..... Yes, I know my globe hasn't been upgraded since 1965.... but the patch keeps falling off...."

ommadawn April 2 2009, 19:08:23 UTC

Thanks for all the tips. While this was mostly inspired by an idle curiosty to while away a few moments in an office, it was nice to be reminded of some of the other things I'd missed, and the timeframes that some of these events (i know bangladesh was a while ago, but not *that* long ago). Think of it as an impromptu trivia challenge.

I was in an antique store in denver (might have been packrat on broadway and virginia or so) and they had some antique globes, including one inlaid one which must have been in a library in Indiana because that sport had been worn away by innumerable fingers pointing "right *HERE* is where we live". Did we know more about geography 100 years ago?

I'm also one of those kinds of folks who will start trying to determine what year a movie is supposed to take place based on the cars that are used. Not very good at it, but I like noticing it, and since I like tacky old movies I get lots of chances to do it.