Europeana eNews: First World War Memorabilia, Seashore stories, and more...

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Dear Reader, welcome to the April newsletter. Discover interesting stories from the First World War, learn more about the Olympics and see some of Europeana's impressions of the sea. Also take a quick survey to help us improve our newsletter and don't miss your chance to win a Kindle. First World War Memorabilia from Germany   The black iron medallion Dr. Susanne Mittag brought to the roadshow in Frankfurt am Main belonged to her grandfather. This is her only possession from the First World War that made it to this day. That and the beautiful necklace her grandmother managed to save from her husband's surge of patriotism. Read More... If you are in Tallinn, and a mysterious old man approaches you and asks whether the work on the city has been completed, your answer better be an emphatic "no". This is how one of the oldest seashore stories from Tallinn, this year's European Capital of Culture, begins. Read More... April 1896 saw the first modern Olympic Games in Athens. Over a hundred years on, as London prepares for the 2012 games, Europeana glances back over the history of the Olympic Games and how they have been influenced by ancient traditions. Read More... First World War Memorabilia from Germany Erster Weltkrieg Frankfurt March 31 2011.   The iron medallion Dr. Susanne Mittag brought to the roadshow in Frankfurt am Main was part of Germany's war campaign "Gold gab ich für Eisen" (I gave gold for iron) to raise funds for the First World War. The population was encouraged to exchange gold and silver jewelry for an iron medallion inscribed with the words: Gold gab ich zur Wehr, Eisen nahm ich zur Ehr (I gave gold for our defense and took iron for honour). It became a symbol of patriotism and loyalty to the country. "My grandfather gave all of my grandmother's jewelry and silverware he found at home in exchange for this medallion", told Dr. Mittag, "To give your valuables for what, for war?" Her grandmother could save only one necklace that she hid from her husband and which Dr. Mittag has and wears to this day. Many interesting stories were shared at the roadshows in four German cities organised as part of the project "The First World War in everyday documents". The project builds on the Oxford University's Great War Archive initiative, which collected private memorabilia in the UK and now brings German soldiers' stories online. Another interesting story involved a trainee pilot's notebook that was brought to the roadshow in Berlin. "What struck me most was the advanced technical details recorded in the notes, and the air to air photograhs, which were not commonly seen at that time", said Everett Sharp from University of Oxford, Europeana's partner in the project. The astonishment was even greater, when a journalist doing a report on the project saw that the aviation rules in this pilot's notebook were signed by his grandfather. Together with their stories, people brought postcards, photographs, diaries and other items that were digitised, and will be soon available on the project site. In the coming months these objects and the material submitted online will be available on Europeana. To find out more or submit your own stories and memorabilia, visit www.europeana1914-1918.eu.   ^ ^ ^ Return to top ^ ^ ^ Seashore stories   One of Tallinn's oldest legends tells of the Ülemiste Vanake, the old man from Lake Ülemiste, which sits on the outskirts of town. Once a year in the dark of the night he rises from the lake, knocks on the city gates and asks, "Is the city finished yet, or is there still work being done?" The guards have strict orders to answer "no", that there's still a lot of construction going on and it will probably be years before it's ready. The disappointed old man then turns around and leaves, grumbling all the way back to the lake. The belief is that if the answer were ever to be "yes", the old man would call up the waters of the lake and wipe the city out with a great flood. See some of the many impressions of sea on Europeana and discover fascinating stories hidden in the depth of waters.   ^ ^ ^ Return to top ^ ^ ^ Olympic Games on Europeana The Olympic Hymn, Courtesy of Hellenic Educational Television.  Arrivée de la flamme olympique, Courtesy of Institut National de l'Audiovisuel. The Olympic Victors of the Marathon, Courtesy of Benaki Museum.   Although the exact date is hard to determine, it is generally agreed that the Roman emperor Theodosius I banned the Olympic Games in around 400 AD to eliminate pagan practices. After 1500 years, the event was revived and the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in April 1896. Take a look at some interesting facts about the Olympics with Europeana. "Ancient immortal Spirit, pure Father of beauty, of greatness and of truth descend, reveal yourself as lightning here within the glory of your own earth and sky" begins the Olympic Anthem. Composed by Spyridon Samaras with lyrics written by the poet Kostis Palamas, the anthem was first performed at the opening ceremony of the first modern Olympic Games. Since the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, it has been sung at every Olympic Games opening ceremony. Watch this video about the Olympic Hymn which explains its origins, the meaning of its lyrics, and shows fascinating impressions and photographs of the first modern Olympics. If you'd like to research further into the items you've found on Europeana, you can now search the details of an object in an external search engine directly from Europeana. When viewing an item, click on the i icon next to the detail you would like to search. For instance, clicking the i icon next to ' Palamas Kostis' will allow you to search in sources such as Wikipedia, Google, Flickr, Amazon and YouTube. Another widely recognised symbol of the Olympic Games is the award. In the ancient Olympics, an olive wreath was awarded to the victorious athlete. In the modern games, winners receive medals to honour their achievements. The USA and Norway hold the most gold medals won at the Olympics, with 929 medals for the USA at the summer Olympics, and 107 medals for Norway at the winter games. You can also translate the details of an object. For example, this medal from the 1952 Oslo games is from a Norwegian museum with its details provided in Norwegian. Click 'Translate details' on the Actions menu on the left hand side; choose either the Google or Bing service and select the language you want to see the details in. The Olympic Flame is also an important attribute of the games. Representing the fire stolen from the Greek God Zeus, the flame is lit at the ancient site of the Olympics in Olympia and is carried to the city hosting the games. The flame first appeared in the modern Olympics in 1928, when it was ignited in the hosting city Amsterdam. Watch this video showing the Olympic Flame arriving at the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympics, which the United States President Jimmy Carter boycotted in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. If you're interested in finding more about the Olympics or sport on Europeana, try Olympics Sport Athlete