Canadian Red Cross History in 120 Objects

The Canadian Red Cross has launched a digital commemoration of its 120 years of history.  I helped out on this project for a few weeks, and I am happy to say that it looks great.

 

  • The Canadian Red Cross, 120 Years of the Canadian Red Cross, Website, launched June 2016: http://www.redcross.ca/history/home#/?&date=2010.

 

The digital design is attractive, easily manipulated and read.  The primary aim is to engage visitors, and the virtual exhibit works well, in my naturally biased opinion, as a public history site.  It uses images of items to draw visitors in, and places these items on a timeline going back to 1885, when the Red Cross symbol was first employed in Canada.

 

And yes, that was during the suppression of the 1885 Rebellion in what became Saskatchewan.  Learn a little about that from the site here and here.  Red Cross history is pretty fascinating.  There were several stories that grabbed my attention back in the Spring of this year, as well as engrossing historical themes.  Most of all, though, I think I was just consistently impressed by the work of the Red Cross as an institution, and the efforts of its personnel and volunteers.  The new website certainly offers plenty of evidence that the Red Cross has an important place in Canadian history, as it has internationally since the movement began in the 1860s.

 

Screen Shot 2016-06-29 at 9.21.13 PM

Above is a screenshot of a portion of an info-graphic about the Canadian Red Cross, found here: http://www.redcross.ca/about-us/about-the-canadian-red-cross/what-we-do-infographic.

 

Citation

Nathan Smith, “Canadian Red Cross History in 120 Objects,” 29 June 2016, HIS241.com, http://www.his241.com/?p=325