Working on SNIPS’ 75th and 80th anniversary issues was one of my favorite projects. I’ve always been interested in history, and pouring over dusty old copies of SNIPS was a lot of fun.

It gave me a new appreciation for the magazine. I was struck how some of the biggest news stories of the time — World War II, for example — impacted the magazine’s stories and advertisements, while other issues didn’t rate a mention.

But founders Ed and Nick Carter knew their audience and gave the then-new warm-air heating industry what it wanted: lots of news on the people and companies involved in sheet metal and heating. And when air-conditioning went from a luxurious novelty to a necessity, SNIPS covered that, too.

We recently put together an interactive timeline based on the articles we created for those anniversary issues. It allows you to scroll through SNIPS’ history, clicking on pictures and icons to learn more about the Carter family, industry issues and how the magazine changed over the decades.

We may add more details in the future, so be sure to check back. 

Please click on the image below to see for yourself!