Tag: Canadiana

The birth of a nation

| April 20, 2014 | 0 Comments
The birth of a nation

Among Canada’s defining events, the Battle of Vimy Ridge in the First World War ranks high. It was a triumph — a major victory for the Allied side after a long, bloody stalemate — and a tragedy. In the four-day battle,   3,598 Canadians died and another 7,004 were wounded. In the near-century since it ended, […]

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Cartier and Macdonald: unlikely allies

| January 5, 2014 | 0 Comments
Cartier and Macdonald: unlikely allies

Canada’s history is filled with events rooted in relationships between two people. Without the alliance between Shawnee chief Tecumseh and British military commander Sir Isaac Brock, the War of 1812 might have been quite different — and Canada might be part of the United States. Before and during the Second World War, the trust that […]

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Emily Murphy’s famous triumph

| September 30, 2013 | 0 Comments
Emily Murphy’s famous triumph

“I feel equal,” wrote Emily Murphy in 1927, “to high and splendid braveries.” By that point in her life, the 59-year-old native of Cookstown, Ont.’s had earned the right to big ambitions: Her achievements included turns as a successful writer (under the name “Janey Canuck”), social activist, self-taught legal expert and, as of 1916, the […]

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Korea: The forgotten war

| July 5, 2013 | 0 Comments
Korea: The forgotten war

When is a war not a war? For the Korean War, the answer is not always clear. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the ceasefire of a war that not everyone describes that way. It had ambiguous beginnings, more than 20 participating countries, and still no formal end. But some things are evident. This […]

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The war of 1812: A native hero named Norton

| April 5, 2013 | 0 Comments
The war of 1812: A native hero named Norton

Canada is a country so vast that too often, it seems, our history is lost inside our geography. A striking example is our country’s First Nations, whose long, rich history is well-preserved by them, but seldom gets the same attention on a broader scale, even when their stories affect us all. Consider Mohawk chief John […]

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A short, chilly history of Canadian winters

| January 4, 2013 | 0 Comments
A short, chilly history of Canadian winters

How often in winter do we cringe at hearing the dreaded question, “Is it cold enough for ya?!” True, it is a conversation opener, and we Canadians do speak volumes about our weather. In Canada, winter is a part of our community to the extent that it defines us in the global consciousness. It also […]

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Eugene Forsey: bringing Canada’s political history to life

| October 4, 2012 | 0 Comments
Eugene Forsey: bringing Canada’s political history to life

“I can remember many people who go a long, long way back in our history,” my father told an interviewer in 1970. “I remember one man who was elected to Parliament in 1867, half a dozen who were elected in 1874 … Sometimes [with] classes in Canadian government, I’m able to say, ‘Oh, no you’ve […]

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Canada’s first Olympic gold-medalist

Canada’s first Olympic gold-medalist

On the official Olympic Games website, there are two records concerning George Orton at the Paris Olympics in 1900. The records show he won a bronze medal in the 400-metre men’s hurdles and a gold medal in the 3000-metre steeplechase. The records note his country as Canada, making George Orton the first Canadian to win […]

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Yonge Street: Governor Simcoe’s military road

Yonge Street: Governor Simcoe’s military road

By Laura Neilson Bonikowsky I have ascertained by a Route hitherto unknown but to some Indian Hunters, that there is an easy Portage between York and the Waters which fall into Lake Huron of not more than thirty miles in extent…. and hope to compleat (sic) the Military Street or Road the ensuing Autumn.” ~ […]

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Win, lose or draw? Mythology of the War of 1812

| October 26, 2011 | 0 Comments
Win, lose or draw? Mythology of the War of 1812

Two hundred years after the War of 1812 began, the war, and the question of who won, remains lodged in the Canadian tendency toward cultural mythologizing. The war was fought between Great Britain and the United States and involved Upper and Lower Canada (today Ontario and the southern portion of Quebec, respectively) and many First […]

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