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History

“None Are Too Many”: The Tragedy of the MS St. Louis

June 7, 2013, By Holly O'Rourke

Author: Maddy Macnab On June 7th, 1939, Canada denied entry to over 900 Jewish refugees aboard the MS St. Louis. Seventy-two years later, Canada’s part in the fate of the MS St. Louis was officially remembered with the unveiling of Daniel Libeskind’s “Wheel of Conscience” monument, at the Canadian Museum of Immigration. As Canada assumes [...]

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D-Day

History

D-Day 1944 Commemorated

June 6, 2013, By Holly O'Rourke

Author: Dr. Alexander Herd 69 years ago, on June 6, 1944 Canadians, alongside their fellow Allied soldiers, sailors, and airmen, participated in D-Day, the invasion of Normandy, France and the first step towards the liberation of continental Europe in the Second World War. Canadians performed a wide variety of tasks on D-Day.  In advance of the [...]

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Poetry

Culture, History, Literature, Reading In Canadian

Poem in your Pocket Day

April 18, 2013, By Chantal Gagnon

Canadians across the country have poems in their pockets, from a pretty little haiku to historical epics to the latest pop earworm. Every year new poets give us wonderful and engaging works. But we can’t forget the strong Canadian poetic tradition captured by, among others, Bliss Carman’s romantic odes to landscape, Stephen Leacock’s biting satire, [...]

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armoured-carrier-NATO

History, Politics

NATO: When Canada Really Mattered

April 3, 2013, By Norman Hillmer

On April 4, 1949, the foreign ministers of Canada, the US, the UK, France and eight other countries signed the North Atlantic Treaty. An armed attack on one member would be an armed attack on them all.

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to-map

Education, History

Historical Maps of Toronto: Q&A with Nathan Ng

April 1, 2013, By Davina Choy

Historical Maps of Toronto makes hard-to-find maps easily accesible on the web. Nathan Ng, brainchild behind the project, answers a few questions about maps, history and his love for both.

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Culture

Inuit Myths and Legends

December 11, 2012, By Davina Choy

The Inuit are an “imaginative, hardy and resourceful people” wrote famed Igloo Dweller James Houston. The Inuit (meaning simply “the people”) make their home in the Arctic, encompassing the vast, rugged land from the Bering Sea through Alaska and northern Canada to Greenland. Theirs is a semi-nomadic life that traces back to as early as 1000 AD when their ancestors (the Thule) moved eastwards from Alaska to the Arctic.

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Culture, Inside TCE

A Very Canadian Gift Guide

December 10, 2012, By The Editors

Encyclopedia editors have long been pegged as crusty, humourless academics, too busy researching facts and figures to enjoy the fun and quirky material world. This holiday season, The Canadian Encyclopedia staff is happy to dispel this notion with a very Canadian gift guide made up of their favourite things, from handcrafted pens to plush toys and potato vodka. Crusty and humourless? We think not!

vodka-1Schramm Organic Potato Vodka
Pemberton Distillery, $30–$62
Everyone knows where Bud the Spud is from—think of PEI, and one thinks of potatoes. But tucked away in an idyllic, isolated valley, in the Coast Mountains of BC, is a village also famous for its potatoes. Pemberton, just 20 minutes north of Whistler, has long been a key supplier of high grade seed potatoes—they are used all over North America. Pemberton is a controlled agricultural area to keep its seed stock free of viruses—no outside potatoes allowed! One enterprising company is using the pristine Pemberton potatoes for a different purpose—making vodka and other spirits. While the distillery has been producing its Schramm Organic Potato Vodka since just 2009, it has already won rave reviews and double-gold at the 2010 World Spirits Awards. Sheila Keenan, Copy Editor (more…)

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Music, Music Mondays

Chanukah, Ruth Rubin and Me

December 8, 2012, By Gary Cristall
An engraving depicting the Maccabbee Rebellion (public domain).

An engraving depicting the Maccabbee Rebellion (public domain).

I grew up in Toronto in a militantly secular Jewish environment. My parents and their friends – comrades, really – were Communists. This meant that they were atheists. It also meant that they were passionately committed to a Jewish culture without religion. Our “temple” was the United Jewish People’s Order hall (UJPO) on Christie Street. It was a cultural Mecca, as it were. It was situated across the street from the park, Christie Pits. In August of 1933 a baseball team of Anglo Saxon Protestants flew a swastika flag – the emblem of the Hitler regime that had recently come to power in Germany.

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Culture, Inside TCE

Snow Diary: One Woman’s Battle with Winter, Part 1

December 6, 2012, By Laura Bonikowsky
The view from my backyard.

The view from my backyard.

Having told friends, family and colleagues that I dislike winter, I’ve received endless advice on how to turn my chilly frown upside down. My dear friend Myriam even provided a list of reasons to like winter. So I’m going to try again to change my attitude, and to chart my progress I’m going to keep a snow diary. All I need is some snow.

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Culture, History

Inuit Words and Knowledge about Snow and Ice

December 5, 2012, By Mélanie Fafard
Building an Igloo

Traditionally, Inuit lived in igloos during the coldest months and tent like huts during the warmer months. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs, Photograph by Frank E. Kleinschmidt

It is often said that the Inuit have dozens of words to refer to “snow” and “ice.” Intrigued, I researched the topic on the web, to get more information. I found different sites treating the subject, but I think that unfortunately, the majority of those who say something about it do not have much expertise about the Inuit, either at the linguistic or cultural level.

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Canada Soup, Culture, In the News

Canada Soup: “A Land of Mounties and Maple Syrup”

December 3, 2012, By Davina Choy
mark carney

The headline of the Financial Times announcing Canadian Mark Carney’s appointment as Bank of England governor.

Early last week, the Telegraph newspaper published a playful article, saying that the new Bank of England governor, Mark Carney, is an anomaly for being both cosmopolitan and educated as well as a proud “maple syrup-drinking, poutine-loving, moose-spotting, beer-swilling ice hockey fan” from a country “affectionately known as America’s attic.” It then went on to detail Canadians’ many accomplishments, concluding that Canada is “more than a land of Mounties and maple syrup” and encouraging Canadians to be more out and proud about their country. In response, Michael Babad of the Globe and Mail published his own rebuttal, listing 15 things Britons should know about Canada. Things get interesting. Who’s passive-aggressive swipe was better? [Telegraph]

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Culture, History, Inside TCE

Contest: Name that Canadian!

November 27, 2012, By Davina Choy

If you’ve been on The Canadian Encyclopedia, you may have noticed a new video on the homepage. Nearly three minutes in length, the video features a smorgasbord of Canadian icons, achievements and events. But none of them are identified. They rush by in a stream of Canadiana, like so much maple syrup. But that’s where you come in!

From November 27 – December 2 we’ll be running a contest, asking readers like you to “name that Canadian” in the video. List the Canadians, events, works of art, or structures in order of appearance, with the first image (Sir John A. Macdonald – that’s a freebie!) at the top of your list, and the following images in descending order. The earliest sender with the most correct answers wins a quintessential Canadian t-shirt from the Historica-Dominion Institute in their choice of style and size, based on availability.

Send your list to dchoy@historica-dominon.ca by December 2 for a chance to win. Include your full name and mailing address. The winner will be announced on Monday, December 3 on this blog. Now, watch the above video and Name That Canadian!
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Si vous allez fureter du côté de l’Encyclopédie canadienne, il vous sera impossible de rater notre nouvelle vidéo qui apparaît sur la page d’accueil. D’une durée de près de trois minutes, la vidéo vous présente une kyrielle de personnages, d’icônes, de réalisations et d’événements venus parsemer le paysage historique canadien. Un petit hic cependant ! Nul n’est identifié. Toutes ces images se confondent les unes aux autres à l’arrière-plan de belles feuilles d’automne. Et c’est à ce moment que vous entrez en scène !

Du 27 novembre au 2 décembre, nous vous offrons la chance de participer à notre concours ‘’Nommez-les’’. Pour ce faire, il vous suffit de dresser la liste des personnages, événements, oeuvres d’art, et autres selon leur rang d’apparition en commençant par la première image (Sir John A. Macdonald – et voici le numéro 1). Celui qui, le premier, nous aura soumis une liste avec le plus grand nombre de bonnes réponses se méritera un t-shirt typiquement canadien offert par l’Institut Historica-Dominion, grandeur et style de son choix, selon les disponibilités.

Facile ? Peut-être…peut-être pas ! Nous avons hâte de lire votre liste ‘’Nommez-les’’ que vous nous aurez fait parvenir à l’adresse suivante : dchoy@historica-dominion, d’ici le 2 décembre prochain. N’oubliez pas d’inclure votre nom et coordonnées dont votre adresse postale. Le nom du gagnant sera annoncé sur ce blogue même, le lundi 3 décembre prochain.

Bon visionnement !

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Culture, History, In the News

Celebrate Movember with Historic Moustaches

November 23, 2012, By Davina Choy

November is the month of moustaches thanks to Movember, a fundraising effort that encourages men to grow moustaches in order to raise funds and awareness for men’s health. With such a wealth of moustaches on display this month, from the organically shaggy to the sleekly coiffed, one can’t help but think of the hirsute appendages from days of yore. So, in the spirit of Movember, we present a collection of impressive Canadian moustaches, from Louis-Honoré Fréchette‘s handlebar to Christopher Plummer’s wispy pencil moustache. Happy Movember, and stay hairy!

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Français

Notre éditrice Laura Bonikowsky nous explique: le football pour les nuls!

November 23, 2012, Par Laura Bonikowsky
fog-bowl-in-toronto

La visibilité sur le terrain était bonne pour le match, mais les spectateurs et téléspectateurs ne pouvaient voir le déroulement du jeu. Ici Charlie Shephard attrape le ballon pour un touché (spectateur de Hamilton).

Le match de la Coupe Grey sera disputé ce 25 novembre à Toronto et la NFL poursuit sa série avec plusieurs éliminatoires…que de discussions autour du football en ce temps-ci de l’année! L’un des sujets qui revient inévitablement est sans contredit la dualité entre les deux jeux, à savoir, lequel est le meilleur, de celui pratiqué au Canada ou celui des Américains puisqu’il y a certaines divergences entre les deux. Je ne suis pas une fan de football mais je vais quand même essayer de vous expliquer certaines de ces différences et aussi comment le jeu se pratique ici chez-nous.

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Culture, In the News

Which is better—the CFL or the NFL?

November 21, 2012, By Laura Bonikowsky
Russ Jackson was the premier Canadian-born quarterback ever to play in the CFL (courtesy Canada's Sports Hall of Fame).

Russ Jackson was the premier Canadian-born quarterback ever to play in the CFL (courtesy Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame).

With the Grey Cup coming up on November 25 in Toronto and the NFL still working their way through the season to their various bowls, football fans have a lot to talk about. One topic that is debated regularly is whether football is better in Canada or the US because there are some differences between the game played by the CFL and the NFL. I am not a football fan, but I will try to explain some of the differences and provide a little background on the game here at home. We hope that readers will weigh in the comments below.

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History, In the News

Celebrating the Canadarm at 31

November 13, 2012, By Davina Choy
google-doodle-canadarm

The anniversary of the first launch of the Canadarm 31 years ago is celebrated on Google.ca with a special doodle.

The dexterous robotic space exploration tool known as the Canadarm celebrates the 31st anniversary of its launch today with a Google doodle on Google.ca.

Launched on November 13, 1981 on the U.S. Space Shuttle Columbia, the Canadarm was used to retrieve and repair satellites, move cargo, and support astronauts on spacewalks. At 15 metres in length, it operated like a human arm with six joints: two at the shoulder, one at the elbow, and three at the wrists. Its “hand” is cylindrical.

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Culture, In the News, Literature

Literary Prizewinners of 2012

November 13, 2012, By Susanne Marshall
A selection of Canadian literary prizewinners from 2012.

A selection of Canadian literary prizewinners from 2012.

Congratulations are due to the winners of the major literary prizes of the season. Not only will their publishers sell copies – increases from the thousands to the, well, dozens, depending on the genre – but their names will circulate more freely in the public sphere, their reputations increase substantially, and so they will find and delight more readers. We readers are, ultimately, the beneficiaries of these prizes when we find a new author to love, when we are introduced to a new genre we may investigate and savour for decades to come, when we introduce other readers in turn to books that please them.

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History, In the News

A Trove of War Photos Unearthed

November 9, 2012, By Davina Choy
An aerial photograph of a bombing. From the personal collection of Jack Ford, taken by a member of the RCAF 414 Photo Unit.

An aerial photograph of a bombing. From the personal collection of Jack Ford, taken by a member of the RCAF 414 Photo Unit.

Jack Ford was a Canadian photographer during the Second World War for RCAF Squadron 414. While advancing across Western Europe, he took thousands of photographs, including Winston Churchill (with his proverbial cigar), King George VI, Nazi planes, and prisoners of war. He also captured glimmers of humanity: in one photo, a Canadian soldier dressed as Santa Claus helps a child drink from a teacup.

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Français

Musique en temps de guerre

November 8, 2012, Par Davina Choy

roses-picaderyDurant la première guerre mondiale, la musique tenait une place importante au front et sur les champs de bataille. Les gouvernements, les compositeurs et les éditeurs ont embrassé la guerre comme un thème musical afin de susciter la ferveur, la fierté et le patriotisme dans le coeur des soldats et des citoyens. La musique servait aussi de réconfort, de merci et pouvait exprimer toute une gamme d’émotions complexes non reliées à toute forme de propagande. Ceci nous a permit d’acquérir nombre tout un éventail de chansons qui nous permettent de mieux comprendre la guerre. (more…)

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Français

Épouses de guerre: Elles sont venues par amour

November 7, 2012, Par Laura Bonikowsky
war-brides

Arrivée des épouses de guerre sur le navire SS Scythia, le 26 mars 1946, photo des Forces armées canadiennes, Nova Scotia Archives.

En voyant le livreur de télégramme sur son perron, Mme Jones, de Littletown au Canada, porte la main à son cœur croyant qu’il va s’arrêter. On est en 1943, et le fils de Mme Jones, Robert, est cantonné quelque part outre-mer. D’une main tremblante, elle prend l’enveloppe. Craignant le pire, elle ravale ses larmes et lit : « Je me marie. Besoin de 60 livres. Lettre suit. » Les jambes molles, elle s’écroule sur le sol.

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