The medical establishment wasn’t ready for women, so Dr. Trout finished her training in the USA. She opened the Kingston Women’s School of Medicine on October 2, 1883 A career in medicine is something young women may choose easily today. They train at universities and medical colleges without a second thought. But in Jennie Trout’s […]
Arriving in the 1870s, the religious group immigrated to Manitoba to practice their pacifist faith in peace. But by not joining the WWI effort, they also lost the vote Living according to their spiritual beliefs was essential for the Mennonites. Unhappy and under duress in their European and Russian homelands, they searched for a place […]
The Battle of Britain was waged from July 10 – October 31, 1940. The German Luftwaffe attacked but, with the help of the RCAF and Canada, Britain was saved from capture. “For the first time in modern history the people of England are now to feel the full and direct impact of war on their […]
Dehydrated, exhausted and with feet cut and bleeding, Laura Secord pressed on to reach Lt. Fitzgibbon with the message that Upper Canada was about to be taken by America Quietly, unobtrusively, Laura Secord served the evening meal to the American soldiers billeted in her home against her will in June, 1813. Her husband, James Secord, […]
Frustrated by the inaccuracies of schedules on the train lines, Sir Sandford Fleming devised a system of Standard Time. His method was adopted in Canada and world-wide Sir Sandford Fleming was a multifaceted man of brilliance and led a life of influence and success. A professional in many aspects, as noted on Dictionary of Canadian […]
Built by Cawthra Mulock, the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto was saved from demolition in 1962 by Ed Mirvish. His vision returned golden grandeur to the historic venue A sophisticated young man, Cawthra Mulock wanted to put Toronto, Ontario on the world’s cultural map. The son of an MP, Mulock was a stockbroker, a foundry-owner […]
Canadian Aladdin and T. Eaton’s offered complete house kits, from plans to lumber, cupboards to knobs, all precut and ready to construct on your own piece of land. “Manufactured in our mills in Ontario, New Brunswick and British Columbia, according to the most approved methods of modern construction, shipped complete, knocked-down flat, ready for construction…anyone […]
Not yet 20 years old, Harry Brown was a Canadian Private in the First World War. His determination to deliver an important message gave new meaning to the word bravery. At the young and fearless age of 18, Harry W. Brown (also known as John Harry Brown) left his calm life as a single farmer […]
Prohibition in Canada was short, but laws were in effect in the US for many years. The plan was disastrous. Instead, Canadian bootleggers, rumrunners and then mobsters made fortunes Rumblings of Prohibition were heard for decades in Canada and the United States in the 1800s. Early attempts to “dry out” both countries failed, but by […]
Simpson’s store and Parker’s Dye Works boldly used the new horseless vehicles to enhance their delivery services to customers. They were pioneers of the trucking industry There weren’t many roads, just dusty, dirt paths, mostly. There were a few paved city streets, but no such things as paved highways, let alone four-lane freeways. But goods […]
Hiram Walker, an American who crossed the Detroit River into Canada, building his own distillery, his own town of Walkerville, while helping other businesses to flourish While not a Canadian citizen, Hiram Walker was one of the great businessmen of Canada. He built industries and in the process created his own town for his employees. […]
Enlarged in 1850 due to the deaths of arriving immigrants, Cataraqui Cemetery in Kingston, Ontario became the resting place of both prestigious and ordinary Canadians. “At last! We’ve made it,” the immigrants must have cried with relief in the late 1840s. The New World and new lives beckoned. Miserably ill from typhoid on their voyages, […]