The first newspaper in Canada to publish quality illustrations, Canadian Illustrated News printed thousands of beautiful pictures to captivate readers. Publisher George Édouard Desbarats held a strong and wide philosophy about his country and his new newspaper. “By picturing to our own people the broadd dominion they possess, its resources and progress, its monuments and […]
While not permitted to serve as pilots, over 17,000 women joined the Royal Canadian Air Force during WW2 in jobs ranging from clerical duties to driver to air frame maintenance “We serve that men may fly.” The promotional poster words encouraged young Canadian women, aged 21 to 41 to join the Royal Canadian Air Force. […]
Charming and appealing, the Regency Cottage architectural design sprouted up in the early 1800s with the foray of European colonists to Upper Canada. Rectangular and featuring one-and-a-half storeys, the small frame homes are dotted across the countryside. In later years, the style evolved into the Ontario Cottage, the Gothic Revival Cottage, and other designs. “The […]
Beautiful, heartwarming native art, the works of Aboriginal painters and a sculptor, were components in series of postage stamps for Canada Post, issued Christmas 2002. Every Christmas, Canada Post issues festive postage for the holiday mailings of seasonal cards and packages. In 2002, a special series was produced: a set of three exceptional stamps featuring […]
Portal Camp disappeared, wiped out under an avalanche of ice, snow and mud of the slide. Rescuers were thwarted by wind and icy blizzard weather. The Leduc Glacier near Stewart, BC was covered with fresh snow. Underneath the glacier, a tunnel was being created by the Granduc mining company, one that would reach a […]
Thomas Ahearn was one of Canada’s ground-breaking businessmen and inventors in the early age of electricity: oven, water heater, flat iron, streetcars, telegraphy, radio, and more. The industry of telecommunications seems like a modern invention, but it was in its infancy in the late 1800s. The young Thomas Ahearn saw his future in telecommunications, […]
History is made every day – let’s have a snapshot at just what was taking place in Canada on August 31st. It is difficult to envision life in other times, let alone over hundreds of years. What must it have been like for visitors? Did they make themselves at home? Did they give up on […]
The Man-of-Steel comic book hero ‘Superman’ soared but Shuster and co-creator Jerry Siegel were left behind. Shuster struggled to make a living with vision disabilities. Pencil in hand, Joe Shuster enjoyed drawing and sketching as a young boy. Born in Toronto, Ontario on July 10, 1914, Joseph Shuster’s parents Julius and Ida Shuster, were […]
The finest, the tallest, the utterly lavish. Only magnificence would fit the strategic plans of Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). Building a series of hotels across the country, the company planned a hotel for Toronto, Canada’s largest city. Launching construction in 1927, the doors of the Royal York Hotel opened two years later to welcome weary, […]
The Canadian economy was flourishing two years before the Great Depression; the Eaton’s Catalogue had almost everything at prices that seem remarkable now. In the late 1920s, Canada’s economy was prospering. WWI was over and the soldiers were happy to be home. The markets and industries were expanding products and developments, with new fashion styles, […]
Improving on methods used by native Canadians, Hiram A. Lawrence received a patent for his Sap Spout, preventing loss of the precious sweet sap. Long before Europeans landed on the wilderness shores of eastern Canada, North American natives made use of the hardwood maple forests to provide sweet treats and sugary sustenance. With a rough […]
Creating watercolour paintings to record the countryside for the British army, Thomas Davies developed a talent that made him one of Canada’s best artists. Paints and brushes, inks and pens, topographical map-making in the 18th century was a hands-on activity. Using the drawings for military strategies, accurate details were essential, the placement of trees, landmarks […]