Amazing people, events and places which infuse the country with life
Elizabeth Smellie rose from hospital night supervisor to high-ranking military officer. Inspiring the members of the Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC), she then rose to Chief Superintendent of the Victorian Order of Nurses. Elizabeth Lawrie Smellie, “Beth”, was born on March 22, 1884 in Port Arthur, near Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. A member of a […]
Dedicated to medicine, Dr. Bethune devised new instruments and treatment, instituted battlefield care with transfusions and surgery and earned a place in China’s history. When war is called, people from across the globe feel the need to take action, to provide their help to one side or the other. They want to make a […]
Dawson triumphed over childhood illness, becoming a devoted scientist, giving his heart to geology, palaeontology, anthropology and contributing to records of the sciences. He was a true Canadian rock star. The earth sciences always captured the interest of George Mercer Dawson. As a wee child, he wandered the expansive grounds of McGill College in Montreal, […]
Baking delicious goodies in his Berlin, Ontario grocery store, the baker opened C.H. Doerr Co. The name changed to the easier-to-pronounce Dare in 1945 Southwestern Ontario was the birthplace of Charles H. Doerr. Born on October 31, 1868, Doerr was the son of Carl Adam Morris Doerr and Anna Eve Schwaertzel. Both parents were German […]
Constructing homes with hand tools powered only by human muscle was a challenge at the best of times, and a painful, slow, and costly disappointment in the worst. In the early 20th century, the Sovereign brothers devised a system to make home building accurate and by-the-numbers simple. As if the genie in the bottle granted […]
Alexander Ross came to Upper Canada as a fur trader in 1804. Plying his trade, he and his family settled on the Red River, creating a higher-class community Aboard the ship Countess of Darlington, 21-year-old Alexander Ross sailed from his homeland of Scotland across the Atlantic, headed for the excitement awaiting him in Canada. Earning […]
Teaching the arts of listening, touching and examining patients, Canadian Dr. William Osler changed the system of training medical students. The skills of touching, viewing or speaking with a live patient were not required modules in medical student training in early Canada. A licence to practice medicine, even surgery, was gained through theory in […]
The first passenger ship to dock at Vancouver from the distant Orient, the SS Abyssinia also set a speed record for the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company. The rail business was good for Canadian Pacific Railway in the mid-1800s, so good that broad expansion was ahead. Carrying freight and passengers, rail service across Canada was a […]
Built in Quebec City’s Place Royale in 1688, L’eglise Notre-Dame-des-Victoires survived burning and threats of demolition, and is now an historic monument. Revering their sacred religious principles, the early European settlers made sure their new Canadian home sites included places for worship. One of the oldest French stone churches still standing is L’eglise Nôtre-Dame-des-Victoires in […]
A battalion of Canadian volunteers joined the British in the South African War. The 10-day Battle of Paardeberg Drift but was bloody, gruesome, and costly The Date: February 18 – February 27, 1900 The Place: Paardeberg Drift, a region on the Modder River in South Africa The Historical Significance for Canadians: One of Canada’s first […]
The Gentleman Bandit, Bill Miner held up stagecoaches and trains with varying success. Spending most of his life in prison, escape was always possible, even in Canada. Banks, stagecoaches and trains, these were ripe for robbery pickings when it came to Bill Miner and his accomplices. The trains were particularly attractive, often carrying large sums […]
Made into pemmican for centuries by Aboriginals, cranberries are now a holiday favourite. The fruit was first farmed in North America on the east coast of Canada and USA Cooked into tangy sauces, squeezed into bright red juice, folded into muffin batter or added to turkey stuffing, the cranberry has a long, delicious history […]