December 6, 2017, marks the 100 anniversary of the Halifax Explosion. The accidental collision of a munitions ship with another vessel in Halifax Harbour in 1917 was the largest man-made explosion prior to Hiroshima. The blast (and a subsequent snowstorm) left more than 2,000 people dead, including 500 children, and over 9,000 wounded, including more than 1,000 people blinded by shards of glass. The location of the collision itself meant that the most affected neighbourhoods were those of the city’s most marginalized: Indigenous populations, black Canadians, and those among the poorer classes. More than 6,000 people were left homeless in the wake of the Explosion, with an additional 19,000 people without adequate shelter.

Here are some books exploring the many facets of this Canadian tragedy, the communities it happened to, and its lasting repercussions.

https://bookriot.com/2017/12/05/books-halifax-explosion/

The North-West Rebellion, also known as the Saskatchewan Rebellion, the Northwest Uprising, or the Second Riel Rebellion; was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people under Louis Riel and an associated uprising by First Nations Cree and Assiniboine of the District of Saskatchewan against the government of Canada. The Métis believed that Canada had failed to protect their rights, their land and their survival as a distinct people.

Despite some notable early victories at Duck Lake, Fish Creek and Cut Knife, the rebellion ended when the Métis were defeated at the Siege of Batoche. The remaining Aboriginal allies scattered. Riel was captured and put on trial. He was convicted of treason and despite many pleas across Canada for amnesty, he was hanged. Riel became a heroic martyr to Francophone Canada, and ethnic tensions escalated into a major national division that was never resolved. 

Thanks to the key role that the Canadian Pacific Railway played in transporting troops, Conservative political support for it increased and Parliament authorized funds to complete the country’s first transcontinental railway. Although only a few hundred people were directly affected in Saskatchewan, the long-term result was that the Prairie Provinces would be controlled by English speakers, not French. 

November 14, 1891. Frederick Banting born.

- Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire - Military Cross - Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge - Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Sir Frederick Grant Banting, was a Canadian medical scientist, doctor, painter and Nobel laureate noted as the primary discoverer of insulin.

After graduating with a degree in medicine from the University of Toronto he joined the Canadian Army Medical Corps., serving in France during World War I. When the war ended in 1919, he returned to Canada, working part time as a medical practitioner in Ontario and later serving as the Resident Surgeon at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He soon developed a deep interest in diabetes, directing his studies to research methods for extracting insulin from the pancreas. Together with medical student Charles Best, he discovered a way to isolate insulin and effectively treat diabetic patients. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1923, at age 32. He remains the youngest Nobel laureate in the area of Physiology/Medicine.

His birthday marks the World Diabetes Day.

November 14, 1606

Marc Lescarbot produces Théâtre de Neptune, the first theatrical production in North America. Port Royal, Nova Scotia.

Marc Lescarbot produit le Théâtre de Neptune, la première production théâtrale en Amérique du Nord. Port Royal, Nouvelle-Écosse.

The Rolling Stones performing at Toronto’s El Mocambo; captured by Ken Regan (1977)

Joey Ramone at the El Mocambo, 2/6/79

Marilyn Monroe in Banff 1953

Sexy pout, or I-can't-believe-you-dragged-me-to-Canada-and-are-making-me-pose-with-these-stupid-crutches scowl?

Repose en paix, Kateri Tekakwitha.  The first Native American to be canonized by the Catholic Church, Tekakwitha was baptized Kateri (after St. Catherine of Siena) and took a vow of chastity, to which she adhered until her early death at age 24 on this date in 1680.  As a child she had contracted smallpox and was noticeably scarred (her entire family died from the disease); when she died years later (of unknown causes), her scars were seen to disappear and she appeared fresh and pure (thus the canonization).

Stamp details: Issued on: April 24, 1981 From: Ottawa, Canada MC #796

Rest in peace, Alexander MacKenzie.  A Scotsman, MacKenzie sailed to the Colonies in 1774 while still in his youth and ended up in Montreal during the American War for Independence (his family being staunch Loyalists).  After a number of trans-Atlantic crossings, in October 1792 he set out from Fort Chipewyan in Alberta, heading for the Pacific Ocean–and arrived in Bella Coola, BC, in July 1793, beating Lewis & Clark’s transcontinental voyage by a good 12 years.  He left the above message on a rock in vermilion and bear grease (Canada was still an informal name at that point and referred to the area in what is now Southern Quebec, formerly part of New France) (the original message was later inscribed permanently by following surveyors).  MacKenzie eventually returned to the British Isles and died on this date in 1820 at the approximate age of 56 (his birth date was unrecorded).

Stamp details: Issued on: June 25, 1970 From: Ottawa, Canada MC #459

8 March 1877 – David Laird summons the North-West Council to its first session. Fort Livingstone, Saskatchewan.

Ottawa, ON - 1939

Flag-Framed crown rides skyward as Ottawa decorates. Three days from today their [majesties] arrive in Canada; two days later the royal train will reach the specially constructed railway station outside Ottawa. Already the capital city is completing preparations. A giant flag-draped crown has now been hauled into position on the parliament buildings; among the many other decorations erected. Added to the advance showing of bunting; shields and drapes all over the city; the sound of bugles and rolling drum echoes through the streets as military units rehearse the military features which will mark the royal visit.

Source - Virtual Reference Library - Copyright

Happy New Years!

And enjoy the 150th celebrations for Canada! 

Go see all the Parks Canada sites for free and take in all the natural and historical beauty this country has to offer :)

Ottawa, Ontario. Dec 25, 1901

Hockey on the Rideau Canal

Merry Christmas!

Source: LAC

15 November 1948 – Louis St. Laurent, from Compton, Quebec, becomes the 12th Prime Minister of Canada. Ottawa, Ontario.

Remembrance Day holds special significance for Carleton University. We owe our foundation to Henry Marshall Tory’s wish to see the establishment of an institution with the purpose of training veterans and those affected by war efforts for reintegration into civilian life post-conflict.

Remembrance Day’s date and time signifies the armistice ending the First World War taking effect at 11:00AM on November 11, 1918. Henry Marshall Tory, President of the University of Alberta, served overseas during the First World War. He understood that, after the armistice, demobilization of the military would take at least a year. That time could be put towards education for soldiers who had interrupted or not yet started post-secondary studies.

Collaborating with the YMCA, Tory ensured that libraries be stocked, lectures be held, and study groups be organized to support a coordinated educational effort. The professors would be academics serving in the Canadian forces.

Today we remember and give thanks to all those who have served. #LestWeForget #WeRemember

For more on the history of Carleton University, come in and see us or visit our website: https://arc.library.carleton.ca/exhibits

Photo: Veterans as students, 1948 (Carleton University Library Historical Photographs)

Rest in peace, George Lawrence Price.  Considered the last British casualty of the Great War, Price was a Canadian soldier from Nova Scotia who was killed at the age of 25 by a German sniper in Belgium at 10:58am on this date in 1918–two minutes before the Armistice went into effect at the eleventh hour on this, the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

Stamp details: Issued on: July 28, 2014 From: London, England MC #3629