It Happened in Canada

Happened in Canada

Mrs. Nancy Hodges was named speaker of British Columbia’s Legislative Assembly in 1949, and thereby became the first woman ever to hold the speaker’s chair in any Canadian Parliament.

The phenomenal Spotted Lake : Near Osoyoos, British Colombia, is one of the World’s greatest concentrations of mineral waters. The spots are caused by almost solid minerals forming separate circular pools, some cold, some hot. The waters are said to contain healing properties.

The Promethea Moth pupa spends the winter in a silk sewed leaf, attached to a thicket by a strong thread of silk.

Arctic Tern always lays 3 eggs then flies over its nest crying “Trieg” – norvegian for three eggs.

Old industrial buildings on the Evergreen Site, Toronto. Photo by Elena

Oysters are born by the billions – yet only one oyster in 145, 000 reaches maturity at the age of two years.

Frogs hear with their eyes. Behind each eye is a small nerve connected to the brain.

The Royal Canadian Navy, in which many Prairie boys served during World War II, played a major role in the battle of the Atlantic. By the war’s end it had safely escorted over 25,000 merchant ships through U-boat infested waters to Gt. Britain.

Keith McKenzie chief trader for the Hudson’s Bay Company in Labrador during the 1890’s could lift a 22,5 kg weight with his little finger and at arms length write his name on a wall.

The man who walked 1280 km to meet his bride: Wibur Wolfendon, a Dutch immigrant, walked in the dead of winter from Calgary to Winnipeg to meet his prospective birde, arriving from Hollan, in 1908.

Emil Vogelsang, fresh from Germany in 1867 established Canada’s first button factory at Berlin (now Kitchener, Ontario).

Fort Stewart in Montreal, photo by Elena

The Hermit of Niagara

Francis Abbot appeared at Niagara Falls in 1829. He was fascinated by the “sea-green waters and unearthly spray”.

Building a cabin on Goat Island on the brink of the gorge he retired to a life of seclusion, but often was seen with his hair streaming in the wind getting as close as possible to the wild torrents.

Then just two years after his arrival, Abbot entered the Niagara River as though driven by some inner compulsion and 11 days later the whirlpool gave his drowned body.

Niagara Falls, photo by Elena

Nellie Mooney McClung

Canada’s First militant for women’s liberation, Nellie Mooney McClung of Winnipeg. In January 1914, led a vociferous delegation of ladies, campaigning for the right to vote, into the Manitoba legislature for a confrontation with the Premier Sir Rodmond Roblin.

Politely rebuffed by the Premier, Nellie McClung and her followers showed they meant business by plying the rpovince in buchboards and lumber wagons, gathering a petition of 44, 000 signatures – enough to win the the vote in 1916. Alberta and Saskatchewan also yielded that year, and most provinces soon after, though Quebec waited until 1940.