1- Canada lost more men during WWII than the U.S.
While the United States lost more than 400,000 soldiers to our 45,000 soldiers during World War II, they were coming from a population of more than 131 million people. Our soldiers came from a population of just over 11 million, which translates into a percentage loss of 0.4% versus the 0.32% that the Americans lost.
After officially entering the war in September 1939, the Canadian military served as British allies and we played key roles in campaigns like the Battle of Britain, the Battle of Hong Kong and the Second Battle of the Atlantic. As the war grew in scope, so did the Canadian involvement. Within five years, the Canadian contingent grew from a single division to a total of 1.1 million soldiers participating by air, land and sea. As we mentioned in the outset of this five things you didn't know about Canada entry, a high percentage of Canadians lost their lives in battle, with no losses more devastating than the ill-fated Dieppe Raid that left 1,000 troops dead and more than 2,300 others captured. Despite these tragedies, the war established Canada as an independent and strong international player.
2- Canada's largest earthquake happened on an island
Due to the continual tectonic shifts in California, some Canadians have become weary about the prospect of a similar large-scale earthquake happening along British Columbia's coastline. If you guessed that the largest earthquake in Canadian history happened in the West, you would be right, but to believe that it happened on the mainland would be wrong.
August 22, 1949, was an eventful day on the Queen Charlotte Islands, making it a day worth mentioning on our five things you didn't know about Canada list. A quake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale rocked the Queen Charlotte Fault and gave the islands a noticeable shake. Legend has it that the quake knocked cows off balance and destroyed an oil tank. Across the water in Terrace, cars were thrown about and the streets behaved like turbulent ships.
As powerful as the 1949 quake was, the most destructive Canadian earthquake came 20 years earlier on November 18, 1929, just south of Newfoundland. This 7.2 quake drowned 27 people and induced a nearby tsunami. While we don't know exactly when or where the next big Canadian quake will be, let's hope that it won't match the strength of these earth-shaking predecessors.
3- It is illegal to swear in French in Montreal
Canada is a land governed by laws -- some of which are utterly nonsensical, landing themselves on our five things you didn't know about Canada list. Although they may have once served practical purposes, these hopelessly dated laws are now the stuff of unintentional comedy and are rarely enforced.
Old (and funny) Canadian laws take on different forms, as some are national, provincial and city-based. On the national side, it's illegal for anyone wearing bandages to remove them in public -- we're not quite sure if this is to protect the well-being of the observers or the bandaged person. There are even more quirks in the provincial laws; it’s illegal in Alberta to confront a man with a wooden leg and set the said leg on fire. Another gem is in British Columbia, where killing a Sasquatch is a big no-no. On the city side of things, swearing in French ("calice," "ostie," "tabernac") in Montreal is illegal, as is climbing the trees of Oshawa.
Not every old law is a bad thing. A jailed debtor in BC is entitled to free beer pints upon request and new parolees in Alberta are eligible for a gun and a horse to make it out of town without incident.
4- Northern Ontario tried to separate
The province of Quebec has earned a lot of coverage surrounding a possible separation from the rest of Canada, but Northern Ontario tried to form its own province in the 1970s -- making it one of the biggest things you didn’t know about Canada. This idea was the brainchild of the Northern Ontario Heritage Party and even though they had some early momentum, they were unable to bring their plans to fruition.
North Bay resident Ed Deibel instigated most of the separation chatter after getting word that the government wanted to implement an increased sales tax in 1973. His philosophy was that a separate province would give his area more control over natural resources and increase economic growth through further development of processing plants. If that happened, the young people who were leaving Northern Ontario would be more likely to stay. Deibel managed to gain enough support for the creation of his political party, but without any political seats, they weren't able to move toward a separation. Even if the Northern Ontario Heritage Party wasn't successful in a bid for separation, this hasn't stopped others from trying as well. Groups like the Northern Ontario Secession Movement have similar goals in mind and some have suggested a Northern Ontario/Manitoba province known as "Mantario."
5- Turks and Caicos may be the next to join Canada
Since the early 20th century, there have been rumblings of the British colony islands Turks and Caicos joining Canada. Located in the West Indies, the islands are popular with Canuck tourists and their colony status and trading history with Canada has made the prospect of a merger feasible.
The idea of an alliance was first bandied about by former Prime Minister Robert Borden in 1917. The necessary momentum to put a plan into action didn't pick up steam until the 1970s when politician Max Saltsman pressed the issue further, but he also failed. At this point, the main stumbling blocks are political instability in the islands and the unwanted ramifications of reworking the constitution, which is the only way to create a new province. After further consultation (and a few more business trips by Canadian politicians to the islands), Nova Scotia put forward an official invite in 2004 for the islands to join them as a province. Since this approach would keep the constitution intact, it's far likelier that the islands may soon be Canadianized after all. [From MSN.COM]
While the United States lost more than 400,000 soldiers to our 45,000 soldiers during World War II, they were coming from a population of more than 131 million people. Our soldiers came from a population of just over 11 million, which translates into a percentage loss of 0.4% versus the 0.32% that the Americans lost.
After officially entering the war in September 1939, the Canadian military served as British allies and we played key roles in campaigns like the Battle of Britain, the Battle of Hong Kong and the Second Battle of the Atlantic. As the war grew in scope, so did the Canadian involvement. Within five years, the Canadian contingent grew from a single division to a total of 1.1 million soldiers participating by air, land and sea. As we mentioned in the outset of this five things you didn't know about Canada entry, a high percentage of Canadians lost their lives in battle, with no losses more devastating than the ill-fated Dieppe Raid that left 1,000 troops dead and more than 2,300 others captured. Despite these tragedies, the war established Canada as an independent and strong international player.
2- Canada's largest earthquake happened on an island
Due to the continual tectonic shifts in California, some Canadians have become weary about the prospect of a similar large-scale earthquake happening along British Columbia's coastline. If you guessed that the largest earthquake in Canadian history happened in the West, you would be right, but to believe that it happened on the mainland would be wrong.
August 22, 1949, was an eventful day on the Queen Charlotte Islands, making it a day worth mentioning on our five things you didn't know about Canada list. A quake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale rocked the Queen Charlotte Fault and gave the islands a noticeable shake. Legend has it that the quake knocked cows off balance and destroyed an oil tank. Across the water in Terrace, cars were thrown about and the streets behaved like turbulent ships.
As powerful as the 1949 quake was, the most destructive Canadian earthquake came 20 years earlier on November 18, 1929, just south of Newfoundland. This 7.2 quake drowned 27 people and induced a nearby tsunami. While we don't know exactly when or where the next big Canadian quake will be, let's hope that it won't match the strength of these earth-shaking predecessors.
3- It is illegal to swear in French in Montreal
Canada is a land governed by laws -- some of which are utterly nonsensical, landing themselves on our five things you didn't know about Canada list. Although they may have once served practical purposes, these hopelessly dated laws are now the stuff of unintentional comedy and are rarely enforced.
Old (and funny) Canadian laws take on different forms, as some are national, provincial and city-based. On the national side, it's illegal for anyone wearing bandages to remove them in public -- we're not quite sure if this is to protect the well-being of the observers or the bandaged person. There are even more quirks in the provincial laws; it’s illegal in Alberta to confront a man with a wooden leg and set the said leg on fire. Another gem is in British Columbia, where killing a Sasquatch is a big no-no. On the city side of things, swearing in French ("calice," "ostie," "tabernac") in Montreal is illegal, as is climbing the trees of Oshawa.
Not every old law is a bad thing. A jailed debtor in BC is entitled to free beer pints upon request and new parolees in Alberta are eligible for a gun and a horse to make it out of town without incident.
4- Northern Ontario tried to separate
The province of Quebec has earned a lot of coverage surrounding a possible separation from the rest of Canada, but Northern Ontario tried to form its own province in the 1970s -- making it one of the biggest things you didn’t know about Canada. This idea was the brainchild of the Northern Ontario Heritage Party and even though they had some early momentum, they were unable to bring their plans to fruition.
North Bay resident Ed Deibel instigated most of the separation chatter after getting word that the government wanted to implement an increased sales tax in 1973. His philosophy was that a separate province would give his area more control over natural resources and increase economic growth through further development of processing plants. If that happened, the young people who were leaving Northern Ontario would be more likely to stay. Deibel managed to gain enough support for the creation of his political party, but without any political seats, they weren't able to move toward a separation. Even if the Northern Ontario Heritage Party wasn't successful in a bid for separation, this hasn't stopped others from trying as well. Groups like the Northern Ontario Secession Movement have similar goals in mind and some have suggested a Northern Ontario/Manitoba province known as "Mantario."
5- Turks and Caicos may be the next to join Canada
Since the early 20th century, there have been rumblings of the British colony islands Turks and Caicos joining Canada. Located in the West Indies, the islands are popular with Canuck tourists and their colony status and trading history with Canada has made the prospect of a merger feasible.
The idea of an alliance was first bandied about by former Prime Minister Robert Borden in 1917. The necessary momentum to put a plan into action didn't pick up steam until the 1970s when politician Max Saltsman pressed the issue further, but he also failed. At this point, the main stumbling blocks are political instability in the islands and the unwanted ramifications of reworking the constitution, which is the only way to create a new province. After further consultation (and a few more business trips by Canadian politicians to the islands), Nova Scotia put forward an official invite in 2004 for the islands to join them as a province. Since this approach would keep the constitution intact, it's far likelier that the islands may soon be Canadianized after all. [From MSN.COM]
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