It is #IndigenousHistoryMonth and this is the story of Mistahi-maskwa, also known as Big Bear.
Big Bear was born around 1825 near Jackfish Lake in present-day Saskatchewan. His father was a minor chief of 80 Cree-Saulteaux people & a large influence of Big Bear.
🧵1/5
As a young man, Big Bear was a great warrior & he became chief upon his father's death in 1864.
In 1870, he led the Cree into battle at the Battle of Belly River, in present-day Lethbridge, which is the last battle fought between First Nations in Canada.
🧵2/5
In 1876, all the major Plains Cree chiefs had signed Treaty 6 except Big Bear. He attempted to warn them against signing, believing the government would not fulfill its promises.
He was left with no choice but to sign in 1882 due to the starvation of his people.
🧵3/5
During the North-West Resistance, Big Bear had a relatively minor role, and attempted to stop the violence at Duck Lake on March 26, 1885. Nonetheless, he was held responsible by the government.
On July 2, 1885, he surrendered to the NWMP at Fort Carleton.
🧵4/5
Big Bear was sentenced to three years in Stony Mountain Penitentiary. He was released after less than two years due to ill health.
He died on Jan. 17, 1888 at Little Pine Reserve.
While Poundmaker was exonerated of treason in 2019, Big Bear, so far, has not been.
🧵5/5
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
On Oct. 4, 1957, the Avro Arrow was unveiled with the intention of it being the RCAF's primary interceptor in the 1960s.
Less than two years later, the program was abruptly cancelled and 14,528 Avro employees were put out of work.
This is the story of the Arrow.
🧵 1/12
In the 1950s, with the dawn of the nuclear era, there was a concern that the Soviet Union would attack North America with bombers over the Canadian Arctic.
To deal with this possibility, the RCAF commissioned Avro Canada to build an all-weather nuclear interceptor.
🧵 2/12
It needed to fly higher and faster than any aircraft of its class. With the Arrow contract, Avro quickly expanded and had 20,000 people working for it by 1957. Nine models, one-eighth the size of the finished plane, were tested in rockets over Lake Ontario.
In 1885, Montreal was ravaged by smallpox.
To stem the spread of the disease that had killed thousands so far, public health officials enforced vaccinations. Those that mistrusted the vaccine rioted in the streets.
This is the story of the Montreal Smallpox Riots.
🧵 1/10
On Feb. 28, 1885, George Longley, a conductor with the Grand Trunk Railway, arrived in Montreal feeling sick. After visiting a doctor, he was diagnosed with smallpox. While he survived, the disease quickly began to spread throughout the city, infecting thousands.
🧵 2/10
At first, the City of Montreal did not pay to provide vaccinations to fight the epidemic. In response, Sir William Macdonald donated $25,000 to pay for the vaccines.
Through the spring and summer, the disease killed upwards of 100 people per week in the city.
Today is British Home Child Day.
This is the annual day that Canada acknowledges and honours the over 100,000 children who were sent from the UK to Canada to work on farms and in homes.
They were separated from siblings and many were abused.
This is their story.
🧵 1/12
The Children's Friend Society was founded in London in 1830 to suppress "juvenile vagrancy" through "reformation and emigration". In 1833, 230 children were sent to Toronto and New Brunswick.
It was a few decades before more children were sent to Canada.
🧵2/12
In the 1860s, philanthropist Annie MacPherson was appalled at the conditions children were forced to work in at factories in London. She decided to help them and believed sending them away from the cities and even Britain was the best option for a better life.
On Sept. 22, 1994, a show debuted on CTV featuring a street-wise Chicago cop and a Mountie on the trail of the man who killed his father.
The critically-acclaimed hit reshaped Canadian television and made a star out of Paul Gross.
This is the story of Due South.
🧵 1/14
The idea for Due South came from one of the biggest movies of the 1980s. In 1986, Crocodile Dundee debuted and was a massive hit. Robert Lantos, chair of Alliance Communications, saw that success and spoke with CBS President Jeff Sagansky about creating a similar show.
🧵 2/14
Lantos wanted something involving a stereotypical Canadian working with Chicago Police. Sagansky liked the idea and took it to Paul Haggis and told him to make a series about a Mountie or trapper, or something Canadian like that. From there, Due South was born.
It was one of the most psychedelic, bizarre and beloved Canadian children's shows ever made.
Structured like a sketch comedy show around the comedic genius of Billy Van, it is well remembered even to this day.
This is the story of The Hilarious House of Frightenstein!
🧵 1/19
The story begins with Riff Markowitz, who was working for CHCH-TV in Hamilton in the late-1960s. He wanted to produce new shows for the station.
To come up with ideas, he held a brainstorming and spaghetti party at the Windsor Arms Hotel in Toronto.
🧵2/19
From that session, the idea of a children's show set in a vampire's castle emerged. The show would blend surreal humour and psychedelics.
The main character would be Count Frightenstein, the 13th son of Count Dracula who preferred pizza to blood.
Lorne Greene was many things through his life. He was an inventor, an acting teacher, a celebrated broadcaster, a singer and, of course, a great actor.
He may have been most famous as Ben Cartwright on Bonanza, but he was so much more than that.
This is his story.
🧵 1/16
Lorne Greene was born Lyon Himan Green to Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire. His mother called him Chaim. It is unknown when he added the 'e' to his last name.
It was as a drama instructor at Camp Arowhon in Algonquin Park that he developed his love of acting.
🧵2/16
After attending Queen's University, Greene looked to become a radio broadcaster. He was hired by the CBC and became the principal newsreader for CBC National News. This earned him the nickname of The Voice of Canada and made him known across the country.