It is #IndigenousHistoryMonth and this is the story of Sgt. Tommy Prince, one of Canada's most decorated soldiers.
Tommy Prince was born in Petersfield, Manitoba on Oct. 15, 1915. His family had a long military tradition, which he would carry in his adult life.
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Despite easily meeting requirements, he was turned down several times when he tried to enlist to fight in the Second World War.
He was finally accepted on June 3, 1940. Originally part of the Royal Canadian Engineers, he joined the Devil's Brigade in 1942.
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Prince was highly skilled with covert abilities. In February 1944, he ran a communication line 1,400 metres to a house only 200 metres from a Germany artillery position. He spent three days reporting on German activities from that house.
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When the line was severed by shelling, he pretended to be a farmer, went out and fixed it as he stooped to tie his shoes, then went back to the house.
His actions led the destruction of four German tanks by the Allies.
In the summer of 1944, he was given a new mission.
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He walked through rugged terrain without food or water for 72 hours to locate a German camp. He then relayed the location to the Allies, leading to the capture of 1,000 German soldiers.
He was one of only 59 Canadians to earn Military Medal & the American Silver Star.
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Returning back to Canada, he was unable to vote in any elections & was refused the same benefits given to other veterans.
With no employment, he enlisted with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and began to train new recruits.
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He was part of the first Canadian unit to land in Korea & during the war he led many patrols into North Korean territory. He launched sneak attacks before retreating.
He remained in the army until 1954, and then devoted himself to helping the Indigenous people.
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He fell on hard times & was living out of a shelter at one point. He was also forced to sell his medals to feed his family.
He died on Nov. 25, 1977. More than 500 people, including Manitoba's Lt. Gov. attended his funeral.
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It is the longest recreational, multi-use trail network in the world.
The trail extends over 28,000 km and took 25 years to complete.
Today, it is maintained by thousands of people.
This is the story of the Trans Canada Trail!
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The idea for the trail came about in 1992 as part of Canada's 125th anniversary celebrations.
The original goal was to have the entire trail made up of off-road gateways that followed existing trails, new trails and old railway lines.
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To build the trail, it took funding from all levels of government, as well as thousands of organizations and companies.
The network that makes up the Trans Canada Trail consists of more than 400 community trails.
🎶 You don't know what you got 'til it's gone 🎶
There was a time when walking into certain department stores included the beautiful aromas of wonderful food.
Such was the case with the Zellers Restaurant.
This is its story!
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Zellers was established on Aug. 4, 1928 (some sources say 1931) in London, Ontario when Walter P. Zeller founded the first store. This first store was 7,000 square-feet and 60 women were hired on the opening day to work in 21 departments.
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As for The Skillet, the in-store restaurant brand, that debuted in 1960. In Quebec, it was known as Café Fleur de Lys.
The restaurants proved to be so popular that they began to pop up in many of the 300 Zellers locations across the country.
Anna Swan was much more than someone who grew to be 7'11".
She acted in Shakespeare, excelled in music and loved to play the piano.
She lived the life she wanted, and found her soulmate in the process.
This is the story of a fascinating woman.
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The third of 13 children, Anna was 16 pounds at birth. By the age of four, she was 4 feet 6 inches. At six, she was 5 feet 2 inches.
She continued to grow and at 12 she was 6 feet 1 inches. At 18, she reached her full height of 7 feet 11 inches.
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Highly intelligent, she excelled in literature and music. She loved acting and singing, as well as playing the piano. At one point, she even played Lady Macbeth.
At 17, she started working for P.T. Barnum to bring in money for her family.
When you wear denim jeans with a denim jacket, you create a very unique look. Sometimes you can even include a denim shirt.
This look is known as The Canadian Tuxedo....but why?
It all began in the 1950s in Vancouver. This is the story.
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It all began when Bing Crosby was checking into an upscale Vancouver hotel in 1951 after a hunting trip. Walking in, he was wearing a denim jacket and jeans.
The hotel clerk, Art Cameron, stated he thought the person coming in was an unhoused person.
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This is because denim was something worn by miners, rail workers and cowboys at the time. When a bellhop explained that it was Bing Crosby, Cameron apologized and booked Crosby a room.
Alexander Graham Bell changed history with his creation of the first practical telephone.
He spent a lot of his life in Canada in Brantford and Nova Scotia, and had a large impact on our history.
This is the story of Bell and Canada.
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Alexander Graham Bell was born on March 3, 1847 in Edinburgh, Scotland. When he was 23, his brother Melville died of tuberculosis. Bell's parents decided to move out of fear their other children would die. In August 1870, they moved to Canada and settled in Brantford.
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One year later, Bell took a teaching job at a school for the deaf in Boston. This began a pattern of working in the United States and spending summers with his family in Brantford. It was at the family home his telephone idea began to take shape.
On July 31, 1987, an F4 (possibly an F5) tornado hit the eastern parts of Edmonton and Strathcona County.
It left 27 dead, injured 300 and caused $332 million in damages.
This is the story of Black Friday.
📸 Steve Simon
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For a week prior to July 31, a low pressure system in southwestern BC was feeding warm and humid air into central Alberta. Hot weather in Alberta was triggering thunderstorms all week.
Then, on July 31, a cold front developed in Western Alberta.
📸 Peter Cutler
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This cold front collided with the warm moist air, creating a recipe for severe thunderstorms.
One storm developed that began to move northeast towards Leduc, south of Edmonton.
At 2:59, the first tornado was spotted.