It is #IndigenousHistoryMonth and this is the story of Pitseolak Ashoona, one of Canada's most celebrated artists.

Pitseolak was born around 1904 on Nottingham Island (south of Baffin Island). Her name means sea pigeon in Inuktitut. Her family lived a traditional life.

🧵1/5 Image
In 1923, she married Ashoona and together they had 17 children. After he died in 1940, she coped with the loss by turning to art. She said art made her "the happiest since he died."
It would be art that would help her support her family.

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Completely self-taught, she was one of the first artists to make drawings for the print studio at Cape Dorset. From 1960 onwards, she produced more than 7,000 images. These images typically focused on the pre-contact life of the Inuit.

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In 1974, she was accepted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and in 1977 was awarded the Order of Canada.
In 1973, the NFB made a documentary about her.
She passed away in Cape Dorset on May 28, 1983.
In 1993, she was featured on a Canada Post stamp.

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Her work has been featured at the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Museum of History, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Smithsonian & the Vancouver Art Gallery.
In 2020, she was a finalist to be depicted on Canada's $5 bill.

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More from @CraigBaird

Apr 17
For many Canadians, when they are not feeling well, Canada Dry Ginger Ale is part of the recovery and always within arm's reach.
But who created Canada Dry, why does it have a crown, and why is it called "Canada Dry"?
This is the story of the ginger beverage!

🧵1/9 A can of Canada Dry Ginger Ale sits on a surface with a scenic backdrop of snow-capped mountains and a clear blue sky. The can is green with white and red labeling, displaying "CANADA DRY" and "SODA GINGEMBRE."
The story of Canada Dry begins with John J. McLaughlin, a pharmacist from Enniskillen, Ontario. He was the son of Robert McLaughlin, founder of the McLaughlin Carriage and McLaughlin Motor Car.
In 1890, John was working at a soda factory in Brooklyn, New York.

🧵2/9 A pencil sketch of a bald man with a mustache, wearing a suit and tie, against a plain greenish background. A small pin with a symbol is on his lapel.
He left the factory to open his own carbonated water plant in Toronto.
In 1904, he created Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale. The drink was immediately popular and in 1907 the drink was appointed to the Viceregal Household of the Governor General of Canada.

🧵3/9 A vintage Canada Dry Pale Ginger Ale can label with a beige background, featuring a map of Canada, a beaver illustration, and text including "J.J. McLaughlin Limited, Toronto, Canada."
Read 10 tweets
Apr 16
On this day in 1992, David Milgaard was released from prison.
He spent over two decades imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. His mother Joyce never gave up on him and fought for his release.
This is the story of the man who inspired the song Wheat Kings.

🧵1/18 This black-and-white photo depicts David Milgaard. He wears a long-sleeved shirt with rolled-up sleeves, his arms crossed, and gazes directly at the camera. Two small posters are pinned on the wall behind him.
David Milgaard was born on July 7, 1952 in Winnipeg.
In January 1969, he was in Saskatoon with his friends Ron Wilson and Nichol John on a trip across Canada.
While visiting their friend Albert Cadrain, 20-year-old nursing student Gail Miller was found dead nearby.

🧵2/18 This black-and-white photo shows a person with short, dark hair wearing a collared shirt with a buttoned neckline. The image has a grainy texture, suggesting it may be from an older time period.
The assault and murder of Miller generated a lot of attention in the media. Police questioned sex offenders in the area but had no leads.
A month after the murder, Cadrain went to police and told them Milgaard was acting suspicious on the drive to Calgary.

🧵3/18 This black-and-white newspaper clipping from "The National Police" reports on the search for Gail Miller's killer. It mentions Canadian police, including the Saskatoon force, aiding in the investigation, offering a $2,000 reward for information. Gail Miller, a 20-year-old nurse, was found murdered at 7:30 a.m. near her residence at 130 Ave. O, south, in Saskatoon. The article notes the body was discovered by a schoolboy around 8:30 a.m.
Read 19 tweets
Apr 15
On this day in 2022, Mike Bossy died.
Among his many accomplishments, his 0.76 Goals-Per-Game Average remains a record to this day.
He is considered by some to be the greatest natural goal scorer in NHL history.
This is the story of Mike Bossy.

🧵1/16 A color photo shows Mike Bossy, a hockey player, smiling in a white jersey with blue and red accents. He holds a red, white, and blue hockey glove over his shoulder against a dark backdrop.
Mike Bossy was born in Montreal on Jan. 22, 1957, the fifth son in a family of ten children.
As a child, he had a backyard rink he practiced on. In 1969, he played in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament, and then joined Laval National of the QMJHL.

🧵2/16 A black-and-white photo shows Mike Bossy in a hockey uniform with a "C" on his jersey, wearing a helmet and holding a stick. He appears to be interacting with a man in a suit in a hallway, with another person in a jacket nearby. A logo with a cross is on the wall.
In five seasons, he scored 309 goals and 562 points in 264 games with Laval, but was called "not rugged enough" and defensively weak by scouts.
In the 1977 NHL Draft, 12 teams passed him over. The Rangers and Maple Leafs passed on him twice.

🧵3/16 A color photo shows hockey players on the bench during a game, wearing helmets and jerseys. The player on the left has "DALEY 22" on his back, and they hold sticks while sitting in an arena with a blurred crowd in the background.
Read 17 tweets
Apr 12
On this day in 1980, Terry Fox dipped his leg into the Atlantic Ocean at St. John's to begin his run across Canada.
This is the story of the Marathon of Hope.

Listen to my episode on the Marathon of Hope 👇


📸CBC

🧵1/20 pdst.fm/e/chtbl.com/tr…The photo shows Terry Fox and Doug Alward standing on a rocky shoreline by a body of water. Terry, on the left, wears a white shirt, shorts, and a prosthetic leg, while Doug, on the right, is in a brown jacket and pants. The background features a calm sea and distant land.
In March 1977, Terry Fox was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a cancer that starts near the knees. The day before his leg was amputated, he read about the first amputee to complete the New York City Marathon and he became inspired.

📸Simon Fraser University

🧵2/20 The black-and-white photo shows Terry Fox in a starting position on a track, crouched with hands on the ground. He wears a sweatshirt with text, sweatpants, and sneakers, with a prosthetic leg visible. The background includes a fence and trees.
After 14 months of training, which involved running every day for 101 days, he competed in a 27-km marathon in Prince George.
On April 12, 1980, after months of preparation, Terry dipped his leg into the ocean and filled two bottles with ocean water.

📸CBC

🧵3/20 The photo shows Terry Fox standing on a rocky shoreline in St. John's, with a body of water in the background. He wears a white shirt, shorts, and a prosthetic leg, with text "St. John's" overlaid at the bottom.
Read 21 tweets
Apr 9
During this week in 1815, eruptions began at Mount Tambora in Indonesia.
It culminated in the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded human history that lowered global temperatures in 1816.
This is the story of Canada's Year Without A Summer

🧵1/12 This painting depicts Mount Tambora erupting dramatically at sunset, with a massive plume of dark smoke and ash billowing into a fiery orange sky. The volcano looms over a calm sea, reflecting the glowing sun, while a small sailboat floats nearby and palm trees line the shore, capturing the awe-inspiring and destructive power of the 1815 eruption.
After days of eruptions, Mount Tambora erupted with a volcanic explosivity index of 7.
The 37-45 sq-km of dense-rock equivalent material was thrown into the atmosphere and spread around the world.
This cooled global temperatures by .53 degrees Celsius.

🧵2/12 This painting depicts a chaotic scene of people fleeing as Mount Tambora erupts violently in the background. Dark smoke and fiery ash billow from the volcano under a stormy sky, while villagers in traditional clothing run in panic amidst palm trees, capturing the terror of the 1815 eruption.
Through the winter of 1815-16, things seemed normal in Canada.
By the time spring was supposed to arrive, residents of present-day Quebec and Ontario began to notice winter was not leaving.
Three to four feet of snow existed still in late-April.

🧵3/12 This black-and-white illustration depicts a somber scene in a snowy landscape. A man pulls a sled carrying a person wrapped in blankets, while a woman in a long dress walks beside him, holding a child. Bare trees and a dark sky create a bleak, historical atmosphere, likely illustrating hardship or migration.
Read 13 tweets
Apr 5
Throughout the federal election campaign, I am looking at elections from Canada's past.
Today, it is the 1917 election, or Khaki Election.
This was one of the most divisive and bitter elections in Canadian history, which reshaped Canadian politics for decades to come.

🧵1/14 This black-and-white photo captures a group of soldiers in military uniforms, likely during World War I, in a room with a "List of Electors" sign on the wall. Two men at a table exchange documents, while others stand around, with papers and a basket on the table.
Three years after the last election in 1911, the First World War began.
Sir Robert Borden was still Prime Minister and leader of the Conservatives.
The six year gap between the 1911 and 1917 election is the longest election gap in Canadian history.

🧵2/14 This black-and-white photo shows Sir Robert Borden, dressed in a long coat, standing on a platform at a formal outdoor event. He’s surrounded by military officers in uniform and civilians, with a large crowd in the background. A Union Jack flag and other banners are visible, suggesting a significant public gathering, possibly during World War I.
In 1916, due to the First World War, Parliament agreed to suspend an election for one year.
Borden hoped that the delay would allow him to form a coalition government of all the parties as he attempted to put through conscription.

🧵3/14 This black-and-white photo shows Sir Robert Borden, wearing a long coat and hat, standing outdoors in front of a group of soldiers in military uniforms. The soldiers are holding rifles and standing in formation, likely during a World War I military inspection or ceremony, with trees and a crowd in the background.
Read 15 tweets

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