Today, November 9th, 2024, marks the 35th Anniversary of the fall of The Berlin Wall and the beginning of the end of Communist rule in Germany and the rest of eastern Europe.
The Berlin Wall was constructed in 1961 to divide East Berlin and West Berlin.
As this is the second Monday in October, I would like to wish everyone in Canada a Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving traditionally marks the end of the harvest season in Canada and has been celebrated in Canada since 1879 and the date varied each year until 1957.
Let’s discuss the history of Thanksgiving in Canada:
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Famed baseball player Pete Rose has passed away on September 30th, 2024.
Pete Rose, also known as ‘Charlie Hustle’, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on April 14th, 1941 to Harry Francis and LaVerne Rose.
He would play football and baseball growing up, but ended up going into baseball.
He would join his hometown Cincinnati Reds during the 1963 season. Over the next 24 years he would play for three different teams: the Cincinnati Reds (1963-1978, 1984-1986), the Philadelphia Phillies (1979-1983), and the Montreal Expos (1984), as well as serving as the Reds’ Manager from 1984-1989.
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Famed British actress Dame Maggie Smith has passed away in London, U.K. at the age of 89.
Dame Maggie was born in Ilford, Essex on December 28th, 1934.
She would begin her career in acting at 17 as Viola in Twelfth Night with the Oxford University Dramatic Society. In 1957, she starred in Share My Lettuce alongside Kenneth Williams.
Dame Maggie became famous when she starred in the movie, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1969. She would late become well known, again, for her roles as Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies and as Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham in the TV series (and movies), Downton Abbey.
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It was announced today that James Earl Jones has passed away at the age of 93.
Mr. Jones was born January 17th, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi to Robert and Ruth Earl Jones.
In 1955, he would graduate from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in drama.
Continue readingOn August 17th, 2024, the 102nd Warriors’ Day Parade was held at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE.)
The parade featured military bands, first responders’ bands, old military vehicles, Honour Guards, etc. and started at the Princes’ Gates and head west through the midway.
This year’s parade also celebrated the 80th Anniversary of D-Day and the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF.)
Here are some pictures and videos:
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Canada has has a successful Summer Olympics in Paris. Canada won 27 medals – Nine Gold, Seven Silver, and 11 Bronze Medals – in 15 different sports.
Team Canada won the most medals at a Summer Games with the 27 Medals.
In total, 315 athletes competed in 28 sports.
Andre De Grasse & Maude Charron were the Flag Bearers during the Opening Ceremonies, while Ethan Katzberg & Summer McIntosh were the Flag Bearers during the Closing Ceremonies.
Highlights of Canada’s appearance at the 2024 Summer Games includes:
Continue readingAs today is Sir John Graves Simcoe Day in Ontario, I would like to discuss the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791 to 1796. Of course Upper Canada would later become the Province of Ontario.
Born in Cotterstock, England in 1752, Simcoe would be educated at Eton and spent one year at Oxford. He joined the 35th Regiment of Foot, as an ensign, in 1770. He purchased a captaincy in the 40th Regiment of Foot and was injured in battle during the American Revolution. He was responsible for a successful battle in the battle of Crooked Billet.
He became Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada in 1791 when the British Government created the Province of Upper Canada out of land around the Great Lakes that stayed part of the British Empire after the American Revolution. Simcoe would see to the building of two major roads: Yonge Street (named after Sir George Yonge then the Minister of War), and Dundas Street (named after Henry Dundas, later the 1st Viscount Melville.) Originally built for defensive purposes, later both streets served to help settlement Upper Canada, and as trading routes.
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The Euros 2024 Finals are now set and will go down on July 14th, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
In the Finals, England takes on Spain.
Continue readingThe Semi-Finals for the Euro 2024 are now set.
The Semi-Finals go down on July 9th in Munich and July 10th in Dorlmund.
Both games are set to be played at 21:00 (9:00 p.m.) Central European Summer Time (CEST) or UTC+2.
In the Semi-Finals we see the following match-ups:
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