I’m a big fan of the game of chess, which is why I was thrilled to find this 800-year-old chess piece – a chunky king with a sword across his lap and a bug-eyed expression on his face – on display at the Canadian Museum of History. Standing 10 centimetres (about 4 inches) tall and…
Want to see over 65 historically significant aircraft in one place? Check out the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario. A visit to this museum’s vast exhibition gallery provides a first-hand look at aircraft that have shaped both Canadian and world aviation history. Displays cover early aviation, war planes, bush flying, helicopters, fighter…
If the shoe fits, x-ray vision will tell you. At least, it did in Port Angeles, Washington – and other towns across North America – in the early- to mid-1900s, when any shoe store worth its salt had a contraption called the shoe-fitting fluoroscope somewhere on its sales floor. A waist-high box topped with eyepieces,…
It looks, from the front, like a bad accident between a cargo ship and a loading ramp. But this mass of metal on display in Nakusp, British Columbia, played an important role in Canadian rail history. Winter-worn residents of rail-side communities might recognize this machine for what it is: a snowplow, or, more accurately, a…
Got a day to spend in Port Townsend, Washington? This small seaport packs significant historical punch — including dozens of pre-1900 heritage buildings and businesses, many owned and operated by residents keen on preserving and sharing their town’s history. I made a day trip to Port Townsend in May 2018. There, I devised my own…
On April 21, 1918, some 150 women gathered at a popular hiking trail in Mill Valley, California, and made athletic history. The women had entered the inaugural “Dipsea Hike,” a long-distance cross-country running race along the seven-mile (11.25-kilometre) Dipsea Trail connecting Mill Valley to Stinson Beach in Marin County.[1] The “Hike” – so called to…
