In accordance with your big 1-5-0 Canada, here are 150 interesting facts about the Land of the Strong And Free and the Canucks who call it home. Some of these you may have known, but others will probably come as a surprise (did you have any idea how dangerous Moose were to Canadian traffic?Or that Quebec is the Maple Syrup ringleader of the entire planet?). So happy reading and Happy 150th Canada.
Sports:
1. Canadian James Naismith invented Basketball in 1891
2. Canada invented Baseball. The 1st ever recorded game was in 1838 in Beachville, Ontario
3. Canada has the most gold medals won by a country in a winter Olympics, as well as most gold medals won by the host country – both in 2010
4. Canada has hosted the Olympics 3 times. Montreal in 1976, Calgary in 1988 and Vancouver in 2010 with medal counts of 11, 5 and, 26 respectively
5. The most medals won collectively: Athletics: 60, Swimming: 49 and Rowing with 41 medals – summer events. Our most wins in the winter games are: Speed skating: 35, Short track speed skating: 28, and Figure skating winning 25 medals. Our beloved hockey is in 4th with 20 Olympic medals
6. The Royal Montreal Golf Club is the oldest golf club in North America formed in 1873
7. Canada’s national summer sport is lacrosse and national winter sport is hockey
8. Internationally Canada ranks first in Curling (WCL), Lacrosse (FIL), Ice Hockey (IIHF), and Ultimate (WFDF)
9. Jack Cartledge invented and patented the hard-cup jockstrap in 1927 in Guelph, Ontario
10. The longest NHL game was played by the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Maroons in 1936, lasting 116 minutes. Montreal lost 1-0
11. The annual Terry Fox Run has raised over $700 million since its inception in 1981
12. The Gordie Howe hat trick was something the man himself only completed twice in his career, both against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1953 and 1954.
13. Hockey Night in Canada legend Don Cherry only played 1 NHL game in his hockey career, he coached 480 games with the Boston Bruins and Colorado Rockies.
14. Elizabeth Graham is actually the first person to wear a goalie mask; in 1927 she wore a fencing mask in net.
15. Ligament, knee, shoulder and ankle injuries are the most common sports injuries in Canada
Food
16. Poutine! It was invented in Quebec in 1957 when Fernand Lachance asked to have cheese curds added to his fries
17. Instant mashed potatoes, came about in 1960
18. Tourtiere comes out of Quebec in the late 19th century
19. Florenceville, New Brunswick is the French fry capital of the world and home of McCain Foods since 1957
20. Peanut Butter, Marcellus Gilmore Edson received the patent in 1884
21. The egg carton invented by Joseph Coyle, in Smithers, British Columbia in 1911. It wasn’t the first egg carrying device, but his was the best design for the job
22. The delicious McFlurry was invented in Bathurst, New Brunswick in 1995
23. Canola oil in the Prairies in the 1970’s
24. Butter tarts, Nanaimo Bars, BeaverTails, Maple syrup, and all the lovely sweet treats!
Provincial and Territorial Fun
25. We know Canada as the 2nd largest country in the world, but if measured by land area alone, Canada would rank 4th. Canada has the largest number of fresh water lakes, boosting our overall size
26. Canada has a UFO landing platform in St. Paul, Alberta. It was built to commemorate Canada’s 100th birthday in 1967
27. The largest toy soldier stands in New Westminster, British Columbia. It is 32 feet (9.8 meters) high and was constructed in 2000 to resemble the soldiers who founded the town
28. The polar bear capital of the world is Churchill, Manitoba. It also hosts a polar bear “prison” for (mainly) adolescent bears that cause havoc in/around town. Locals often keep their car doors unlocked in case an escape is needed from a grouchy bear
29. During the Second World War the only known or documented landing of Germans in North America took place in Martin Bay, Labrador in 1943
30. Newfoundland was the last province to join Canada. It was an independent country until 1949 and through the ‘40’s and 50’s it was home to the world’s busiest airport in Gander. Once jet planes came along it was no longer needed as a refuelling station for routes to Europe.
31. New Brunswick sends out more than 500,000 Christmas trees each year, the province is over 80% forest. Home sweet home for me!
32. Britain still owns a portion of Canadian land in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Point Pleasant was leased to Canada under a contract of 1 shilling a year for 999 years. The lease was negotiated in 1866 and still stands today
33. Ottawa, Ontario has 14 National Museums many, of which offer different times for free admissions. It also hosts 35 different major festivals each year
34. Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island is the “Birthplace of Confederation” with numerous “Confederation” sites in the province. The Confederation Trail is open year round to travel from one end of the island to the other following the pathway of the old abandoned railway. The Confederation Bridge linking the island with mainland New Brunswick is the longest bridge in the world over ice covered waters – and a constitutional amendment had to be made to allow for the bridge
35. Quebec is responsible for 70% of the world’s maple syrup. In April 2017, 3 men were sentenced to jail and charged several millions of dollars in fines for stealing roughly 2,700 tons of the sweet stuff in August 2011, and July 2012
36. There are more roads in Saskatchewan than any other province, around 160,000 kilometers – which could circle the equator 4 times. Saskatoon has more Tim Hortons per capita than any other city in Canada
37. Inuvik, Northwest Territories is the northernmost official town in Canada. While there are other settlements further north, this is the only town with year round population. And in Yellowknife, unlike Saskatoon, there is only one Tim Hortons serving about 40,000 residents 24/7 and is the most profitable coffee shop in the world
38. Alcohol is not technically “illegal” in Nunavut but highly, highly regulated. It is banned in 7 of its 25 communities, and restricted in 14. In the other 4 alcohol is either offered at few licensed restaurants and stores or by applying for permits.
39. Yukon is home to Canada’s tallest mountain, Mount Logan. It stands at 19,500 feet at its peak, about 9500 feet below Mount Everest
Wicked Inventions
40. Five-pin bowling, 1909
41. The paint roller, 1940
42. WonderBra, 1939
43. The garbage bag, 1950
44. Trivial Pursuit board game, 1979
45. IMAX, 1965-70
46. Standard time invented in 1879 and by 1929 all major countries adopted time-zones
47. Instant replay, 1955 (thanks to Hockey Night in Canada)
48. Blackberry (RIM), 1999
49. Robertson screw (the square one), 1908/09
50. Hawaiian pizza, 1962
51. Superman (illustration by Joe Shuster born in Toronto) 1933!
52. External cardiac pacemaker, 1950
53. Canadarm on the International Space Station. Canadarm 1 launched in 1981 and was replaced by Canadarm 2 in 2001.
54. Cobalt bomb radiation therapy, 1951
55. Discovered insulin and its medical uses, 1921-23
56. Electric oven, 1882
57. The polio vaccine was developed by Americans but researched and mass produced in Toronto in 1955
58. Emergency contraception (a.k.a. “the morning after pill”), 1974
59. Electric wheelchair, post-World War II by George Johann Klein (1904-1992)
60. He also invented the first microsurgical staple gun,
61. The ZEEP nuclear reactor and CANDU reactor,
62. The Weasel army snowmobile,
63. The STEM radio antenna and was chief consultant for the gear design of the Canadarm. He’s known as one of Canada’s most productive inventors.
There are a few inventions that are slightly controversial as to whether we can truly lay claim to the statement “Canada invented…” such as: the lightbulb, the telephone, the zipper and, the walkie-talkie.
World’s Largest:
64. Piggy Bank: Coleman, Alberta
65. Artificial Dinosaur: Drumheller, Alberta
66. Artificial Fiddle: Sydney, Nova Scotia
67. Covered Bridge: Hartland, New Brunswick
68. Hockey Stick: Duncan, British Columbia
69. Artificial Moose: Riverton, Manitoba
70. Artificial Beaver: Beaverlodge Alberta
71. Artificial Orange: Montreal, Quebec
72. Artificial Potato: O’Leary, Prince Edward Island
73. Artificial Apple: Colborne, Ontario
74. Totem Pole: Alert Bay, British Columbia
75. Artificial Maple Leaf: Millville, New Brunswick
76. Artificial Coin (nickel): Sudbury, Ontario
77. Axe: Nackawic, New Brunswick
Superheroes and Villains
78. Sasquatch – Marvel Comics, 1979
79. Northstar, Marvel Comics, 1979
80. Puck, Marvel Comics, 1983
81. Graviton, Marvel Comics, 1977
82. Guardian (a.k.a. Weapon Alpha and Vindicator), Marvel Comics, 1978
83. Wolverine, Marvel Comics, 1974
84. Deadpool, Marvel Comics, 1990
85. Sabretooth, Marvel Comics, 1977
86. Sparx, DC Comics, 1993
87. Booster Gold, DC Comics, 2011
88. Equinox, DC Comics, 2014
89. The Mist, Adventure Comics (DC Comics), 1941
90. Nelvana of the Northern Lights, Hillborough Studios, 1941
91. Captain Canuck, Comely Comics, 1975
92. Freight Train, DC Comics, 2010
Facts
93. Canadians apologize so much we have a law to protect ourselves from it. The “Apology Act” means that saying “sorry” in court cannot be deemed as an admission of guilt but showing sympathy or just saying because, you know, you walked into the door
94. Canada eats more Kraft Dinner than any other country in the world
95. Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! Quebec is the only place in the world to have 2 exclamation points in its name
96. Santa is a Canadian citizen, and we all know his postal code: H0H 0H0
97. Manitoba is home to the largest concentration of snakes and it is gross. Do not Google it.
98. Canada has the highest tides in the world in the Bay of Fundy. Within a 12.4 hour tidal period, 115 billion tonnes of water will flow in and out of the Bay.
99. Ottawa is the 2nd coldest capital city in the world
100. The Trans-Canada Highway is the longest highway in the world, spanning 7604 kilometers
101. More people live in California, USA (39 million) than in the entirety of Canada (nearly 36 million). Canada has the 4th lowest population density
102. Dog food may be tax deductible in Canada if they’re an outdoor pet meant to keep wildlife away or if it is a service dog
103. 1642 bottles of beer are spun out per minute at the Moosehead Brewery in Saint John, New Brunswick
104. The Vikings settled in Newfoundland around 1000AD, and John Cabot was the first explorer to come to Canada in 1497
105. There are around 630 bird species in Canada and 11 sub species of Canadian geese
106. The Hudson Bay and surrounding regions have less gravity than elsewhere in the world
107. University of Victoria has offered the course “The Science of Batman.”
108. Canada has the longest coastline in the world, and would take about 4 years to walk around
109. There’s an annual bathtub race in Nanaimo, British Columbia. It’s a full festival weekend
110. Canada has 6 time-zones including Newfoundland’s, which is 30 minutes ahead instead of a full hour
111. Winnie the Pooh was actually inspired from a Canadian black bear named Winnipeg, who was exported to the London Zoo in 1915
112. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police was formed in 1920 when the Royal Northwest Mounted Police merged with the Dominion Police. Women were welcomed into the force in 1974
113. There is a statue carving of a beaver on parliaments Peace Tower called The Mother Beaver
114. Canada has a law where it is illegal to challenge someone to a duel (though there is a proposal to amend this law which is sad simply because it’s hilarious)
115. The Westboro Baptist Church and its members are banned from entering Canada
116. Same sex marriage became legal in 2005.
117. The coldest temperature recorded was a frigid -63 degrees Celsius in Snag, Yukon
118. The first letter sent from North America came out of St. John’s Newfoundland in 1527 from John Rut to King Henry VIII
119. The White House in Washington is only white thanks to Canada (technically we were still Britain), we set it on fire during the war of 1812
120. Quebec City is the only walled city north of Mexico in North America and it is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site
121. In Montreal no building can be taller than the cross on the top of Mount Royal, which overlooks the city
122. Canada may have invented the snowblower and the snowmobile, but the Zamboni was invented by some dude in California.
123. The steam-powered foghorn was invented by Canadian Robert Foulis in 1854. He didn’t patent the invention and died a poor man
124. The baggage tag was invented by a New Brunswicker in 1882
125. Nova Scotia was the first province to adopt a speed limit in 1907, it was maximum 1 mile per 8 minutes (a.k.a. 1.6km/hr)
126. You can own one of the flags flown on Parliament Hill for free just add your name to the waiting list… and be prepared to wait about 54 years… actually though: http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1444133232502/1444133232504
127. There is a competition for the best restroom in Canada every year courtesy of Cintas
128. Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik Lake is the longest name in Canada and 4th in the world
129. Windsor, Ontario is Canada’s most southern city and is further south than Washington, Montana, North and South Dakota USA
130. Chris Hadfield was the first Canadian astronaut to do a “spacewalk” and was the first Canadian to be Commander of the International Space Station
131. Americans make fun of our colourful money, but the green ink used to make American money was invented at McGill University in 1857
132. Alberta’s Wood Buffalo National Park is larger than Switzerland at nearly 45,000 square kilometers vs 41,285 square kilometers
133. The 2015/16 season Canada had 3,250 indoor hockey rinks and 5,000 outdoor hockey rinks
134. Every winter 4.9 million tonnes of salt are poured onto Canadian roadways
135. The 401, properly Kings Highway 401, officially Macdonald-Cartier Freeway (casually known as the f*&%ing 401) is North America’s busiest highway and January 9th saw a string of crashes involving more than 100 vehicles with surprisingly no serious injuries
136. The average number of accidents involving moose each year in Canada is 247
137. Daylight Savings Time does not happen in Saskatchewan
138. The national anthem O Canada was originally written in French in 1880, translated to English in 1906 and officially adopted in 1980
139. Baffin Island is Canada’s biggest island and the 4th largest in the world. Its twice the size of the UK
140. 20% of the world’s fresh water is within Canadian borders
141. There are more than 2 million lakes in Canada
142. Canada’s first official postage stamp was created in 1851
143. The loonie first came to weigh down our pockets in 1987
144. The toonie added to that weight 9 years later in 1996
145. In 1946 the Canadian Citizenship Act passed meaning Canadian citizens were no longer declared a British subject first
146. Canada adopted the Maple Leaf we know today in 1965
147. The British North America Act of 1867 saw Canada take its first step to being an independent country
148. Canada grew closer to independence with the Statute of Westminster in 1932
149. And in 1982 Canada became independent after the Constitution Act was signed
150. The Prime Minister is actually third on our government’s food chain. He or she is behind the Governor General, who is behind the Monarch of Canada (currently Queen Elizabeth II).
