History Wire

Chantal Petitclerc

Paralympics Profile

In wheelchair racing, as in many sports, strategy will only get you so far. You can "draft" for a while in a competitor's wake, preserving energy until you're ready to make your move. Or you can use your position against the racers trailing you, forcing them to the outer lanes where they have to cover more ground. But at some point, every race comes down to willpower, and in 15 years of ...

by Charlie Gillis Charlie Gillis For more works by Charlie Gillis visit www.macleans.ca Maclean's: Canada's only national weekly current affairs magazine.   |   comments (0)   |   March 3, 2010 11:31 PM

Calixa Lavallée and the Origins of "O Canada"

Canada's national anthem was first heard one fine June evening in 1880, on the campus of Laval University in Quebec City. Joseph Keaney Foran and some fellow law students were relaxing in one of the buildings when they heard a commotion at the front door. They saw Father Pierre Rouselle, the university secretary, and three other men enter the building and head straight for the piano. In the lead ...

by James Marsh James Marsh James Marsh was born in Toronto and has spent most of his working life in publishing as an editor and writer. He has edited over 200 books in Canadian history and social science and is the author of several books and over 100 articles on Canadian history. James was editor in chief of all three ...   |   comments (1)   |   March 3, 2010 11:18 PM

A History of Global Climate Change

The Swedish Nobel Laureate, Svante Arrhenius, predicted in 1896 that the world would gradually warm as CO2 accumulated.

by Dr. Ted Munn Dr. Ted Munn Dr. Ted Munn FRSC, retired professor of Environmental Studies, University of Toronto, was, for many years, in the centre of the debate between climate-warming believers and skeptics, having been been deputy director of an East-West think tank in Austria, 1985-99.   |   comments (2)   |   March 2, 2010 2:30 PM

Is it cold enough for you?

A history of Canadian weather extremes

Weather forms the Canadian psyche as much as hockey and the maple leaf.

by Laura Bonikowsky   |   comments (0)   |   March 2, 2010 12:33 PM

The Use, Misuse, and Abuse of Prorogation

Defending the prorogation of Parliament, Stephen Harper asserted it is a “fairly standard procedure.”

by Nelson Wiseman Nelson Wiseman Nelson Wiseman is a specialist in Canadian government and politics at the University of Toronto. He is the author of In Search of Canadian Political Culture , designated as a 2009 CHOICE “Outstanding Academic Title.” He writes a monthly column for The Hill Times, an Ottawa newspaper devoted to ...   |   comments (0)   |   March 1, 2010 6:14 PM

Pierre Trudeau: Politics and Personality, Part II

If Trudeau’s first term in office had been largely one of modest achievement, his second term ran at a blistering crisis-provoking pace.

by William Christian   |   comments (0)   |   March 1, 2010 6:11 PM

Pierre Trudeau: Politics and Personality

Trudeau, like Barack Obama, was long on charm and short on experience.

by William Christian   |   comments (1)   |   February 1, 2010 5:34 PM

Sustainability: The 21st Century Ethos

The Vancouver Olympics’ integration of sustainability is indicative of how commonplace sustainability is today.

by William Koty William Koty William Koty is the Director of the University of British Columbia Continuing Studies Centre for Sustainability.   |   comments (1)   |   January 25, 2010 5:11 PM

Le Devoir: 100 Years and Still Going Strong.

Thank you and Sincere Congratulations

This January 10, Le Devoir celebrates its 100th anniversary.

by Myriam F. Myriam F. Myriam Fontaine has studied literature and history at the University of Montreal and McGill University. She likes the challenge and satisfaction of making the French language enjoyable. Myriam is an experienced teacher of French to both Anglophones and Francophones, of various ages and expertise, ...   |   comments (0)   |   January 8, 2010 2:35 PM