Norwood, Ontario Had A Water Tower That Looked Like A Crushed Can (Cool Weird Awesome 1333)
Today in 1957, the water tower in Norwood, Ontario, which looked like a big can of soda or beer, suddenly looked like a big crushed can of soda or beer.
Embo, Scotland, Declared Itself Independent For A Day (Cool Weird Awesome 1276)
Today in 1988, the community of Embo, in the Scottish Highlands raised money for a community center by declaring independence from the rest of the UK… but just for one day.
Some American Hockey Players Develop Canadian-Ish Accents (Cool Weird Awesome 1249)
There’s some linguistic research that suggests that American hockey players sometimes start to sound more like Canadians as their hockey careers continue.
Kids In Canada Went On Strike Over The Price Of Candy Bars (Cool Weird Awesome 995)
Today in 1947, the start of a big moment in the history of sweets: kids in Canada protested a hike in chocolate bar prices with what would eventually become known as the Candy Strike.
Every Year The Netherlands Sends Thousands Of Tulips To Canada (Cool Weird Awesome 771)
The Canadian Tulip Festival is getting underway in Ottawa. Here's the history of the annual event, which (pun intended) has its roots in the history of World War II.
Edmonia Lewis, A Sculptor Who Brought Her Subjects To Life (Cool Weird Awesome 631)
On Indigenous Peoples Day, here's the story of sculptor Edmonia Lewis. She was born in the 1840s to a Black father and a Chippewa mother, and became the first Native American and Black woman to become an acclaimed sculptor.
How Ethel Merman Helped Get America To Use ZIP Codes (Cool Weird Awesome 564)
Today in 1963, the US Postal Service officially started using ZIP codes as a way to quickly sort huge amounts of mail and get it to where it needed to go. How did they get Americans to adopt ZIP codes? A mascot named Mr. Zip and a jingle sung by Broadway legend Ethel Merman.
Why People Watch For The Ogopogo When They’re In Canada (Cool Weird Awesome 547)
If you know the story of the Loch Ness Monster, the story of the Ogopogo in Canada's British Columbia might sound familiar. But there's a whole other side to this story that comes from the Okanagan/syilx people, who first lived in the area.
Buy A Box Of Cereal, Get A Square Inch Of Land In The Yukon (Cool Weird Awesome 468)
It was on this day in 1955 that began a promotional campaign for the ages: where you could buy a box of cereal and find a deed to some land inside each specially marked box.
Canada Was Almost Named “Borealia” (Cool Weird Awesome 332)
Canada was only one name out of many that were suggested for the new country.