THANKS for stopping by, I do my best to acknowledge when someone leaves a comment,you do not have to be a member here & everyone is welcome. Ps: This site is monitored but not actively posting on a regular basis. Mostly these are stories & some photos saved from a defunct site known as Verdun Connections which was on MSN Groups initially then on a social network called Multiply.
Sunday, October 8, 2006
Historical notes
On this day in 1871, the 335,000 residents of Chicago experienced yet
another warm, sunny day of their three-month long drought. The
conditions were getting dangerous because the whole city was built of
wood. A few fires had broken out, including one the night before, for
which the whole fire department was called out. But it was nothing
like the Great Chicago Fire, which began the evening of October 8, at
8:45 p.m. The fire broke out at the barn of two Irish immigrants,
Catherine and Patrick O'Leary, on the West Side. The story is that
Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over a kerosene lamp while she was being
milked.
The fire traveled quickly on the West Side, but the people on the
other side of the Chicago River felt safe in their beds. By midnight,
though, it had jumped the river and was traveling northeast and
upriver. It traveled up to 30 mph at times, and generated "fire
devils," whirling masses of fire and superheated air that traveled
even faster than the fire itself. The fire devils caused high winds
that sent burning planks and other fiery objects soaring for hundreds
of yards through the air. The intense heat caused spontaneous
combustion in places not yet reached by the fire.
People were running out of their houses and running north. Some
people took as many belongings as they could. They ran holding cats,
dogs, and goats. One eyewitness saw a lady running with a pot of soup
that was spilling all over her dress. Another woman was carrying her
framed wedding veil and wreath.
By the next morning, the heart of the business district was in
flames. By October 10, more than three square miles in the heart of
the city were completely destroyed. The property damages were $200
million. Almost 100,000 people were homeless, and nearly 300 were
dead. It was more than 24 hours later, and four and a half miles from
where it started, that the fire finally ran out of fuel and rain came.
But the city rebuilt itself. After 18 months had passed, more than
1,000 major buildings, valued at more than $50 million, had been
erected. Two years after the fire, the value of the bare ground of
the new Chicago was worth more than it had been in 1871 with all its
buildings. Between 1870 and 1880, the population rose from 300,000 to
500,000. Then it more than doubled by the turn of the century.
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One dark night when we were all in bed, Mrs. O'Leary took a lantern to the shed. The cow kicked it over then winked at her and said There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight. Cheer boys cheer, the school is burning down. Cheer boys cheer, it's burning to the ground. Cheer boys cheer, it's the only school in town. There'll be a hot time in the old town tonight. Ed
LMAO great post Ed
It's the day that the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus reached
the New World. On this day in 1492, one of the sailors on the Pinta
sighted land, an island in the Bahamas, after 10 weeks of sailing
from Palos, Spain, with the Santa Mar챠a, the Pinta, and the Ni챰a.
Columbus thought he had reached East Asia. When he sighted Cuba he
thought it was China, and when the expedition landed on Hispaniola,
he thought it might be Japan. Legend has it that only Columbus
believed the earth was round, but that's not true; most educated
Europeans at the time knew the earth wasn't flat. However, the
Ottoman Empire had cut off land and sea routes to the islands of Asia.
Columbus became obsessed with finding a western sea route, but he
miscalculated the world's size, and he didn't know the Pacific Ocean
existed. He called his plan the "Enterprise of the Indies." He
pitched it first to King John II of Portugal, who rejected it, and
then to the Spanish King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. They also
turned him down, twice, before they conquered the Moorish kingdom of
Granada in January 1492 and had some treasure to spare. Columbus led
a total of four expeditions to the New World during his lifetime, and
over the next century his discovery made Spain the wealthiest and
most powerful nation on earth. Still, he died in 1506 without
accomplishing his original goal of finding a western trading route to
Asia.
Is there something the Irish did not build?
..........
It's the anniversary of the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, a canal to connect the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes. The canal was 360 miles long, 40 feet wide, and 4 feet deep—just deep enough to float barges carrying 30 tons of freight. It was built by European immigrants—mostly Irish—who were paid $10 a month. They were also given whiskey, which was stored in barrels along the construction site.
When the canal was finished, cannons were lined up along the towpath just barely in earshot of each other. They fired one after another from Lake Erie to New York City, finishing the relay in 81 minutes, establishing the fastest ever rate of communication in the United States at that time.
Good Relations with the British..............? hahahahaha
Four feet deep. Interesting. Reminds me of the song. Storm on thr Erie Canal. "The Erie was a risin and the gin was getting low."
Today is the anniversary of Black Tuesday, the stock market crash in 1929 that signaled the beginning of the worst economic collapse in the history of the modern industrial world. Few people saw it coming. The stock market had been booming throughout the 1920s. Brokerage houses had been springing up all over the country, to take advantage of everyone's interest in investment. There were stories about barbers and messenger boys who'd gotten rich off of overheard stock tips. Americans who ordinarily couldn't afford to invest their money were taking out loans to buy stock so they wouldn't miss out.
The stock market didn't do so well in September of 1929, but nobody really noticed anything was wrong until October 23, when 2.6 million shares were sold in the closing hour of trading. It looked as though the selling would continue on Thursday, October 24, but a group of the most influential American bankers in the country pooled their money and began to buy up the declining stocks, supporting the market. By the end of that day it seemed like everything would be all right.
But on this day in 1929, the bottom fell out of the market. Three million shares were sold in the first half-hour. Stock prices fell so fast that by the end of the day there were shares in many companies that no one would buy at any price. The stocks had lost their entire value.
The front-page story in The New York Times on this day read, "Wall Street was a street of vanished hopes, of curiously silent apprehension and of a sort of paralyzed hypnosis. ... Men and women crowded the brokerage offices, even those who have been long since wiped out, and followed the figures on the tape. Little groups gathered here and there to discuss the fall in prices in hushed and awed tones."
It was the most disastrous trading day in the stock market's history. The stock market lost $30 billion dollars, more than a third of its value, in the next two weeks.
Today is Halloween, one of the oldest holidays in the Western European tradition.
Today, 70 percent of American households will open their doors and offer candy to strangers, most of them children, 50 percent of Americans will take photographs of family or friends in costume, and the nation as a whole will spend more than 6 billion dollars. In terms of dollars spent, it is the second most popular holiday of the year in this country, after Christmas.
For the Celtic people of northeastern Europe, November 1st was New Year's Day and October 31 was the last night of the year. Celts believed it was the night that spirits, ghosts, faeries, and goblins freely walked the earth. It was Pope Gregory III in the eighth century A.D. who tried to turn Halloween into a Christian holiday. Christians had been celebrating All Saints Day on May 13. Pope Gregory III decided to move the holiday to November 1st, to divert Northern Europeans from celebrating an old pagan ritual. Instead of providing food and drink to the spirits, Christians were encouraged to provide food and drink to the poor. And instead of dressing up like animals and ghosts, Christians were encouraged to dress up like their favorite saints.
In the United States, Puritans tried to outlaw Halloween, in part because of its association with Catholicism. So it was the Irish Catholics who brought Halloween to this country, when they immigrated here in great numbers after the potato famine in the 1840s. By the late 1800s, Victorian women's magazines began to offer suggestions for celebrating Halloween in wholesome ways, with barn dancing and apple bobbing. And by the early 20th century, it became a holiday for children more than adults. In 1920, The Ladies' Home Journal made the first known reference to children going door to door for candy, and by the 1950s it was a universal practice in this country. By the end of the 20th century, 92 percent of America's children were trick-or-treating.
Halloween no longer has any real connection to the festival it came from. Unlike most major holidays in this country, it is not a religious holiday, it does not celebrate an event in our nation's past, it does not involve traveling to visit family, it doesn't even give us a day off work. But it gives us the chance to try out other identities. For one day, people can feel free to dress as the opposite gender, as criminals, as superheroes, celebrities, animals, or even inanimate objects.
Thanks Bill, that was very interesting. Hallowe'en is my favourite!
Does anyone remember the night before Halloween being "Mat Night"? I seem to recall that neighbours used to get their outdoor mats switched or tossed in the bushes. When I mentioned this to friends and colleagues at work in Ontario, it was met with hoots of laughter and derision. It seems to have been a "Montreal" thing. I also remember the night of Oct. 30 as being a night of other tricks. My friends and I would ring doorbells and then hide in the bushes or put a wallet on a thread, hide and pull the wallet when some poor unsuspecting soul bent to pick it up. I recall walking to school the next morning and seeing store and car windows soaped!
I mentioned "mat night" at work yesterday too and it was totally new to my colleagues. Here in Saskatchewan those sorts of things happen on Hallowe'en Night.
Guess in Montreal it was halloween night ..all year
round...lol..
I remember one neighbour asked me on mat night to
might sure he gets a better mat....and he did..and
he thank me but it was not me..was my brother..When
I think of it today I laugh..
John
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" Mat night " .... brings back souvenirs, as my buddy Andre would say. I've never heard anyone outside of Verdun refer to Mat Niight. A bag of dog poop left on an unsuspecting doorstep, set afire and then the doorbell rung. Run like hell.
Don't try this at home.
BobB
I remember 'mat night' in Cote St.Paul / Ville Emard......but I never participated in it! Years ago here in rural Nova Scotia, the big thing on mat night was tipping over outhouses. I sure hope no one was sitting in one when it got tipped over. Nowadays, and I just heard gun fire, idiots run around firing off rifles ...very scary ! Dianne
I do remember mat night...just like yesterday..for
some reason...none of us ever got caught...
John
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Today is All Saints Day, and Pope Julius II chose this day in 1512 to display Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel for the first time. Michelangelo didn't want to take on the job. He tried to explain that he was a sculptor not a painter. But the Pope wouldn't take no for an answer. And so Michelangelo had to take on one of the most difficult fresco paintings in history. To paint a fresco, you have to apply wet plaster to a wall and then paint over the plaster before it dries. Michelangelo had to do all this on a 10,000-square-foot ceiling 60 feet above the ground. Study of the ceiling has shown that while Michelangelo started out by making sketches for his paintings, he may have been in a rush to finish, because he wound up painting a lot of the ceiling freehand.
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Hi Bill and Sandy: My daughter Sarah went to Rome a few years back and she said the Sistine Chapel is beautiful. This was after the frescos were cleaned from years of soot and grime from burning candles. I hope to visit one day . Dianne
What's the difference between All Saints Day, or All souls Day,......or is this the same thing ? I don't Rememeber Nov 1 st,regardless of it being All Saints or All Souls Day,actually being a holiday (for us Roman Cathoilics........hahahaha) but i'm sure we would take it ,.......as a Holiday is a Holiday is a Holiday...........So Did we actually get a day off to go and bug our Protestant friends,at their schools?? BTW Nice to see Sandy 19465,......joining in here,Haven't seen you for a while,Hope you've been well,.....and appreciate your contribution tonight,How's NY area ? Always an exciting place to live,I'll bet. and HappyDi2.........................How's the East coast,........Your probably enjoying better ( at least more mild) weather than we have been getting lately.........)......it's been a (little cooler here these days),.......but really Sunny,just the odd scraping of the the Rear Windshield at times............. but we have to love the Sunshine.,,,,,,,,,,,, ..................................................................any pictures to share with us ? I have to ask,........as we have been getting a few new submissions from different members these days,.....but We would really appreciate all of Our Members,to have a look in their old 'stashes of photo's' of Verdun/Montreal ,or just plain Old Pictures,....We appreciate all input,& pictures: BTW Sandy your favourite guy President Bill Clinton, will be appearing here in Victoria,this month,.....and i think i'll go and see him speak,...as i feel he is/was a far more intelligent & moderate Leader,......who spoke & Thought ,without having 'kneeJerk' reactions,...........He really in my mind was a better Leader of the Free World (not so sure that title ,is deserved by anyone these day ..........but as the worlds problems, unfold ,we can see it's not that simple to just Trust the Management ,that's in Place....................hahahahahhaha Have Fun & Remember Verdun..........(when you feel like it ---------it's not mandatory)
Mat night in my day meant fresh horse manure (easy to find back then) on the mat and setting fire. After someone stomped it out, usually in slippers. They threw away the slippers. The outhouses. When I lived in the country were simply moved back 3 feet. Ed
Just read that William Styron died, aged 81. His novel "Sophie's Choice" was made into an award-winning movie. Cheers.
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Sandy....Love your picture......and here's mine Dianne
Ed.....the old timers here in Nova Scoria actually tell stories of knocking over the outhouses!! And last night we could here someone firing a rifle in the woods behind us....seems like they get some sort of enjoyment in terrorizing folks. They also do it New Years Eve, too! Dianne
Sandy & HD2 ,......these are great pictures,.........I have a few sort of like these,..I came across them the other day ,while looking for some other photo's..........and I have some very Formal Looking picyures like these,from First Communion's..............I like the pictures they are,so very period perfect,(if you know ,what I mean),......the only ones of myself,from those First Communiond days,....depict me outside St Willibrord's Church,......taking off my tie............hahahahah I Remember the event where we all marched up one side of the Church,.....Girls on one side,....and us guys on the other,......and we turned towards the center of the church ,.......got annointed or some other ritual,....and then marched/walked back down the center isle,......Just like a group/mass wedding,........except we were all little kids,..........but the Girls were dressed like little brides,....& us guys ,were like little Grooms...........................Strange rituals,............but I have to say your pictures that you and happyDi ,posted are really neat to see,...and are great mementos,....................Thanks For Sharing them,......they really do remind me of being a little kid,and having gone through some of those same ceremonies, ..................................
What great pictues. Thanks
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Nice pcitures Dianne and Sandy.It would be nice to see more pictures from that period in Verdun. Maybe this will encourage other members to do likewise. Guy
And it was on this day in 1917 that an accidental explosion destroyed a quarter of the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was the height of World War I, and Halifax was serving as an important port city for many of the ships carrying supplies for the battlefront in Europe. One of the ships coming into the port that day was a French warship called the Mont Blanc, carrying 200 tons of TNT, 2,300 tons of other explosives, as well as 10 tons of cotton and 35 tons of highly flammable chemicals stored in vats on the ship's upper deck.
As the Mont Blanc sailed through the narrow channel into the Halifax Harbor, it collided with a Norwegian freighter. The collision started a fire on the Mont Blanc, and the captain gave the order to abandon ship. The crew piled into lifeboats and then paddled frantically away. Unfortunately, the fire drew a crowd of onlookers along the shore of the channel. The docks filled with spectators, trams slowed down, people stood at office windows and on factory roofs to see the blaze. Then, a few minutes after the fire had started, the Mont Blanc exploded.
It was the single most powerful man-made explosion at that point in human history, and there wouldn't be another more powerful explosion until the first atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.
The blast wave of water hit the shore, sweeping away buildings, bridges, roads, vehicles, and people. City streets split open into deep fissures. Houses, churches, schools, and factories collapsed. The entire city was showered with debris. Virtually every building in the city had its windows broken. About a quarter of the city, within a square mile of the blast, was completely destroyed.
Almost 2,000 people were killed in the blast and as many as 9,000 were seriously injured, many of them blinded by pieces of broken glass. Thousands of people were left homeless in the middle of a bitter winter. Volunteers poured in from the United States and Great Britain to help in the recovery efforts, and children who survived the blast were photographed for postcards to be sold to help rebuild the city.
Even though World War I was being fought across the Atlantic, Halifax was damaged far greater than any European city. It is the worst disaster of any kind in Canadian history.
Every year the Province of Nova Scotia sends a Christmas tree to be displayed on the Boston Commons in appreciation for the help that Boston sent to Halifax after that fateful day. This year the 40' white spruce was donated from a farm in New Ross, Lunenburg County. The tree was prominately featured in the Tree Lighting Ceremony, Thursday Nov 30, at 6:30 PM Dianne
That Halifax explosion figured prominently in Hugh MacLennan's book "Baromiter Rising".
BobB
Who were they, what happened to them - quite possibly they might be great or great great grandparents of some of the generations that followed them in The Point and Verdun. Who knows! Most fascinating. Check out the McCord Museum - William Notman Photograph Collection - a veritable photograph history of Montreal. What This truly exceptional photograph is a picture of three working-class children in a Montreal photographer's studio in the early 20th century. Where Goose Village was part of the working-class area of Pointe St. Charles in Montreal. It was near the Victoria Bridge and the Grand Trunk Railway shops. When Although the photo was taken in a studio, it still looks spontaneous. The children are wearing their everyday clothes; they have had no time to comb their hair or even wash their hands and faces. Who There are two girls and a boy. The two younger ones are nervously holding on to their older sister. They are probably Irish, like most of the people in their neighbourhood. Photograph
Goose Village children, Montreal, QC, about 1910 Keys to History Once 80% to 90% of the budget had been allocated to food and lodging, what was left for the other necessities: clothing and furniture? Very often, not much. This is where women's inventiveness came in. Some products had to be purchased: boots and shoes, a few sticks of furniture, pots and pans and dishes. But there were always pawnshops, second-hand dealers and hand-me-downs. People could make it, make do or do without.
That's neat Mom45,.......... check the price $600. bucks , was a lot of Do-Re-Me........in those days,.......... I seem to Rememeber hearing of a Bill Gates quote saying all anyone would ever need was about 64mb's................hahahahahaha Now prices are really getting reasonable,......new Dell stuff ,fairly inexpensive,and they can do a helluva lot..............Amazing how our lives have changed in the last 20 years,........Great Stuff
Arbutus, That photo of the neighbourhood children is beautiful. Thanks. My father's family lived in Goose Village but I do not know the street name. My grandparents (Irish) were forced to move from Grand Trunk St. in the Point when they had 7 children (Catholics). Probably before WW1. No welfare back then huh. Thank God for the priests and nuns at St. Anne's school and church, they did what they could to assist the poorest.
Second Avenue.
It was on this day in 1900 that the physicist Max Planck (books by this author) published his theory of quantum mechanics, which is often considered one of the most radical scientific discoveries of the 20th century. At that time, physicists accepted the work of Isaac Newton without any criticism. They believed that the interactions between all physical objects, from atoms to planets, would be predicable and logical. But one thing that physicists couldn't quite understand was the way light worked.
Max Planck was working in a laboratory in 1900, heating up various substances and examining the color of light they emitted when they reached certain temperatures. He wanted to describe his results in mathematical terms, but no matter how hard he tried, his mathematical calculations didn't make sense. The only way he could fix the problem was to assume that light travels in little packets, like bullets, even though this seemed impossible. He published his calculations on this day in 1900, calling his theory about light "an act of desperation." He assumed that some future physicist would figure out what he had done wrong.
But five years later, Albert Einstein took Planck's theory of light seriously, and wrote his first major paper exploring the idea of light traveling in packets, which he called photons. Even though he became better known for his theory of relativity, it was Einstein's work expanding on Planck's original ideas about light that won him a Nobel Prize. Einstein later said, "I use up more brain grease on quantum theory than on relativity."
Arbutus....
Photographs ......when ever I go to garage sales or estate sales and I see family pictures inventoried it makes me think of the great loss that the future generations of that particular person or family may experience cause of the disposition of the images .
A possible course of action to assist in remedying of this sort of future dilema might possibly be for us as individuals to take the initiative and make what ever purchases we can . Inventory what ever information that we can access regarding the provinance of the items and subjects .
Then donate them to the local historical society or archive .
joey
It was on this day in 1653 that Oliver Cromwell became the lord protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland. It was the only time in British history that a man ruled as absolute dictator over the United Kingdom without wearing the crown of a king. To make money for the government, he sold off all the works of art that had been owned by the king. He shut down all the theaters. And he outlawed the celebration of Christmas, calling ivy, mistletoe, and holly "ungodly branches of superstition."
But Cromwell wasn't all bad. He helped revitalize the educational system, and though he was a passionate Puritan, he instituted greater religious freedom that any British ruler before him, allowing Christians to practice however they desired, as long as they did not create unrest. And the stronger form of Parliament that he put in place has endured in more or less the same form ever since.
It was 515 years ago, on this day in 1492, that King Ferdinand and
Queen Isabella captured the city of Granada, the last major Muslim
stronghold in Spain, bringing to an end more than 700 years of
Islamic influence on that country. Muslims from North Africa had
first invaded the country back in the year 711, capturing most of the
major cities and then ruling without challenge for three centuries.
They turned the city of C처rdoba into their capital, and it became one
of the biggest and most diverse cities in the Western world, rivaling
Constantinople and Baghdad. It also became home to the third largest
mosque in the world.
But starting in 1085, Christian military leaders began to push back
into the land controlled by Muslims. After centuries of war, the
Muslim kingdom was pushed into the southern part of Spain. The sultan
built a fortress in the city of Granada called the Alhambra, where
Moorish rule continued for another 200 years. But in 1469, King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella got married, uniting the two major
kingdoms of Spain, and they set out on a campaign to capture all the
remaining territory of the peninsula.
The Alhambra was never captured in battle, but the Muslim ruler
surrendered it on this day in 1492 after Ferdinand and Isabella
promised not to convert or expel any of the Muslims in the city. They
didn't keep their promise. Instead, there was a campaign of forced
conversion under the threat of torture and prison. Speaking Arabic
was outlawed, and Arabic names for children were forbidden.
Ferdinand and Isabella chose to take the Alhambra as their own royal
palace. When they rode into the city, one of the people following the
royal procession was a man that had been hounding them for eight
years. A few months later, he finally got a hearing with the royal
couple in the Alhambra, where he laid out his plan to sail across the
Atlantic Ocean. And that was Christopher Columbus.
It was on this day in 1940 that Bugs Bunny made his debut in a short animated film called A Wild Hare. Bugs Bunny was designed to be the epitome of cool, modeled on Groucho Marx, with a carrot rather than a cigar. He is never fazed by what the world throws at him. He nonchalantly chews on his carrot in the face of all his enemies, speaking in a Brooklyn accent. A Wild Hare, which premiered on this day, told the story of Elmer Fudd's attempt to hunt rabbits, only to have Bugs Bunny thwart him at every turn. Bugs Bunny's first line in the cartoon, when he meets Elmer Fudd, is, "What's up, doc?" It was a phrase that one of the writers remembered people saying where he grew up in Texas. It got such a big laugh in the theaters that the writers decided to make it a catchphrase.
Joey, Regarding your message no. 37 dated 2006-12-14, on the late I wish to make these comments regarding old family photos that people get rid of. These photos are best kept in the family. We get many people who give us their photos and personal documents at the SHGV. Although we appreciate their generosity, these treasures have meaning mainly to their families. In some cases, we receive these documents all mixed up in a box, no order and with photos that have no names, no dates, no comments, wich lessens their historical value. My recommendation to these people is to first of all, find someone in their family who are interested in their family history and ancestry to perpetuate their legacy for the future. If that is not possible, put these documents in a binder, properly indexed, with dates, names and comments and give them to your local historical and genealogical society who may be interested in safegarding them. Guy
It's the birthday of Marie Antoinette, born in Vienna, Austria, in 1755, child number 15 out of 16 born to the Empress Maria Theresa and the Emperor Francis I. To preserve the alliance between Austria and France, Marie was married to the future king of France, Louis the 16th, when she was 14 years old.Louis and Marie were very different. He loved hunting and eating, and he was introverted. She loved to go out, to dance and gamble. She was beautiful, with long blond hair and perfect posture, and she spent lots of money on fashionable clothes and jewelry, which made her a target for the French people, who were growing increasingly resentful of the monarchy.The French Revolution began in 1789. Marie and Louis were stripped of power, put on trial, and both sentenced to death. Marie Antoinette was executed at the guillotine in October of 1793.Marie Antoinette is one of the most famously misquoted people in history. It was actually an earlier princess, Maria Theresa of Spain, who is quoted as saying, "If there is no bread, let them cake."
My grandmother and her 3 children were in the explosion and were hurled from their house. My grandmother and 1 child survived -- the other two children were found dead days later, and it was a long time before mother and daughter were reunited. My aunt (the surviving child) lived into her 70's but eventually suffered from Parkinson's disease which neurologists thought might have stemmed from the extreme trauma of the explosion. My grandparents and aunt moved from Halifax to Verdun after this event, where they all lived until they passed away. They subsequently had 4 more children, one of whom is my mother. Up to the day she died, my grandmother would often pull shrapnel out of her body as it surfaced over the years, such was the force of the harbour explosion. I often wonder why we were never taught about the Halifax explosion in any history classes I attended throughout my years in elementary and high school? I learned what I know from family anecdotes. It certainly is a missing piece of Canadian history....
Often on CTV there are "fillers" that are put together by the NFB that tell us bits of Canadian History, I had never heard of the Halifax Explosion until I saw one on the topic in the last few years. It shows a telegraph operator as a hero that saved many lives by sticking to his post (subsequently dying). Your accounting of your grandmother's experience sure brings it closer to home/heart. It's no wonder that so many feel such a strong connection to Verdun. It was built on the character of "survivors' that were always willing to help others.
Your right MaggieMck,.some of those 'vignettes' ( I think they call them) are neat & do teach some quick history ......good ads really. I think your right about the character of the people from Verdun /Point / Griffintown....and I think We all seem to get even more helpful to others as we get older,...It seems that everyone is quick to jump in & just help someone,without having to be asked.......a very good trait indeed,.as for Survivors , I suppose in a way We all survived & learned some real life lessons that stayed with us all these years , a sort of camaraderie, and street Smart Group...mnay of us didn't have a lot growing up ( I suspect) but I cannot Remember anyone really thinking they did without anything,.I thought it was great but perhaps it's just easier to Remeber with a 'selective memory' When you read all the different posts from everyone it seems almost all were positive about their lives,& growing up in Verdun.................allthough i know we all experienced some of life's not so great sides too,... HF&RV
There is a lot of Video's about the Halifax Explosion available on You Tube here's one called the Halifax Explosion Song, the video is filled with historical photos etc etc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqFT0bWbqew ...if you watch this one then look at the side of the screen & you will see a selections of different vids HF&RV
Maggie Here's the video you were talking about , that appears on TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oaRr6A-gkA HF&RV
Canadian author Hugh MacLennan wrote Barometer Rising which has as its central point the Halifax explosion. I read it about a hundred years ago and loved it. Hopefully it would still hold up if someone wanted a good read.
BobB
Comments Made in the Year 1955!
'I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $20.00.'
'Have you seen the new cars coming out next year? It won't be long before $2,000.00 will only buy a used one.'
'If cigarettes keep going up in price, I'm going to quit. A quarter a pack is ridiculous.
'Did you hear the post office is thinking about charging a dime just to mail a letter?'
'If they raise the minimum wage to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store.'
'When I first started driving, who would have thought gas would someday cost 29 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving the car in the garage.'
'Kids today are impossible. Those duck tail hair cuts make it impossible to stay groomed. Next thing you know, boys will be wearing their hair as long as the girls.'
'I'm afraid to send my kids to the movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying DAMN in GONE WITH THE WIND, it seems every new movie has either HELL of DAMN in it.'
'I read the other day where some scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas.'
'Did you see where some baseball player just signed a contract for $75,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President.'
'I never thought I'd see the day all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They are even making electric typewriters now.'
'It's too bad things are so tough nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet.'
'It won't be long before young couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work.'
'Marriage doesn't mean a thing any more, those Hollywood stars seem to be getting divorced at the drop of a hat.'
'I'm afraid the Volkswagen car is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business.'
'Thank goodness I won't live to see the day when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are electing the best people to congress.'
'The drive-in restaurant is convenient in nice weather, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.'
'There is no sense going to Lincoln or Omaha anymore for a weekend, it costs nearly $15.00 a night to stay in a hotel.'
'No one can afford to be sick anymore, at $35.00 a day in the hospital it's too rich for my blood.'
'If they think I'll pay 50 cents for a hair cut, forget it.'
Hi BobB, you mentioned Barometer Rising , and it using Halifax as it's focal point,.So I thought I'd pick it up, (local library) I couldn't believe that shape of this thing ,it's almost brand new,.....and then checking inside cover the library must have just replaced it last year,as the stamp inside indicates March 6th 2007,........either that or were way behind on ordering books........hahahahha I don't usually read novels ,or softcover books,but it may be interesting to see how they depict Halifax in those early years of the last century. ....................I don't know if you can see that stamp,March 06/07 and that's the branch name not the author...............HF&RV
Hi Les
I hope you enjoy it. I remember that I did. Hopefully it still holds up. It's been a long time.
BobB
Thanks for the tip Bob. I'll hit the library manana.
Bill
Well, I hope you guys enjoy the book. I have been known to rave about things and then get a blank stare. I think it's when people just marvel at my stupidity.
BobB
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