National Film Board & Nature – What’s Old is News

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By Sean Graham
I talk with Michael Clemens, author of Screening Nature and Nation: The Environmental Documentaries of the National Film Board, 1939-1974. We discuss the origins of the NFB, its approach to portraying the environment, and the influence of federal politicians. We also chat about the filmmakers who documented Canadian wildlife, how the films changed over time, and some of the best picks for people to watch today.

If you want to watch some of the films discussed, you can check them out on the NFB website:

Cree Hunters of Mistassini

Death of a Legend

Historical Headline of the Week

Martin Morrow, “‘Iconic’ documentarian Gudrun Bjerring Parker helped define NFB’s signature style,” Globe & Mail, December 8, 2022

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The Right Man for the Job: Gordon Lightfoot and the “Canadian Railroad Trilogy”

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Gordon Lightfoot, 1960s. Harold Whyte/Toronto Star.

Chris Hemer

On this day, 56 years ago, Canadian folk singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot and his song “Canadian Railroad Trilogy”—a tune steeped in national mythology—became the focal point of a CBC-produced centennial television special, 100 Years Young, on New Year’s Day, 1967. While his work is now largely synonymous with Canadian identity, Lightfoot did not always hold this esteemed position within Canada’s national popular culture.

Canada’s 1967 centennial marked a time when both the country and Lightfoot were eager to claim their identities. This period was marked by tension and a growing desire for national pride in the face of American cultural hegemony, and Canada saw an opportunity to reify its national mythology. It is within this context that Gordon Lightfoot was enlisted to create his song “Canadian Railroad Trilogy”—a unique opportunity at a likewise unique moment in Canadian history, where old familiar chords would be used to write a new song. Continue reading →

Body Image Activism: What’s Old is News

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By Sean Graham

I talk with Jenny Ellison, author of Being Fat: Women, Weight, and Feminist Activism in Canada. We talk about the origins of fat activism, the strategies used by activists, and the tensions with second wave feminism. We also talk about fitness and healthy eating campaigns, the role of fashion, and the entrepreneurship of some activists.

Historical Headline of the Week

Fat’s not Where It’s At, Participaction Commercial, 1984

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Indian Boarding School Newspapers: What’s Old is News

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By Sean Graham

In this episode, I amjoined by Jane Griffith, author of Words Have a Past: The English Language, Colonialism, and the Newspapers of Indian Boarding Schools to talk about the significance and legacy of Indian boarding school newspapers. We talk about why schools published newspapers, who the intended audiences were, and the information they did not include. We also discuss the power of language, colonial efforts towards linguicide, and the legacy of how language was policed in residential schools.

Historical Headline of the Week

Victoria Daily Colonist, “Indian Schools Deal out Death,” November 16, 1907.

If you’re experiencing trauma, a National Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former residential school students. You can access information on the website or access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-Hour National Crisis Line: 1-866-925-4419.

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10th Annual(?) Year in Review (100 Years Later): And the Winner Is…

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By Aaron Boyes and Sean Graham

This year, you joined us in offering your two cents on the most important events of 1922

Four rounds. Sixteen events. Hundreds of votes across multiple platforms. And it all comes down to this. We are pleased to announce the result of the Enrico Palazzo Pre-Memorial Championship:

Ottoman Empire Collapses defeats TV Receiver Patented (23-18)

With that win, Ottoman Empire Collapses is crowned the Most Important Event of 1922 and joins the pantheon of past winners (you can see that list at the bottom of the post).

We like to think that it was because of our astute historical analysis and persuasive writing that the Collapse of the Ottoman Empire won this year’s bracket. In reality, however, what we thought likely didn’t factor in at all. In any event, the people have spoken and we agree with this result. If you want go back to see how we got here, you can check out all the entries from this year’s series:

First Round; Elite Eight; Final Four; Final

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and vote and comment on this year’s bracket. We hope that you enjoyed this year’s installment and we look forward to (hopefully) bringing you the most important events of 1923 next year. Having already taken a peak, there is a lot of great stuff to talk about a year from now. 

All the best during this Holiday Season and Happy New Year.

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10th Annual(?) Year in Review (100 Years Later): Final

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By Aaron Boyes and Sean Graham

After three weeks, hundreds of votes, and some excruciatingly tough matchups, it’s time to determine the most important event of 1922. But before we do that, we have some business to attend to from last week’s Final Four.

Ottoman Empire Collapses defeats Japan Launches First Purpose Built Aircraft Carrier (22-13)

Vitamin D Isolated ties TV Receiver Patented (10-10)

For the first time ever, we have a tie! Now, we don’t actually have an established tiebreaker procedure, but not having a clear plan has never stopped us before.

After debating for hours, and creating a tie-breaking procedure so convoluted that even the NHL was impressed by its complexity, we asked Aaron’s 6 year-old to pick the winner. And just like the NHL, the fans are likely to be unhappy with the result.

Editor’s note: I finally got off the plane and made Sean and Aaron actually discuss each event and come up with a way to determine a winner. Ultimately, we decided to go with the total cumulative votes received over the previous two rounds. As a result, TV Receiver Patented is moving on the final.

We submit to you our thoughts, but ultimately the decision is yours. So submit your vote in the poll at the end of the post or add a comment stating which of these events you think deserves to be crowned the most important event of 1922.

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The Importance of the Past – What’s Old is News

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By Sean Graham

For as long as people have been doing history, there have been debates over how to best share the stories of the past. In recent years, this has revolved around discussions over teaching history and ways to better engage people with the history that shapes our daily lives. In this episode, I explore these themes with Trilby Kent, author of The Vanishing Past: Making the Case for the Future of History. We discuss the ways in which history is taught across Canada, the importance of historical knowledge within public life, and ways historians can move beyond the insular discussions that too often define the discipline.

Historical Headline of the Week

Roscoe Oliver, “Biography and Autobiography,” The Maple Leaf, April 23, 1931.

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A woman erased from history: The ghosting of Rae Luckock

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Official portrait of Rae Luckock, MPP 1943-45, Ontario Legislative Assembly.

Dean Beeby

This is a story about a famous woman erased.

The ghosting of Toronto’s Rae Luckock (1893-1972) is a case study of the fate of many outspoken women, including feminists. Remembering her is a form of belated justice, a grim reminder of the silencing, even today, of women who threaten the status quo. Continue reading →

10th Annual Year in Review (100 Years Later): Final Four

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By Aaron Boyes and Sean Graham

We’re down to the Final Four. Be sure to cast your vote for which should move on to next Friday’s final

After two rounds of intense voting, we have our Final Four. And, much like in Round One, we are (mostly) in agreement with how the people have thus far voted.

Elite Eight Results: 

TV Receiver Patented over Nosferatu Released (29-5)

Japan Launches Purpose Built First Aircraft Carrier over Canadian Tire (21-11)

Vitamin D Isolated over First Steel Tape Measure (28-7)

Ottoman Empire Collapses over USSR Founded (20-14)

In this penultimate round, we have two tough matchups. We have a technological innovation against a medical/scientific discovery, and one Empire’s collapse against a purpose-built ship of, at the time, a budding Empire.

We have provided our thoughts on which we think are the most important, but which events make it to the finals is up to you.

You can vote by using the Twitter polls embedded herein, by sending us a DM (@theseangraham and @aaronboyes1), or an email to historyslam@gmail.com. Voting ends on Monday and the Enrico Palazzo Pre-Memorial Championship will go live next Friday, December 16.

Final Four

Ottoman Empire Collapses

v.

Japan Launches First Purposefully Built Air Craft Carrier

Sean: Plot twist – I actually think the collapse of the Ottoman Empire is the more important of the two in this matchup. I know that goes against everything I have advocated for over the last 10 years (PLANES!), but that just goes to show how significant the Ottoman Empire and its demise was in human history.

A good way to think about the Ottoman’s comes from Alan Mikhail, who has suggested that if we look at history from an eastern rather than western perspective, we would find that the Muslim world was the driving force in global events for centuries. He argues that nations in Western Europe viewed things like colonial expansion as part of their larger struggle against Islam. Within a framework where containing the Ottomans was central, things like the slave trade, Protestant Reformation, and militarization are inextricably linked to the Empire. Mikhail has even gone so far as to argue that the Ottoman Empire made our modern world.

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A Samurai Suit in Fort Smith & A Blanket of Butterflies – What’s Old is News

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By Sean Graham 

Samurai armour at the museum in Fort Smith, NWT.

Fort Smith, NWT is probably not where you would expect to find a suit of samurai armour and sword, but at the local museum that’s exactly what you can find. When he first saw it, author Richard Van Camp started to think about all the possibilities of how it got there. The result is A Blanket of Butterflies, which is the first volume of The Spirit of Denendeh. This beautiful new edition, illustrated in full colour for the first time, tells the story of a young Dene boy and his grandmother helping a Japanese man recover his grandfather’s armour. Through the story, Van Camp addresses questions of colonialism, knowledge transmission, and the complicated legacy of Second World War-era mining in the North.

Historical Headline of the Week

“Echoes of the Atomic Age: Cancer Kills Fourteen Aboriginal Uranium Workers,” Calgary Herald, March 14, 1998

To learn more about RIchard’s work, visit him at RichardVanCamp.com

You can watch A Village of Widows here.

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