Tag: history

News Politics

Fourth Straight Majority For NDP In Manitoba

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Manitoba had a provincial election on Wednesday.

The province’s New Democratic Party made history yesterday by winning its fourth straight majority.

A “majority” is when a party has more seats in the legislature than the other parties combined. (Seats in the legislature means the number of Members of Provincial Parliament, or MPPs, in the provincial government.)

Greg Selinger, the leader of the Manitoba NDP, will remain the province’s premier, a position he has held since 2009.

Selinger defeated the Progressive Conservatives. Its leader, Hugh McFadyen, said he will step down as soon as his party can find someone to replace him.

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Health News

Terry Fox’s Marathon Of Hope Still Running

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In 1980, Terry Fox started a Marathon of Hope.

His hope was to raise money for cancer research and eventually help to find a cure for the disease.

After losing a leg to bone cancer, Terry Fox wanted to help other people. To raise money, he began a fundraising run across Canada. His famous run-hop stride is well known to Canadians and people around the world.

Terry Fox ran more than 5,300 kilometres – half-way across Canada – when the cancer spread to his lungs. He died at the age of 22, in 1981.

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Lighter Science

Mummies With Hair Gel

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The Ancient Egyptians probably used hair gel to style their hair, new research on mummies shows.

Scientists at the University of Manchester, UK published an article in the Journal of Archaeological Science that said, “…in cases where the (mummies’) hair was styled, the embalming process was adapted to preserve the hairstyle.”

In other words, when the bodies were turned into mummies, the embalmers made sure their hair didn’t get mussed.

The researchers studied hair from 18 mummies who lived around 300 B.C. in Egypt.

Under a microscope, the scientists noticed that the hair on nine of the mummies had a coating on it. When they analysed it, it turned out to be made of plant and animal fats.

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Science Technology

Faster Than The Speed Of Light

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How fast does light travel? Scientists have known for a long time that light always travels at the same speed: 299,792,458 metres per second.

The speed of light is the fastest speed that all energy, matter and information in the universe can travel.

The speed of light is very important in science. Because it is always the same – it is a known constant – it defines many things, including the length of a metre.

Using the speed of light scientists calculate many things. The speed of light is part of Einstein’s famous theory of relativity, E=mc2.

That is why there was such a shock within the scientific community this week when it was announced that a group of scientists has been recording some particles going faster than the speed of light.

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News

9/11 Victims Honoured, Remembered

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Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

“9/11” refers to three terrorist attacks in the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001 – the ninth month, the 11th day.

On that day 10 years ago, nearly 3,000 people were killed when terrorists attacked two World Trade Centre buildings in New York and the Pentagon in Washington DC. Near Pennsylvania, a plane was hijacked and crashed into a field.

The victims of the attacks were from more than 90 countries. Around the world, millions of people commemorated 9/11 in their own way.

At the site in New York where the twin towers once stood, called Ground Zero, thousands of people attended remembrance services.

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Jack Layton chalk condolences at City Hall; Image: Greg Robinson
News Politics

Jack Layton Honoured With Chalk Messages

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It began with one message of remembrance written in chalk on a wall outside Toronto’s City Hall.

And then another. And then another. Now nearly every inch of the sidewalk and walls in the square is covered, all with a similar message: We will miss you, Jack.

It is one way that people are mourning and remembering one of Canada’s most beloved political leaders, who died on Aug. 22.

Jack Layton was the leader of the NDP (New Democratic Party), Canada’s Official Opposition party in government.

Layton’s death is affecting many people across the country—even people who didn’t agree with his political point-of-view.

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Science

100-Year-Old Shipwreck Found In Lake Ontario

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In 1906, a ship carrying 480 tons of coal sank in Lake Ontario.
The ship was a schooner, with three huge masts, and it was called Queen of the Lakes.

The ship ran into bad weather near Lake Ontario’s southern shore, and started to leak. It sank quickly.
The six crew members abandoned the ship and rowed safely to shore.

Some people, whose hobby is looking for sunken ships, located the in 2009 using a sonar machine.
The Queen of the Lakes was in water that was too deep for divers to reach her.

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Entertainment

Pirates, Privateers and Freebooters… Arrrr!

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Have you ever wondered what life was like for the pirates who terrorized the high seas from the 17th to 19th centuries?

Pirates, Privateers and Freebooters is an incredible interactive exhibit in Quebec City, Quebec.

It invites you to climb aboard a historically accurate reproduction of a pirate ship (complete with pirates) and experience the life and living conditions of these treasure-seeking scoundrels.

Unlike what Hollywood movies would have you believe, women were not permitted on pirate ships.

Pirates considered them bad luck – along with dice, rabbits and whistling.

But superstition did not stop adventurous females from disguising themselves as men and living the pirate life.

Two of the most successful were Anne Bonney and Mary Read.

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News Science

Judge Looks At New 3-D Images Of Titanic

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Four kilometres below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean lies the most famous shipwreck in the world.

The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage on April 12, 1912, about 650 kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland.

More than 1,500 passengers and crew died after the supposedly “unsinkable” ocean liner hit an iceberg and sank.

In 2010, scientists used sophisticated equipment to take very detailed photographs of the Titanic and the wreck site.

The photos were “stitched together” to provide an incredible visual record of every centimeter of the outside of the ship. Many of the photos will eventually be shown to the public.

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News

World’s Last Remaining WWI Veteran Passes Away

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The last remaining veteran from the WWI has died. Claude Choules was 110 years old.

A “veteran” is someone who has fought in a war. WWI, or World War I, began in the summer of 1914 and ended in November 1918. About 70 million people fought in the war, and more than seven million of them were killed. More than half a million Canadians fought in WWI and 60,000 died. Another 170,000 Canadians were wounded in the war.

Choules pretended to be older than he was, when he signed up for the war at age 13. He tried to become a boy bugler, but was sent instead to a boys’ training ship. He served in the British Navy on the battleship HMS Revenge. From his ship, he watched as the Germans surrendered on Nov. 21, 1918.

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