Labor Day Date Tricks and Canadian Adoption History
A look at how Labor Day landed on September 1 in a bygone year and its shift to the first Monday in September. The article traces its origins with the Knights of Labor, Canadian and U.S. legislation, and credits Alexander W. Wright for lobbying in Ottawa to secure the holiday.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Canada
John Thompson
United States
Knights of Labor
New York
Montreal
Toronto
United States Congress
House of Commons
Alexander W. Wright
Guelph Herald
Stratford Herald
Ottawa
Lions thrive on regulated exercise and feeding at the zoo
Tyrwhitt-Drake explains in My Life With Animals that captive lions need structured exercise and controlled feeding. He notes wild lions hunt after long fasting, so keeping big cats in prime condition requires feeding to satisfy about 20 hours followed by a period of hunger that spurs the next hunt.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake
Sir Arthur Evans Dies at Oxford After Ninety Years
Sir Arthur Evans, famed archaeologist of Crete, died in Oxford three days after his 90th birthday. He spent over 40 years uncovering the Crete ruins and helped push back the dawn of sea-borne Mediterranean civilization by about two millennia. His youthful exploits included crossing the Carpathians on foot and surviving a shipwreck on Lake Scutari after being imprisoned by the Austrians for inflammatory Serb speeches.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Crete
Sir Arthur Evans
Oxford
England
Mediterranean
Sir Arthur
Europe
Carpathians
Scutari
Albania
Calf Orphan Crisis Sparks Dairy Debate
A fragmented notice describes dairy calves facing shortages as babies and parents outbid calves for milk, highlighting an orphan plight in the dairy industry and its impact on calf welfare.
Defining Freedom In The Modern Mind
Hazel Parker argues that freedom defies concise definition, existing as a spectrum of lived experiences rather than a single sentence. From quiet joys to public acts, freedom appears in daily acts, emotions, and the absence of fear, shaping how individuals choose to live and resist oppression.
National War Services Maps 30 Roderick MacLeods in Canada
The National War Services department in Ottawa can locate people in Canada via national registration records. A Toronto letter details 30 Roderick MacLeods over 16, mostly born in Scotland, with seven arriving in 1923 and two from Stornoway. The by province distribution is Nova Scotia one, New Brunswick one, Manitoba four, Alberta five, Ontario seven, British Columbia two. The finder must contact the seven MacLeods who came in 1923 to learn the exact address.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
National War Services
Roderick MacLeods
Canada
Scotland
Stornoway
Roderick MacLeod
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Manitoba
Alberta
Ontario
British Columbia
Mr. MacLean
MacLeods
Fifty Kinds Of Flour In China And Abroad
The article notes China offers fifty flour varieties while New York and London stores require no specifics. It lists ingredients including rice, peanuts, potatoes, sweet potatoes, peas, coconuts, millet, oats, bananas, almonds, lentils and soybeans. Almond and lentil flours are praised for nutrition. Soy bean flour is highlighted as most nutritious and central to a soybean banquet, touted as China's cheapest food.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
China
New York
London
Shanghai
What Nazis Call Heroism
William L. Shirer recounts a Berlin correspondent tale of a Nazi airman’s mother who is informed of her son’s death and then learns he has been captured by London’s BBC. Eight neighbors who shared the good news are arrested for listening to foreign broadcasts, a censorship act Shirer notes was deemed too complex for American audiences.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
William L. Shirer
Berlin
Columbia Broadcasting System
London
B.B.C
Shirer
Keen-eyed constable speeds from Governor General visit
A Canadian Police Bulletin recounts an escort duty during Earl of Athlone's Port Hope visit. The Governor-General notes a Union Jack flag hidden by pines and asks an officer to inform a man that the flag is upside down after a brief exchange and the constable departs quickly.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Earl of
Postcard from Russia Reaches Hampshire Farm
A postcard dated March 17 1902 sent from Russia has arrived at Manor Farm Herriard Hampshire. The item bears Czarist regime stamps and carries a St. Petersburg postmark.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Russia
Manor Farm
Herriard
Hampshire
St. Petersburg
Writing letters discouraged to national defence authorities
Soldiers are warned to limit letters to the minister, National Defence Headquarters, or the Dependents' Allowance Board. Ottawa mail has swelled, and army regulations require communications to go through immediate superiors unless proper attenuation and careful consideration are not given. Matters can be referred to higher formation officers or inspecting officers for review.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Minister of National Defence
National Defence Headquarters
Dependents’ Allowance Board
Ottawa
Army
Watch buyer receives revolver with gold watch
A man in a South American capital bought a gold watch and chain. The watchmaker wrapped a revolver with the purchase, prompting the surprised traveller to protest that he did not want a weapon. The shopkeeper quipped that the buyer meant to keep the gold watch.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
South America
Van Loon On God and Hitler A Mock Comfort
Hendrik Willem Van Loon suggests God may tire of Hitler and disappear. The Financial Post notes the idea comforts some, while observing Christian philosophy offers no prohibition against humans aiding divine outcomes.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Hendrik Willem van Loon
Hitler
Financial Post
Cool as cucumber expression traced to its temperature
A cucumber is described as having a temperature about one degree lower than the surrounding air, explaining the saying cool as a cucumber. The note links the phrase to its natural coolness and the idea of a stable temperature.
Suited For Job Boy and Deceptive Dialogue
A brief exchange shows a job vacancy reply from an employer insisting the candidate must be a truthful polite boy. The boy replies the job suits his cousin who is deaf and dumb. Scientists date Earth's crust at about 1.5 billion years ago with the interior formation earlier.
Plant Names Waco From Guaco Origin
A brief note explains that the guaco plant gave Waco Texas its name and marks a linguistic note on the town’s naming origin.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Waco. Tex
Oil production and wartime oil geopolitics in 1940
The article compares oil outputs of major nations including Iran, the United States, Russia, Venezuela, Germany and Romania, and notes how access to oil shapes wartime strategy. It cites 1940 production figures and highlights Japan's reliance on imports, highlighting global oil balances and strategic aims.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Iran
United States
Russia
Venezuela
Germany
Poland
Romania
Hungary
Italy
Japan
Netherlands Indies
Canada
Ottawa Journal
End to civilian inspections of troops urged by Ottawa Journal
The Ottawa Journal argues against civilian inspections of mobilized troops. It says the practice burdens soldiers, disrupts action readiness, and serves a single “big shot” rather than military efficiency, noting soldiers’ displeasure with midnight parades and lengthy speeches.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Ottawa Journal
Sir Jeremiah Colman Leaves Surrey Bench After 50 Years
Sir Jeremiah Colman retires from the Surrey Bench after five decades of service. He is the son of one of the two founders of the mustard firm and recalls his family’s fortunes tied to what remains on plates rather than what is eaten. He and his nine brothers were famed as Norfolk’s invincible eleven. Colman a cricket devotee has watched every Varsity match and visiting overseas teams for over 50 years and boasts a premier cricket picture collection.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Sir Jeremiah Colman
Surrey
Norfolk
Jeremiah
Canada hosts 37 museums and galleries employing full time staff
A factual note states that thirty seven Canadian museums and art galleries maintain full time employees. This figure reflects sector employment levels across cultural institutions in Canada.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Canada
Man Taller When Lying Down than Standing
A man appears taller when lying down than when standing due to the spine decompressing horizontally. The difference is explained by body posture causing a slight increase in apparent height during rest.
Malbrouck's Ballad Through Ages Of War and Song
An ancient tune linked to Malbrouck the Crusader and Marlborough follows its path from medieval battle dirges to royal lullabies in Versailles and Napoleon era jests. Napoleon lipsyncs the air at St Helena and Wellington soldiers repatriate it, making the tune a lasting roundelay for revellers.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Marie Antoinette
Versailles
Napoleon
Duke of Marlborough
Nieme
Russia
St Helena
Wellington
Waterloo
London
Ship Launchings and the Bottle Tradition
Naval Service recalls old ship launch customs in which a silver cup toasted the vessel’s health. The shift to champagne bottles caused costly accidents when a blast struck a spectator who sued. To prevent injuries the Admiralty ordered a lanyard to control bottle swing at launch.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Naval Service Headquarters
Navy
Admiralty
One Thing He Forgot At a London Station
An American arriving at a London station via the boat train had his luggage moved to a taxi. Trunks suitcases and wraps filled the rack until the taxi groaned. The driver eyed the fare and asked if that was all. The passenger muttered a guess of twenty. The driver remarked they would not let him be the Statue of Liberty with him.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Western Egg Shipments Surge in Prairie July August
In Canada the egg market shows abnormally high summer production with prairie receipts in July and August at record levels, reflecting sustained heavy shipments.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Canada
Prairie Provinces
Also Mentioned on This Page
Publisker
Hazel Parker
Ops
National War Services Department
N. MacLean
Winnipeg
Roosevelt
Elliott Roosevelt
D. W. Hutchinson
U.S. Army Air Corps
Athlone
Tobruk
Ladybird
Malbrouck
France
Palestine
Flanders
Alexander
Ture
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!