The English Language! A Conundrum. SCHOOL IS BACK! And that means students of all ages around the world are now in study mode. But here is my vent for the day. I’m very glad that English was my first language and I pity those who must learn or teach English. If you teach English, for
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Never a Dull August While forest fires rage in Canada and around the world, and the horror of war seems never-ending, let’s for a moment compare these horrific events with similar events in history. In the past, such events were of course more localized simply because people were not subjected to instant news through the
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From Bastard Son to King of England William the Conqueror When I was in France a few years ago, I visited Falaise and found the birthplace of the man who changed the history of England, always later referred to as William the Conqueror. The story of William’s birth goes this way. His father, Robert, Duke
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On This Day – June 2 Seventy-three years ago today, a young Princess was crowned Queen in London, England. In London, people filled the streets. Celebrations took place everywhere. Flags were hung; street parties were held. The war was far in the distant past and the second Golden Elizabethan Age was ahead. In the month
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Mothers Through History The word “mother” is used in many contexts today from nursery rhymes about “Mother Goose” or “Old Mother Hubbard” to the country of our birth known as our “motherland” or a rich vein in mining being the “mother lode.” And, of course, we all know “you can’t fool Mother Nature!” As we
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Who Was Catherine Hogarth? During her life, Catherine Hogarth was known by three names, but I doubt you would know two of them. She was born in 1815 in Scotland to Georgina and George Hogarth, but the family moved to London so her father could accept a new editing position with a magazine. Catherine had
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Black History Month February is Black History month when numerous events are held across Canada to honour and celebrate the contributions made by black people to this country. This year the theme is “Thirty Years of Black History: Honouring Black Brilliance Across Generations – From Nation Builders to Tomorrow’s Visionaries.” In 1926, historian Carter G.
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The Charismatic Hannah Maynard One of the most fascinating women in the history of British Columbia’s capital city was the matriarch of the Maynard family, Hannah Maynard. The Maynard family purchased a Cadboro Bay beach cabin from the Todd family in the 1880’s, where they were well known. Hannah, the matriarch of the family, an
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The Historical Importance of January! Even though January is usually a somewhat gloomy month, history shows us that it has been packed with some pivotal moments throughout time. Here are just a few. Queen Elizabeth 1 of England was crowned in January of 1859 and the first African American man, Barack Obama, became President of
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Christmas Day! I have frequently written about the significance of a special date in history and readers seem to enjoy hearing about the events that took place on a specific date. As we approach the Holiest of days, I thought it would be interesting to report some of the facts I have uncovered concerning Christmas
