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The first case of the Spanish Flu was reported in Kansas. It began in 1918 and infected nearly 1/3 of the world’s population claiming an estimated 20 - 50 million lives. There was no cure or vaccine for this virus which made it more terrifying. People wore masks and many buildings were converted into morgues. No one knows the origin of the flu. -
The Winnipeg general strike is one of the most famous worker strikes in Canadian history. Over 30,000 people advocated for their rights and it caused a violent government crackdown. It also stopped business in Winnipeg. -
Bloody Saturday was a violent government crackdown on protesting workers during the Winnipeg General Strike. 2 people died during this conflict and it injured another 27. -
Prohibition in Canada is the ban on alcohol. This had different dates for different provinces. As a result this created more organized crime, smuggling, and was the birth of famous gangsters such as Al Capone who capitalized on this prohibition. -
The Ford Motor Company of Canada was a huge corporation. At least half of the cars in North America were Model-T's. It was phased out in 1927 and began people's obsession's with cars. The assembly line was the method that cars were produced. Each person completing a specific task rather than working on one item from start to finish. This was found to be more efficient for mass production. -
Jazz music in Canada was very popular. It was new and exciting. People accompanied this music with partying, drinking and dancing. Influences of jazz music still are around today as well as jazz music itself. -
Radio in the 1920's was introduced as a form of entertainment. Families would gather around the radio and listen to broadcasts much as they do today with television or movies. The fact that this was in the home made it very popular and the influx of money in society made it much easier for people to afford these devices for leisure. -
Insulin was discovered by a Canadian named Banting and is used to treat diabetes. Prior to this, many people who were diagnosed with diabetes were not expected to live more than a year. -
Foster William Hewitt was a famous Canadian Hockey broadcaster. He was a radio personality that many people treated as the voice of hockey. -
The Chinese Exclusion Act was introduced on July 1, 19923 and was a discriminatory and racist method to exclude Chinese people from coming into Canada despite the invaluable use of their labour in the creation of much of Canada's West coast railway infrastructure. Today, many Chinese immigrants refer to this day as "Humiliation Day". -
The Great Depression was a period of economic disruption for the people of Canada and much of the world. During this time, many Canadians lost their jobs and savings. On a positive note, this also prompted social welfare reform. -
Black Tuesday was a notable day in history where the stock market "crashed" leaving many people to lose their wealth. It remains one of the largest stock exchange crashes in history. -
Prime Minister King gave a speech that stated that he would not give Conservative run provincial governments a five-cent piece for unemployment support. This tactic was used to coerce voters to vote liberal. However, this had the opposite effect. -
A Bennett Buggy is a modification to a vehicle as a result of high gas prices and economic disparity. People would take the engine out of their car and use the body and wheels as a buggy, drawn by horse. -
The New Deal was an economic policy to defeat the great depression and support the recovery of the economy developed by US president Roosevelt. Canada copied this plan under PM Bennett, with similar policies for Canadian citizens.