-
The First Canadian Contingent sailed from Québec City for England. The largest convoy ever to cross the Atlantic, it comprised over 31,000 troops aboard 31 ocean liners escorted by Royal Navy warships. Also sailing in this convoy was a contingent from the British Dominion of Newfoundland, which was still separate from Canada at that time. -
Life in the trenches was very difficult because they were dirty and flooded in bad weather. Many of the trenches also had pests living in them, including rats, lice, and frogs. Rats in particular were a problem and ate soldier’s food as well as the actual soldiers while they slept. Many soldiers living in the trenches suffered from Trench Foot. Rain and bad weather would flood the trenches making them boggy, muddy, and could even block weapons and make it hard to move in battle. -
On Easter Monday, four Canadian divisions and one British brigade captured Vimy Ridge, near Arras, France, with a loss of 3578 killed and 7000 wounded. It was a brilliant victory for the Canadians, who sensed a new national awareness091917 -
At Halifax, the French munitions ship Mont Blanc collided with the Belgian relief ship Imo. The resulting explosion, the largest before the advent of the atomic bomb, killed more than 1,600 people and injured 9,000 in Canada's worst disaster. -
Women in the 1920s started playing sports and got involved in politics. They also got the right to vote. But During the 1920s, women became more involved in society than they had been before. Although they earned only half what men made, women participated in the work force and by 1929 made up 20 percent of its numbers. They generally worked as secretaries, sales clerks, factory workers, teachers or nurses. -
No beer, no vodka, no rum, no fun. Prohibition in the 1920’s was nation wide when the 18th Amendment went into effect. On January 16, 1920 the United States officially had a ban on the sale, consumption, and creation of all alcoholic beverages. Citizens of the United States, especially women, had been pushing for prohibition since before WW1. However, the war kind of got the temperance movement put on hold. No matter what the intention was, people didn’t like being told that they couldn’t drink. -
Seven Toronto-based artists, frustrated with the conservatism of Canadian art, exhibit their work as the Group of Seven. Their interpretations of the Canadian landscape gain international attention and create a new artistic vision in Canada. -
The collapse of the American stock market began the Great Depression, which ravaged the Canadian economy during the “Dirty Thirties.” Life is especially harsh in the Prairies, where drought worsens conditions. The crisis inspires the creation of social welfare programs.