By Alicia Bertrand, M.A. October 2022 Canadians LOVE Halloween. We love to dress up in our costumes, even if we have to wear our snowsuits underneath. Canadian adults love lining up in the rain or sleet to get into a bar to win “Best Costume” and flirt with Dracula, a Minion, or a zombie nurse.Continue reading “The History of Halloween in Canada“
Tag Archives: strange
Rebecca Cornell’s Death: How Elder Abuse, Ghosts, Guilt, and Legal Testimonies Mattered in 1673
By Alicia Bertrand, M.A. *Trigger Warning: this article deals with themes such as murder, elder abuse, suicide, and other difficult topics. There are few stories that encompass all of the topics I love: ghosts, family history, murder mysteries, and strange legal precedents. The story of Rebecca Cornell and her son Thomas embodies all of theseContinue reading “Rebecca Cornell’s Death: How Elder Abuse, Ghosts, Guilt, and Legal Testimonies Mattered in 1673”
History and Tax: Slayer of the Beast
Originally published on LinkedIn: November 4, 2019 In his 1898 “Curiosities of Popular Customs and of Rites, Ceremonies, Observances, and Miscellaneous Antiquities,”[1] William S. Walsh describes a tax that arose from the slaying of a wild boar. Between October 30th and November 7th each year, the parish residents of Chetwode, England owe the lord of theContinue reading “History and Tax: Slayer of the Beast”
History and Oddities: When Humans Attempted Flight
Photos from Undiscovered Scotland, and the Oshawa Museum. Originally published on LinkedIn: September 27, 2019 There are several stories throughout history that explore how humans have tried, and failed, to fly before the Wright brothers successfully soared. Here are two examples, one from Stirling Castle, Scotland in 1504 (or 1507 depending on the source), andContinue reading “History and Oddities: When Humans Attempted Flight”
Ancestry by Alicia 