Canada Fun Fact #7 – The United States Once Tried to Invade Canada!
Some background information
In 1812, Britain was at war with France. The United States, which was less than 50 years old, was trading with the French across the Atlantic Ocean. This annoyed the British, so they tried to stop American ships on the way to France. This annoyed the Americans, so they declared war on Britain in June 1812. As part of that war, the U.S. decided to try and hurt the British by invading the British colonies in North America.
The U.S. really tried to invade Canada?
Technically, Canada was not a country in 1812. At that time there were a handful of British colonies in the area that is now Canada. Around the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, there were two colonies called the Canadas: Upper Canada (now the province of Ontario) and Lower Canada (now the province of Quebec). The St. Lawrence River was the only way the British could bring supplies to the Canadas, and to the British military stationed there. If the Americans could hurt this supply route, they could control the Canadas.
So, why isn’t Canada part of the U.S. now?
There were about 400,000 people living in Upper and Lower Canada. Most of them were actually Americans who had left the US during the Revolutionary War because they were loyal to the British. Others had come north because of the cheap land and low taxes. The U.S. thought that the people in the Canadas would welcome the US military as friends, but that didn’t happen! The citizens of the Canadas fought together with the British military and bands of Native Americans against the U.S. military.
The war dragged on for 2 1/2 years and there were small victories for both the British and the Americans. For example, the Americans burned Toronto and the government buildings located there (Toronto was the capital of Upper Canada), so the British burned down the White House in Washington. In the end, the war was a draw. It ended with the signing of the treaty on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) in 1814.
Who won?
The Canadians say they “won” because they fought off the American invasion. The Americans say they “won” because they won a few victories at sea against the mighty British navy (the most powerful navy in the world at that time), and the British say they “won” because they succeeded in temporarily ruining the American economy (by stopping the Americans from trading across the Atlantic).
Interesting historical information
The United States did not gain any land in Canada, but they did get a new national anthem! Francis Scott Key wrote the words to the Star-Spangled Banner (the American national anthem) in 1814. He was inspired when he saw the American flag flying above a fort in Maryland that was being attacked by British.
To read more Canada Fun Facts, click here!
Sources:
http://www2.macleans.ca/2011/10/11/damn-yankees
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/98-187-x/4151287-eng.htm
Canada Fun Fact #6 – Canada Post Helps Santa Claus Answer All His Letters!
Address:
Santa Claus
North Pole
H0H 0H0
Did you ever write a letter to Santa when you were a kid? What did you ask him for?
Every year on Christmas Eve, Santa Claus travels around the world in his sleigh pulled by reindeer, delivering presents to children everywhere!
Before Christmas, kids can write a letter to Santa telling him what they want for Christmas! They should tell him if they have been naughty or nice (and apologize if they have been naughty and promise to do better), and tell him what they would like for Christmas. Santa and his Postal Elves answer each and every letter sent to him.
In reality, the ‘Postal Elves’ are 11,000 active and retired Canada Post workers who volunteer their time. Every year, they answer over 1 million letters sent to Santa at the North Pole! Since Canada is a bilingual country, kids can send their letters in English or French!
The postal code is H0H 0H0 – because the sound that Santa makes is written as “Ho Ho Ho!”
The national postal service, Canada Post, also has a special section on its website called “Santa’s Corner.” Kids can print out their own holiday paper to write their letters on. In keeping with the times, kids can also email Santa now too!
Vocabulary
the North Pole
= the northernmost point on earth; where Santa Claus lives!
a return address
= when you send a letter, you must include your own address someone on the letter, so that it can be returned to you if it can’t be delivered
a postal code
= all addresses in Canada include a series of letters and numbers called a postal code. It helps the post office sort the mail faster
to answer a letter
= to reply to a letter that someone wrote to you
Canada Fun Fact #5: When William becomes King of England, Kate Middleton will be Queen of Canada!
Many countries around the world have a President as their head of state and a Prime Minister as the head of government. In some countries, the President is more powerful than the Prime Minister, while in other countries the Prime Minister is more powerful.
In Canada, we don’t have a President. Our head of state is the Queen of England! Her representative in Canada is called the Governor General, though this person is mainly a figurehead.
In the 18th century, thirteen colonies in British America fought a revolutionary war against the British and united to form their own country, the United States of America. The other colonies and territories in North America (including what is now Canada) remained part of the British Empire.
In 1867, the country of Canada was created by the British Parliament. The last British colony in North America joined Canada in 1949. Though still part of the British Empire, Canada was largely autonomous. It wasn’t until 1982 that all dependence on the British finally ended. We remain part of the British Commonwealth.
The royal family visits Canada often and is always warmly received! So, whenever William and Kate become King and Queen of England, they will be King and Queen of Canada, too!
Vocabulary
a figurehead
= a leader who has no real power; in Canada the Prime Minister is elected by the people and chooses the Governor General
autonomous
= independent, make decisions by yourself (person), govern yourself (country), though you are part of a larger organization or group
warmly received
= welcomed in a friendly and caring way
Canada Fun Fact #4 – We Remember When Alanis Morissette Was a Teenage Dance-pop Singer Called ‘Alanis’! (video included)
When Alanis was 11 years old, she was on a Canadian sketch-comedy TV show called “You Can’t Do That on Television.” (You can watch some clips of the show on YouTube!)
While she was still a teenager, Alanis moved into music. She had big curly hair and called herself just ‘Alanis.’ She recorded two albums that were released only in Canada and won a Juno Award [Canadian music award] for ‘Most Promising Female Artist.’
Here is 17-year-old Alanis singing her most popular dance-pop song “Too Hot”:
(* The logo in the corner of the video is from MuchMusic, Canada’s music video TV station.)
Then she disappeared for a couple of years and no one knew what happened to her! All of sudden, she burst back onto the scene in 1995 with her blockbuster album Jagged Little Pill. This was a very different Alanis! Her album Jagged Little Pill was considered her ‘debut’ album because her previous two albums were only released in Canada, while Jagged Little Pill was released worldwide. Jagged Little Pill has sold well over 30 million copies and to this day it remains the best-selling debut album by a female artist worldwide in music history.
Vocabulary:
a sketch-comedy TV show
…she was on a Canadian sketch-comedy TV show
= think ‘Saturday Night Live;’ a sketch-comedy show is one with several comedy skits, each only 1-3 minutes long, with several comedic actors
to release an album
She recorded two albums that were released in Canada.
= when an artist releases an album, it is made available to the public to buy.
a logo
The logo in the corner is from MuchMusic, Canada’s music TV station.
= a symbol used to represent a company or other organization
to burst onto the scene
…she burst back onto the scene in 1995…
= she suddenly appeared in the public spotlight; before to this, no one outside of Canada knew who she was
debut
Her album Jagged Little Pill was considered her ‘debut’ album…
= the first of something done in public: an appearance, an album, a new product etc.
Sources
Alanis Morissette’s Official website
Alanis Morissette on imdb
‘You Can’t Do That on Television’ on imdb
Canada Fun Fact #3 – The Beaver is Our National Animal…and We Eat Beaver Tails!
We don’t eat real beaver tails! A ‘beaver tail’ is a fried dough pastry flattened to look like a beaver tail! It was invented in 1978 by a Canadian company. The Beaver Tail stand (like the one in the second picture below) is at every Canadian festival and celebration!
This is what a beaver tail looks like:
It is delicious! You eat it while it’s still hot, and you can put all sorts of toppings on it: icing sugar, cinnamon, chocolate, fruit, etc.
When American president Obama visited Ottawa (the capital of Canada), he made a special trip to the local Byward Market just to try a beaver tail!
The Beaver
The beaver is the national symbol of Canada because it was an important part of Canadian history. European explorers sailed west across the Atlantic looking for another way to get to the East Indies and the spices that were plentiful there. When the explorers landed in North America, they didn’t find spices, but they found something just as lucrative: fur! The fur trade was extremely important to the development of Canada.
Beaver fur became sought-after in Europe as it was used to make hats and coats. Beaver glands were also used in medicines and perfumes. It was the demand for more fur that encouraged Europeans to explore the northern part of the continent…the part that eventually became Canada! European merchants traded with Native Americans for more fur.
Expressions with ‘beaver’
Beavers are known to be hard-working animals. They inspired two common expressions in English:
She’s as busy as a beaver! (=someone who is busy because they work hard!)
Wow! You’re at work early today. You must be an eager beaver! (someone who is hard-working and enthusiastic)
Also, in American slang ‘beaver’ refers to a woman’s ‘private parts’ (her vagina)! This is considered crude and is only used by young North American males.
Vocabulary:
dough
= a mixture of water, flour, sugar + other ingredients used to bake cookies, cakes and other sweet desserts
plentiful
= available in large amounts
lucrative
= something that makes a lot of money
sought-after
= wanted by a many people, usually because it’s expensive or hard to get.
glands
= small organs in your body that produce various liquid chemical substances
crude
= rude and offensive
Sources:
Beaver (Wikipedia)
A brief history of the beaver
Beaver Tails Inc.
Beaver tail pastry (Wikipedia)
Leave a Reply