Wednesday, February 24, 2010

The greatest Canadians who may have never ice-danced


That's not an Olympic event, but don't stop rowing.

After this post, history is history.

Since my Canadian history post was the most popular I've ever written at one comment (about Oprah) and standing - ha! - I figured I'd follow it up with my list of 10 great Canadians you should be legally obligated to know before being able to enjoy and/or cheer on Team Canada at the Olympics.

All are taught and forgotten in Canadian high school and, as far as I know, none has ever ice danced, skeletoned, or speed skated. If only we could build a time machine...
  • Samuel de Champlain (1567) - the famous governor of New France. But what has he done for us lately?
  • James Wolfe (1727) - as dead as he was victorious in battle. The beginning of English rule in Canada.
  • William Lyon Mackenzie (1795) - Toronto's first in a long line of crappy mayors. Oh yeah: he also led the 1837 rebellions. Try that, David Miller.
  • Louis Riel (1844) - Manitoba's founder, leader of the Métis, and the reason that RRC students now have a reading week.
  • Wilfred Laurier (1841) - my favorite dude named Wilfred! The first French-Canadian PM.
  • Mackenzie King (1874) - the longest-serving Canadian PM and the king of the Mackenzies!
  • Pierre Trudeau (1919) - said the f word in the House, did a pirouette behind Queen Elizabeth, and dated Lois Lane.

1 comment:

  1. If Louis-Joseph de Montcalm and James Wolfe could have just put their differences aside, they'd have made a killer ice dance team back in the day!

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