Canadian history
September 5, 2026
The Halifax Explosion triggered the largest man-made explosion before the nuclear age.
On my walk at Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I visited the memorials remembering the victims and unidentified Catholic dead who perished when a collision of the Mont-Blanc and the Imo ships in Halifax harbour triggered the largest man-made explosion before the nuclear age. On December 6, 1917, a French cargo ship […]
January 11, 2026
The “Canadian caper” and brave diplomat, Kenneth Taylor
On my walk to the small but beautifully appointed chapel at the historic Necropolis Cemetery in Toronto, I stopped at the urn niche of diplomat Ken Taylor—whom Americans came to nickname the “Scarlet Pimpernel.” The name references the fictional hero Sir Percy Blakeney, the Scarlet Pimpernel, who used disguises and secret identities to rescue people […]
