Thanks, Canada, for All the Great Stuff
You probably didn’t know that many things we all use everyday were invented up in Canada. Here are some important Canadian inventions.
Tag: Canada
When Canadian Institutions Are American Obscurities
For Canada Day, here’s a look at some beloved Canadian things that are virtually unknown down in the United States.
5 of the Best April Fool’s Day Pranks of All Time
There’s an art to pranking, and throughout history, a few people and groups understood the assignment and staged some epic April Fools’ Day stunts.
That Almost Looks Like Baseball
It’s baseball season again, and everyone out there will be playing the same version of a sport that outlasted some wild variations.
Canadian Superheroes
Not all superheroes fight for the “American Way.” Here is the history of some Canadian superheroes from our newest title, Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Weird Canada.
JOHNNY CANUCK
The original Johnny Canuck appeared in newspaper editorial cartoons in the 1860s. A working-class, tall-tale hero in the mold of Paul Bunyan, he sometimes appeared as a lumberjack, at other times as a farmer or a rancher. In 1942, in answer to the war and to the comics ban, the character received a reboot and was resurrected as a Nazi-fighting aviator and secret agent by 16-year-old Leo Bulche, who got the job after a chance encounter with the owner of Dime Comics. Later still, the lumberjack version of Johnny Canuck was adopted as the logo for the Vancouver Canucks, and he occasionally makes appearances on their uniforms on “retro nights.”
CAPTAIN CANUCK
Over the years, Captain Canuck has been the secret identity of three different Canadian secret agents: Tom Evans, Darren Oak, and David Semple. He wears a red-and-white costume based on the Canadian Flag, with a red Maple leaf on his forehead.
WOLVERINE
Wolverine was born in Alberta in the 1880s to the wife of a wealthy farmer and a groundskeeper named Logan, with whom she had an affair. Wolverine is a mutant who has retractable claws and regenerative powers that keep him from aging. In the late-20th century, Wolverine was a part of Canada’s Weapon X program, where his memories were wiped out and he had adamantium fused onto his bones, making him even stronger. A member of Marvel’s X-Men, Wolverine is regularly voted one of the most popular superheroes in the world.
Happy Canada Day 2013!
Here is a special nod to our friends north of the border. May you have a fantastic Canada Day. There is no better way to celebrate than to learn more about Canada. Here is a story from Uncle John’s Fast-Acting, Long-Lasting Bathroom Reader.
Happy Canada Day!
Hey BRI fans in the Lower 48 – if you love the dirt, leaves, air, water, food, beer, animals (people included!), and all the other little things that make up the great nation of Canada – from the “trees on rocks” in Newfoundland to the trees and trees and trees and fog on the British Columbian coast – and everything in between (and up Nunavut, too) – stand up, face yourself North, and proudly proclaim it: “Happy Canada Day, Canada! Here’s to you, dang it!”
P.S. To BRI fans in Alaska, Hawaii, territories and such, and in every other country in the world, please adjust the direction in “face yourself north” as necessary.
And everybody sang…
Canada Day
Although the Bathroom Reader is a U.S. production, we have had for many, many years an unexplainably huge amount of fans in Canada. All we can ever think of to say about that is…this.
