Tom Longboat was an Onondaga long-distance runner whose name, Gagwe:gih, meant “Everything.” Running away from the Mohawk Institute Residential School in Brantford, Ontario in 1900, he continued running his whole life. Despite the racism he faced as an Indigenous athlete, Tom won many races, including his record-breaking win at the 1907 Boston Marathon, making him a household name. As the story goes, while serving as a Dispatch Carrier during the First World War, an Officer he was escorting struggled to keep up and complained, “Who do you think I am? Tom Longboat?”—Tom replied, “No, Sir… I am” and continued to run. Tom Longboat was one of the most celebrated athletes of the early 20th century and has inspired generations of athletes.
For more information on Tom Longboat, Visit The Canadian Encyclopedia.
She oversaw Canada’s production of Hawker Hurricane aircrafts at the Canadian Car & Foundry factory during the Second World War. Hawker Hurricanes were one of the main fighters flown by Canadian and Allied airmen in the Battle of Britain. This Heritage Minute follows Elsie MacGill in her role as chief engineer overseeing the production of these instrumental aircrafts.
For more information about Elsie MacGill, please visit The Canadian Encyclopedia.
Told through the eyes of Canadian Lieutenant Wilf Gildersleeve of the Seaforth Highlanders and of Marguerite Blaisse, a Dutch civilian, this Heritage Minute commemorates the sacrifice of Canadians who fought and celebrates the bond formed between Canada and the Netherlands.
D-Day, as this day would become known, was the largest amphibious invasion of all time, led to the liberation of France, and marked the beginning of the end of the Second World War. This Heritage Minute tells the story of 47-year-old Major Archie MacNaughton, a First World War veteran and leader of the North Shore New Brunswick Regiment’s A Company. Our story is a tribute to the Canadian soldiers who fought on D-Day – ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge, during the First World War, is Canada's most celebrated military victory — an often mythologized symbol of the birth of Canadian national pride and awareness. The four divisions of the Canadian Corps, fighting together for the first time, attacked the ridge from 9 to 12 April, 1917 and captured it from the German army. It was the largest territorial advance of any Allied force to that point in the war – but it would mean little to the outcome of the conflict. More than 10,500 Canadians were killed and wounded in the assault. Today an iconic white memorial atop the ridge honours the 11,285 Canadians killed in France throughout the war who have no known graves.
