32) The Impact of History: Canadians and North Americans have experienced many notable events during the past 80 years, including:
- Canada’s declaration of war on Germany in Sept., 1939;
- the Japanese bombing of U.S. ships in Pearl Harbour in Dec. 1941
- the death of King George VI and the ascension to the throne of his 25-year old daughter Elizabeth in Feb. 1952;
- the assassination of American president John Kennedy in Nov. 1963
- the adoption of the Canadian “Maple Leaf” flag in January 1965
- Canada celebrates the 100th anniversary of Confederation—July 01, 1967
- the arrival in Canada of Vietnamese refugees (50,000 “boat people”)—1979
- Terry Fox’s “Marathon of Hope” run ends in Thunder Bay—April 1980
- start of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)—Jan. 1994
- Quebec referendum on sovereignty-association—Oct. 30, 1995
- “9 / 11”—terrorist attacks on World Trade Centre in New York and elsewhere—Sept. 11, 2001
- Canada welcomes 25,000 Syrian refugees—Nov. 2015-Feb. 2016
- Canada celebrates the 150th anniversary of Confederation—July 01, 2017
- advent of COVID-19 pandemic—March 2020
These are just a few of the major historic events we may recall. With a bit of effort, likely we can recall others equally notable.
- What do you recall of any of these events?
- Where were you at the time of each event? How did you first hear the news?
- How have any of these events affected your life?
- What other events in your region, country or in the world have had a notable impact on you?