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That was also one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind: The flight into space of Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin in the French language press of Québec, 12-15 April 1961, Part 2

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Apr 18, 2021
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By: Rénald Fortier
Ingenium – Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin and Charles Augustus Lindbergh. The caption of these photographs mentions the striking resemblance between these important people in the world of astronautics and aeronautics. Anon., “Lancement du premier homme dans l’espace – Comment se sont déroulés les événements en Union soviétique.” La Tribune, 13 April 1961, 24.
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin and Charles Augustus Lindbergh. The caption of these photographs mentions the striking resemblance between them. Anon., “Lancement du premier homme dans l’espace.” La Tribune, 13 April 1961, 24.

Welcome aboard, my reading friend. I hope you will like this second part of our article on Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin’s space flight as seen in the French-speaking Québec press in April 1961.

Would you believe that the editorial writers of some major Québec dailies commented on the flight of the first Homo sapiens to travel in space? If you have no objection, let us start with the one which appeared in the 13 April issue of La Presse, a major daily in Montréal, Québec. The text written by a prominent journalist and columnist had a shocking headline, in translation: “Man’s dreadful victory. “

“Fabulous! Awesome! Fantastic!,” everyone exclaimed, pointed out Roger Champoux, in translation.

Russian science has just achieved the most overwhelming feat in the history of mankind and in front of the “worm” which inhabits planet Earth, a thousand new abysses are opening up that it will now have the audacity to explore given that a young man of 27, Yuri Gagarin, dared the incredible adventure and succeeded.

This being said (typed?),

[the] Russian triumph offers something insane because we are now entitled to dare everything, to launch into the abyss and to affirm, this time believing it, that nothing is impossible for man. […] Who can now claim that we will not get to know the Martians provided they exist.

Champoux then continued his remarks in another direction, again in translation: “A mystery surrounds the feat of Gagarin aboard the ‘Vostok,’ however.” Indeed, a rumour circulated from 9 April according to which the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) had launched a man into space. On 12 April, a spectacular ceremony in Moscow was canceled at the very last moment, stated Champoux. What was going on?

Some people wondered if, in fact, a first launch had not taken place [on 8 or 9 April], resulted in failure and that then Gagarin would have been the second human to offer his life on the altar of glory. He succeeded. The other... will we ever know… even his name?

Would you believe that this legend according to which Gagarin was not the first Homo sapiens to go to space is still making the rounds in the blogosphere in 2021? I am not joking. In April 1961, a British populist conservative daily, Daily Sketch, claimed that the Soviet cosmonaut in question, Gennady Mikhailov, did not survive the trip.

According to a recent non-Russian version of the legend, it was a certain Vladimir Sergeyevich Ilyushin who orbited the Earth 3 times on 7 April before crashing in China. This civilian test pilot survived the crash but was seriously injured. Ilyushin not being presentable to the Soviet public, assuming that the Chinese government agreed to return him home in time, someone suggested placing in front of the cameras the very photogenic Gagarin, who may very well never have set foot in space. The mind boggles.

Many Homo sapiens believe in some very strange things, from the flatness of the Earth to the presence of intelligent life on that planet, but back to our editorial.

And you have a question, don’t you, my reading friend? Let me guess. Are Mikhailov and Ilyushin fictional characters? If Ilyushin was a very real excellent test pilot, the fact is Mikhailov never existed. Now back to our editorial.

The political prestige and scientific advance acquired by the USSR following Gagarin’s flight were immense, to say the least, Champoux argued. The United States proved to be good losers, and researchers around the world had to humbly beg their Soviet colleagues to give them access to their information. In Champoux’s words, in translation, “[science] has become too gigantic a power to serve only a nation. Sharing is our only safeguard.“

Since the discovery of fire, the earthling believed he had everything. Now he is violating the secret of space, heading probably towards the sun, dares to disturb “the eternal silence of these infinite spaces” which so terrified [the French theologian, physicist, philosopher, moralist, mathematician and inventor Blaise] Pascal… and all this to own what?

Peace? Happiness? The answer, this time again, rests only with God.

The 13 April issue of La Presse also contained the first of a series of 4 articles written by (scientific?) journalist Roland Prévost and entitled “Dans le sillage de Gagarine:”

- 13 April - “Que trouvera l’homme dans l’espace?“

- 14 April - “Sur les routes célestes, cailloux et poussière”

- 17 April - “Obstacle : rayons invisibles”

- 18 April - “Pourquoi risquer des fortunes et des humains dans l’exploration spatiale”

Also on 13 April, the editorialist of Le Soleil, the main daily in Québec, Québec, in a text entitled “Un homme dans l’espace,” demonstrated real sobriety. “The Russians have just recorded another scientific success,” he said at the outset, in translation. No more. “That this feat could have happened indicates to what an incredible degree of development science is now at.” A slightly impertinent comment if I may. The success of Gagarin’s journey may owe more to technology than to science, but let’s move on.

“For the Soviet Union,” the editorialist continued, “this is both a scientific [sic] and psychological success. […] The Russians get a new halo of scientific glory by sending their first man into space.” Better yet, some are talking about launching a probe to Venus.

From a psychological point of view, it is obvious that the Soviet people feel great national pride in seeing their country thus lead the world in space research; the regime is all the more strengthened internally and sees its prestige increase outside its borders. This is certainly one aspect of the question that the leaders of the USSR do not forget to consider.

The editorialist of Le Soleil ended his editorial on a somewhat lyrical note: “It is literally a new world, a new America, coming before us. How much will this knowledge transform our traditional concepts, what effects will it have on humanity? “

An editorial cartoon by Raoul Hunter, one of the most famous and respected Québec / Canadian cartoonists of his time and a gentleman mentioned in an October 2020 issue of our blog / bulletin / thingee, can be found on the same page as the editorial discussed in the previous paragraphs.

Raoul Hunter, “–.” Le Soleil, 13 April 1961, 4.

Raoul Hunter, “–.” Le Soleil, 13 April 1961, 4.

I have to admit that the caption of the drawing, in translation, “Next time it’s a woman…,” leaves me a little / a lot uncomfortable.

If I may, the very subject of a drawing in the series “Drôle de jour,” by Berthio, whose real name was Roland Berthiaume, a well-known Québec cartoonist, published in the 15 April issues of La Presse also leaves me a little / a lot uncomfortable. I mean, the first woman in space?

Berthio, “Drôle de jour.” La Presse, 15 April 1961, 2.

Berthio, “Drôle de jour.” La Presse, 15 April 1961, 2.

In La Tribune, the French-language daily in Sherbrooke, Québec, the homecity of yours truly, the editorial of 13 April used a title which was certainly original, if somewhat inaccurate: “Le baron de Münchhausen n’est plus un mythe.” And no, said baron was not a fictional character. Nay. Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Münchhausen was born in May 1720, in a territory that is now part of Germany.

This cavalryman related his adventures, each more extraordinary than the last, to a polymath born in the same territory which is now part of Germany. Riddled with debt and on the run for selling objects from the cabinet of curiosities and medals of a prince reigning in a territory that is now part of Germany, a cabinet of which he was the curator (!), Rudolf Erich Raspe published anonymously, in 1785, a novel inspired in part by von Münchhausen’s stories, Baron Munchausen’s Narrative of his Marvelous Travels and Campaigns in Russia.

Von Münchhausen was very unhappy to see his life thus placed in the public square, but the fact was / is that the book became very popular (8 editions between 1785 and 1799!) – a popularity that cannot be denied in 2021.

Unfortunately, Von Münchhausen did not make a penny from the success of the many editions in English, French, German, Russian, etc. of his crazy adventures. He died ruined in February 1797, at the age of 76. Raspe, for his part, died in November 1794, at the age of 58, without having benefited from the international success of his work.

Eager to stress that “the achievement of the Soviet Union leaves no one indifferent,” the La Tribune editorialist began his remarks forcefully: “This is the event of the century, some said; this is the breaking of the universe, affirmed others, it is the logical outcome of the launching of the first artificial satellite, some concluded.” In fact, affirmed this same editorialist, the world had awaited the launch of a being human in space for several months.

While Gagarin’s flight “no longer surprises anyone,” its consequences were no less profound. “The notions learned about the sidereal universe are slowly falling apart. The very conception of man is changing.” Mankind, the columnist emphasised, was no longer entirely a prisoner of the Earth. “Undoubtedly, space travel for the mass of the population is not yet for tomorrow, but what has been accomplished so far points to even more astonishing developments.”

An interesting detail, if only for yours truly, La Tribune published 2 photographs of important people in the world of astronautics and aeronautics. And yes, my reading friend, it is indeed these photographs which are at the beginning of this second part of our article on Gagarin.

Gagarin and the first secretary of the central committee of the Kommunisticheskaya Partiya Sovetskogo Soyuza, Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev, Vnukovo international airport. Anon., “Défi pacifique de ‘K’ aux États-Unis – Moscou fait un triomphal accueil à Gagarine.” La Presse, 14 April 1961, last edition, 24.

Gagarin and the first secretary of the central committee of the Kommunisticheskaya Partiya Sovetskogo Soyuza, Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev, Vnukovo international airport. Anon., “Défi pacifique de ‘K’ aux États-Unis – Moscou fait un triomphal accueil à Gagarine.” La Presse, 14 April 1961, last edition, 24.

Having published an editorial on Gagarin’s flight on 13 April the management of La Presse did not believe it necessary to publish a second. The last edition of the 14 April of the Montréal daily, however, offers its readers a photograph showing Gagarin with the first secretary of the central committee of the Kommunisticheskaya Partiya Sovetskogo Soyuza, that is the Communist Party of the USSR, Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev. This character was keen to be clearly visible during the celebrations surrounding the triumphal arrival in Moscow of the cosmonaut on 14 April.

In fact, Mr. K, as Khrushchev was often called, was present at Vnukovo international airport, where the Ilyushin Il-18 airliner of Aeroflot, the Soviet air carrier, which was carrying Gagarin, landed.

And yes, this type of airliner, one of the most successful Soviet airliners if you have to know, was designed by the experimental design office led by Sergei Vladimirovich Ilyushin, one of the great aircraft designers of the 20th century and daddy of the aforementioned Ilyushin.

Would you believe that the lace of Gagarin’s right shoe was undone as he walked, very seriously, as if butter would not melt in his mouth, towards the podium where a Khrushchev overflowing with joy and pride awaited him? Would you believe that said lace apparently remained clearly visible when the cosmonaut’s arrival was broadcasted, on television and / or in cinemas in the USSR, a country where even the blades of grass in official photos had to be well aligned, brushed and cut? The presence of said lace humanised Gagarin and it was apparently for this reason that the Soviet propaganda experts decided not to make it disappear.

If I may be permitted a comment, Gagarin apparently knew very well that his lace was undone and he very much hoped, dare I say that he implored the heavens, not to get tripped by said lace, in front of Khrushchev and other senior members of the Kommunisticheskaya Partiya Sovetskogo Soyuza, in front of his wife, children and parents, and in front of the huge enthusiastic crowd and the Soviet and foreign photographers and cameramen who were at the airport.

Mind you, the last edition of the 14 April issue of La Presse also features an untitled drawing by illustrator and cartoonist Pierre Dorion. Said drawing accompanied an international press review on the “victory of human intelligence” which was the flight of Gagarin

A drawing suggesting Gagarin’s journey around the Earth. Paul Dorion, “Une victoire de l’intelligence humaine.” La Presse, 14 April 1961, 4.

Now let us see what Le Soleil had to say about Gagarin that same 14 April. First, it should be noted that it published a wider version of the photo showing Gagarin and Khrushchev.

This issue also included an article entitled “L’art et le cosmos.” Its author, the Québec painter Claude Picher, was ex-director of exhibitions (1951-58) at the Musée de la province du Québec, today’s Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec, in Québec, the city of course, and representative (1958-1961) at the National Gallery of Canada, in Ottawa, Ontario.

The style of said text might be a bit surprising, both in French and in translation.

The launch of the first man into space arouses various reactions: the scientist exults, the onlooker is amazed, the imbecile, after an ah! of astonishment, continues as yesterday to sell his pickles, the philosopher is worried, the artist wonders if his painting, his novel or his oboe sonata will still touch the man who saw the Earth from so far away and who is about to land on the Moon!

If I may be permitted a slightly impertinent comment, in 1961, and in 2021 for that matter, it was / is in a small part the taxes paid by imbeciles who sold / sell pickles, in other words members of the working class, like my parents, who paid / pay the salaries and pensions of museum employees. Anyway, let’s move on – and back to Gagarin’s flight.

This is an extraordinary feat and also an extraordinarily unnecessary one. The day is not far off when man and a whole menagerie will endlessly circle the globe, a turtle, snake or elephant poop reminding us from time to time of their presence, like a postcard.

Will this new dimension add something to man, will it make him feel his pettiness, will it make him ashamed of his small intellectual baggage, will it instill in him a desire to surpass himself? We can doubt it. The achievement of this man and the degree of science it assumes are already written in a class book ready to be memorised, such as the date of the invention of gunpowder. No later than today, the same gossip is muddling the phone lines, profiteers are dumping their bad wares, and preparations for war continue. A man saw the world as a whole and we still wonder if we should admit China!

By the way, it was not until October 1971 that China became a member of the United Nations Organization, after 20 unsuccessful votes between 1949 and that date. The United States played a crucial role in these repeated failures.

Interestingly, in a paragraph where he wondered where art was going to stand given the “dizzying and unnerving progress of science,” Picher offered the following words: “Will sculptors announce statues made in clay from the Sea of ​​Tranquility?” Why is that interesting, you ask, my reading friend? Why?! Imbecile pickle seller! Sorry, sorry.

This being said (typed?), don’t you know that it was in Mare Tranquillitatis that 2 American gentlemen mentioned several times in our you know what since June 2019, Neil Alden Armstrong and Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin, Junior, treaded this lunar soil where the hand of man had never set foot, in July 1969? But back to Picher’s text.

The more science goes forward, the more the idea of ​​progress in art, of its liberation from themes of old human background, becomes ridiculous, unthinkable!

Gagarin having traveled into space, many predictions of science fiction works published since the 19th century were partly fulfilled, if not partly outdated. We will no longer be able to read them as before, their poetry having disappeared.

This being said (typed?), all was not lost, Picher believed.

Imagined in every imaginable world, experienced in rocket metal, the natural functions of men, love and others, will not change, however, and will continue to inspire the great works of the mind. In that sense, every time a human is happy or crying, it is newer and more important than the fastest alien travel.

From great prehistoric works to [Vincent van] Gogh, from Madame Bovary to the Condition humaine, from [Ludwig von] Beethoven to [Modest Petrovich] Moussorgsky, there has been no progress in emotion and this magnificent absence of progress is perhaps the greatest originality of art. So will always amaze me, before they bother me for good, these boring musicians sticking soundtracks end to end, overlaying them, cutting them up; these painters spitting on their canvases, spatulating for no reason, making buttons with cake molds, seeking inspiration by looking at hairs under a microscope and believing to live the cosmic adventure of Yuri Gagarin, while the novelty, the cosmos for the artist are contained in this man who turns the corner of a street with his hidden emotions.

The 14 April issue of the daily Le Progrès du Saguenay, in Chicoutimi, Québec, contained an editorial titled “Exploit merveilleux, mais inquiétant.” If J.G. (Jean Guy?) Lamontagne readily acknowledged, in translation, that “[all] the universe [sic] bows before the exploit which Russia has just accomplished,” the fact was that “[this] marvelous exploit illustrates more than any other the power of man to whom God himself granted the power to dominate matter and conquer spaces, in order to assert himself the true king of creation.”

This being said (typed?), Lamontagne did not hide his concern. “Let us do our act of humility. Democracies have just received a terrible shock. It is no coincidence that Russia, the dictatorship of dictatorships, outdid all countries deemed to be free.” The Soviet government being in fact absolute master in matters of economy, education, research and of application of said works, of human lives itself, in the USSR, its superiority in the conquest of space is undeniable.

“This same superiority, Russia will be able to resort to, at any moment and without prior notice, the day it wants to turn against us the forces of destruction which it knows how to dominate and exploit better than any other nation.”

Two brief comments if I may.

One. As despotic as the USSR was in 1961, it was not the USSR under Josif Vissarionovitch “Koba” Stalin, born Ioseb Jughashvili. It was not National Socialist Germany under Adolf Hitler either.

Two. Unless I am mistaken, the USSR and United States had about 10 and 57 intercontinental ballistic missiles, respectively, in 1961, a ratio of 1 to 5.7. The United States’ (thermo)nuclear arsenal exceeded a little bit that of the USSR in 1961: around 2 470 (thermo) nuclear weapons for the latter and around 22 230 for the United States. United, a ratio of 1 to 9. With respect, of the 2 superpowers, which one knew how to dominate and exploit the forces of destruction better than any other nation? Anyway, let us move on.

Lamontagne forged ahead by pointing out that, even if no head of government pushed The Button,

a simple miscalculation could cause the worst disaster. God has granted man the power to build and destroy, to the point of destroying himself and the entire universe that he inhabits.

Let us pay homage to the Creator of the victories won by the human genius of which he is the author, and let us ask him to guide the brain and hand of man so that the forces at his disposal never turn against him.

And no, I do not believe that humans can destroy the universe. At least not yet.

The 14 April issue of L’Action catholique, a daily in Québec, the city of course, also contained an editorial. There was also a block of 3 photographs, a “Synthèse d’un exploit scientifique.”

Gagarin, an American map showing his route and a sectional view of his space capsule. Anon., “Synthèse d’un exploit scientifique – Nikita Khrouchtchev embrasse Yuri Gagarin [sic].” L’Action catholique, 14 April 1961, 1.

And yes, my eagle-eyed reading friend, the space capsule visible in the photograph above had nothing to do with the one that flew into space in April 1961. It was indeed a cutaway view of an American McDonnell Mercury space capsule, but back to the editorial in L’Action catholique.

Frankly, I wonder if this is really an editorial. The text in question, very positive it should be noted, was nevertheless on page 4, with an editorial by Louis-Philippe Roy, a doctor who became a journalist for the love of this profession. Also written by Roy, it is entitled “Glanures – Un homme dans l’espace” – a mini editorial perhaps?

One should rejoice about this experience because, like so many others, it testifies to the intellectual capacity of man, a creature of God to whom we must ultimately pay homage.

Moreover, if science can accomplish such great feats it is because there is an order in nature, it is that the stars obey laws set by the Creator and accessible to the human mind.

It remained to be seen why the USSR managed to outdo the United States.

It is because in Soviet Russia, scientists are no longer free, they are conscripted and well paid. So instead of seeing a necessarily limited team of volunteers devoting themselves to such or such particular research, all the scientists of the country are mobilised for the same cause. All other things being equal, the odds are obviously on the side of the numbers in this area.

The main thing is that this new conquest turns in favor of bringing peoples together, in favour of peace, to the glory of God.

While the 14 April issue of the newspaper Le Nouvelliste in Trois-Rivières, Québec, did not contain an editorial, it did contain a large photograph of Gagarin.

Gagarin shortly after his return to Earth. Anon., “De retour de l’espace – Gagarine raconte son voyage.” Le Nouvelliste, 14 April 1961, 1.

The 15 April issue of Le Soleil, on the other hand, featured, on its penultimate page, a photograph of a tiny part of the huge, delirious crowd that flocked to Red Square in Moscow to cheer Gagarin. Said square had not received such a multitude since the defeat of National Socialist Germany in May 1945. This issue of the Québec daily also contained a poor quality photograph of Gagarin kissing his wife shortly after his arrival at Vnukovo international airport.

Muscovites among many who celebrated Gagarin’s robbery. Anon., “La Russie accueille le premier voyageur de l’espace au monde.” Le Soleil, 15 April 1961, 49.

Gagarin kissing his wife, Vnukovo international airport. Anon., “La Russie accueille le premier voyageur de l’espace au monde.” Le Soleil, 15 April 1961, 49.

The rapid disappearance of Gagarin’s historic journey from the front pages of major Québec dailies may come as a surprise, given the extent of the coverage these same newspapers had given to the launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik I.

This being said (typed?), the editors of these publications had to take into account what was happening in Québec and elsewhere.

Let us mention, for example, the prosecution on 10 April of Tomasz Biernacki, a brilliant Polish engineer specialising in hydroelectricity on internship at Surveyer, Nenniger and Chênevert Incorporée in Montréal. The head of the mechanical engineering department of this engineering firm mentioned in a December 2019 issue of our blog / bulletin / thingee was accused of spying on behalf of an unidentified country. Released on bail in May, he was re-arrested just moments later. Biernacki was released on bail a second time, in June.

A well-known Montréal criminal lawyer brilliantly defended him. In January 1962, a bolt out of the blue, the judge responded to Joseph Cohen’s request to dismiss his client’s privileged indictment, an approach used by the crown to skip the preliminary investigation stage. Biernacki was released without going to trial. Informed by a representative of the federal government that it believed him guilty, regardless of the judge’s decision, the Polish engineer returned to Poland even before the end of the month.

A brief, actually not that much, digression if I may. Approached in 1958-59 by the Polish internal and external security service, the Służba Bezpieczeństwa (SB), Biernacki agreed, in the weeks preceding his arrival in Montréal, to acquire information of a scientific and technical nature on subjects unknown to this writer, as well as personal information about the Polish community in Canada. He obviously left alone, his wife and children remaining in Poland to ensure his loyalty.

When questioned after his arrest by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which had obviously searched his home, Biernacki wasted no time in confessing. In fact, he revealed (all?) the details of his activities. Better yet, Biernacki revealed the location and time of an upcoming meeting with an SB representative in Canada. The latter, a professional spy if ever there was one, escaped the ambush set by the RCMP. Well aware that Biernacki, an amateur spy if there was one, had spilled the beans, the Polish government nevertheless decided to defray the costs of his defence.

Interestingly, Biernacki may have been one of the spies and moles exposed by the Polish military intelligence agent Michał Goloniewski, whom the Central Intelligence Agency had smuggled into West Germany in January 1961.

The failure of Biernacki’s espionage mission, described in great detail by the latter during his debriefing in Poland, did not appear to be detrimental to his career. Professor at the Politechnika Gdańska from around 1965, he held the post of rector of this polytechnic school between 1975 and 1978. Biernacki was also undersecretary of state at the ministry of Science, Higher Education and Technology between 1978 and 1981. He died in May 1989, at the age of 65, but I digress.

Another event hit the headlines in April 1961. Indeed, who could forget the start of the trial of one of the architects of the Holocaust, Otto Adolf Eichmann, on 11 April, in Israel? Found guilty, this all too ordinary monster was executed in May 1962.

Let us not forget either the debate surrounding the stranglehold of the Roman catholic church on the education system of Québec, a stranglehold denounced by more and more people, after the defeat of the party long led by the (too?) conservative Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis, a character mentioned in several / many issues of our blog / bulletin / thingee since January 2018, and the coming to power of the stupendous team led by Jean Lesage, a gentleman mentioned in several / many issues of this same publication since July 2018, during the general elections of June 1960.

One only needs to think of a very scathing work published anonymously in September 1960 by Brother Pierre-Jérôme, a brother teacher, scholar, go-getter and good storyteller born Jean-Paul Desbiens. At a time when a book selling 10 000 copies was a bestseller, Les insolences du Frère Untel, in English The Impertinences of Brother Anonymous, sold over 100 000 copies. Desbiens denounced the archaic education system in Québec as well as the fear-based Catholicism practiced in the province. The Québec Catholic hierarchy burned with rage. Mind you, the Surintendant de l’Instruction publique, Omer Jules Desaulniers, for whom the education system of Québec was the best in the world, was probably not happy either.

Identified shortly after the publication of his book, Desbiens was sent, dare I say exiled, to Rome, in 1961, where he was placed under close surveillance. He undertook a doctorate in Switzerland in September 1962, again under close surveillance, but returned to Québec in 1964. The very first minister of Education of Québec, Paul Gérin-Lajoie, made Desbiens one of his principal advisers, and…

Let me guess, my reading friend, you have a question. How is it that, before the 1960s, Québec did not have a ministry of education? A good question. While a Département de l’Instruction publique had been operating since 1875, it was above all a management body which reported to the Secrétariat de la province de Québec, a sort of Interior ministry with fingers in many pies.

Before the creation of the Ministère de l’Éducation, in 1964, the real decisions concerning the education of the vast majority of the population of Québec, the catholic population, were in fact taken during the meetings of the Comité catholique of the Conseil de l’instruction publique, an organisation whose members, obviously not elected, were the very conservative catholic bishops of Québec and an equal number of lay people who were not known for their liberalism either, but back to our story.

An event with even more serious consequences occupied the front pages of Québec dailies from mid-April: an invasion of Cuba or, more precisely, an air attack, on 15 April and a landing on the 17th, launched by Cuban exiles supported by the administration headed by president John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Said invasion, known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion (Invasión de bahía de Cochinos), turned out to be a total failure. Denounced by many countries around the world, it seriously embarrassed both the American president and the United States.

As positive as Kennedy’s memory may be in 2021, the fact is that he was indeed a Cold War president. He was not particularly interested in the exploration of space. His promise to make a trip to the moon before the end of the 1960s was not meant to be a giant leap for mankind. He simply wanted to add to the prestige of the United States and diminish the prestige of the USSR.

Have a good week, my reading friend, and do not forget to keep your feet on the ground.

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Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin Youri Alekseïevitch Gagarine Vostok
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Rénald Fortier

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It was born a rambling plane, trying to make a living and doing the best it could: The fascinating story of the Reid / Curtiss-Reid Rambler, Canada’s first light / private plane, part 1

The SAGEM CU-161 Sperwer of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum after one of its uneventful landings in Afghanistan. David Pugliese, “Faulty drones risk lives: troops.” Ottawa Citizen, 29 August 2007, 10.

Canada’s introduction to a deadly game of drones: An all too brief look at the Canadian career of the SAGEM Sperwer tactical unpiloted aerial vehicle, part 3

The first SAGEM CU-161 Sperwer tactical unpiloted aerial vehicle operated by the Canadian Forces, near Kabul, Afghanistan, November 2003. Anon., “Drones canadiens utilisés en Afghanistan.” La Presse, 19 mars 2006, A 5.

Canada’s introduction to a deadly game of drones: An all too brief look at the Canadian career of the SAGEM Sperwer tactical unpiloted aerial vehicle, part 2

A view of a generic / typical SAGEM Sperwer tactical unpiloted aerial vehicle. Chris Wattie, “Army buys spy drones for Afghan mission.” National Post, 8 August 2003, 4.

Canada’s introduction to a deadly game of drones: An all too brief look at the Canadian career of the SAGEM Sperwer tactical unpiloted aerial vehicle, part 1

The first miniature Cadillac as it was driven in London, England, by an unidentified office boy working at F.S. Bennett Limited. British & Colonial Kinematograph Company Limited, The Smallest Car in the Largest City in the World, 1913.

A prince and his Cadillac; or, How Prince Olav of house Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, heir to the throne of Norway, got his first jalopy – with information on other miniature Cadillacs, part 2

A lilliputian Cadillacs which might be the one mentioned in the title of this article, 1912-13. Anon., “La plus petite voiturette automobile au monde.” La Science et la Vie, August 1913, 275.

A prince and his Cadillac; or, How Prince Olav of house Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, heir to the throne of Norway, got his first jalopy – with information on other miniature Cadillacs, part 1

André-Georges Lafitte’s arrival in Dijon, France, June 1990. A.-G. Lafitte, “Un membre de l’I.F.N. traverse l’Atlantique Nord en U.L.M.” Navigation, October 1991, 559.

The Pélican brief: The fascinating history of one of the founding pillars of the Québec ultralight aircraft industry, Ultravia Aéro Incorporée, Part 2

A typical Ultravia Pélican ultralight aircraft on floats. The absence of a registration is worth noting. Anon., “Amateurs – ULM ou avions?” Aviation magazine international, 1 August 1983, 37.

The Pélican brief: The fascinating history of one of the founding pillars of the Québec ultralight aircraft industry, Ultravia Aéro Incorporée, Part 1

A map of the cranberry bog of Les Producteurs de Québec Limitée of Lemieux, Québec. Luc Bureau, “Un exemple d’adaptation de l’agriculture à des conditions écologiques en apparence hostiles: L’Atocatière de Lemieux,” Cahiers de géographie du Québec, December 1970, 389.

“A sea serpent without affidavit, is like roast turkey without cranberry sauce;” Or, how the Larocque family created the first cranberry bog in Québec, part 3

Some of the buildings on the cranberry bog operated by Les Producteurs de Québec Limitée of Lemieux, Québec. Pierre-Arthur Dorion. “La plus importante plantation d’atocas au pays.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, July 1955, 11.

“A sea serpent without affidavit, is like roast turkey without cranberry sauce;” Or, how the Larocque family created the first cranberry bog in Québec, part 2

Charles Larocque, manager of Les Producteurs de Québec Limitée of Lemieux, Québec, showing how to pick up cranberries, on the left, as well as fallen fruits floating in water. Arthur Prévost, « À Lemieux, au Québec, prospère la culture des ‘juteux atacas.’ » Photo-Journal, 23 July 1953, 33.

“A sea serpent without affidavit, is like roast turkey without cranberry sauce;” Or, how the Larocque family created the first cranberry bog in Québec, part 1

A serious looking Lawrence Niles Swank points out the initial impact point of the meteorite which had hit his automobile near Crawfordsville, Indiana, October 1930. Anon., “Projectile céleste.” Le Petit Journal, 2 July 1933, 22.

“A difficult target for a meteoric sharpshooter from interplanetary space” – The incredible story of a Indiana teenager, Lawrence Niles Swank, whose automobile was hammered by a meteorite

The aerostatic railway / balloon railway proposed by Friedrich Volderauer. Salvatore Pannizzi, “Mountain Railways.” The Wide World Magazine, July 1898, 304.

The world’s most scenic railway journeys, hosted by you know who – Season 7, Episode 7 – The Aerostatischen Bahn / Luftballon-Eisenbahn of Friedrich Volderauer

A typical advertisement of the Berlin Brewery of Berlin, Ontario. Anon., “Lion Brewery.” The Canadian Courier, 6 June 1908, 17.

From a Lion Brewery in Waterloo to a Ranger Brewing in Kitchener, and more: A brief look at the history of a somewhat forgotten Ontario brewery

Junior Lieutenant Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, in the centre of the photograph, at the Fifth World Congress of Women, Moscow, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, June 1963. RIA “Novosti,” 612179.

“Russia launches a… ‘cosmonette’” Another brief look at how the francophone press of Québec covered an aspect of the Soviet space program, in this case the journey into space of Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, part 2

Junior lieutenant Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova in street clothes and space clothes. Anon., “Un 3e Russe dans l’espace? Il irait rejoindre le couple qui s’y trouve.” La Presse, 17 June 1963, 1.

“Russia launches a… ‘cosmonette’” Another brief look at how the francophone press of Québec covered an aspect of the Soviet space program, in this case the journey into space of Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, part 1

The Tupolev Tu-104 jet-powered airliner operated by Aeroflot which took part in British Columbia’s Centennial air show, Uplands Airport, Ontario. Don Brown, “Aerial Display Ready.” The Ottawa Citizen, 13 June 1958, 39.

“It taxis along the ground with all the ease of an arthritic stork,” Or, A brief look at the brief presence at British Columbia’s Centennial air show of an Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-104 jet-powered airliner, part 2

The Tupolev Tu-104 jet-powered airliner operated by Aeroflot which took part in British Columbia’s Centennial air show, held at Vancouver International Airport, Richmond, British Columbia. Anon., “–.” The Sunday Sun, 14 June 1958, 25.

“It taxis along the ground with all the ease of an arthritic stork,” Or, A brief look at the brief presence at British Columbia’s Centennial air show of an Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-104 jet-powered airliner, part 1

The sternwheeler river boat SS Klondike at an early stage of its journey to Whiskey Flats South, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Anon., “Sidewalk Supers Size Up Sternwheeler.” Whitehorse Star, 23 June 1966, 1.

As the world, err, as the wheel turns; Or, How / why SS Klondike, a cargo-carrying sternwheeler river boat briefly used for river cruises, became one of Parks Canada’s 1,004 national historic sites, part 3

Passengers of the Canadian sternwheeler river boat SS Klondike watch as their ship was about to cross a narrow passage of the Yukon River, at the Five Finger Rapids, Yukon Territory. David Willock, “There’s Tourist Gold in the Yukon.” The Ottawa Citizen – Weekend Magazine, 25 June 1955, 18.

As the world, err, as the wheel turns; Or, How / why SS Klondike, a cargo-carrying sternwheeler river boat briefly used for river cruises, became one of Parks Canada’s 1,004 national historic sites, part 2

An abandoned and beached workhorse faced with an uncertain future, the Canadian sternwheeler river boat SS Klondike, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Anon., “Yukon River Boats.” The Calgary Herald, 5 May 1958, 1.

As the world, err, as the wheel turns; Or, How / why SS Klondike, a cargo-carrying sternwheeler river boat briefly used for river cruises, became one of Parks Canada’s 1,004 national historic sites, part 1

A smiling Mrs. Élie Fortin of Montmagny, Québec, accepting the bicycle won by her daughter, Michèle Fortin, in a contest organised by Dulac Potato Chips Incorporated of Sainte-Marie, Québec. Anon., “–.” Le Peuple, 10 May 1963, 10.

A great lady who never let go of the potato: Anne Marie Harmonia Hallé and the Dulac potato chips saga

The first page of the comic strip Julien Gagnon. Rémy, “Julien Gagnon.” Le Petit Journal, magazine section, 16 May 1948, 18.

The great adventure of a fictional Québec pilot and amateur spy hunter who confronted an equally fictional Communist bad hombre at the dawn of a very real Cold War: The Julien Gagnon comic strip by Rémy / Normand Hudon

The Loman 225 all-terrain vehicle on display at the Salon camping, chasse et pêche 73, Montréal, Québec. Anon., “Pédalo ‘Fun Cycle’ – Une réponse à un rêve…” La Patrie, 1 April 1973, 23.

Four wheels for all seasons: The all-terrain vehicles of Loman Incorporée of Richelieu, Québec

The one and only Rohr M.O.1 Midnight Oiler before the installation of its definitive nose section and forward horizontal stabiliser, Chula Vista, California. Anon., “Private Flying – ‘Midnight Oiler’ Radical Design Lightplane is Built by Rohr.” Aviation News, 1 July 1946, 15.

Burning the midnight oil to reach for the sky and roar: The all too brief saga of the Rohr M.O.1 Midnight Oiler light / private plane

Various aspects of the activities surrounding the launch of the ice railway between Longueuil, Québec, and Hochelaga / Montréal, Québec. Anon., “Montreal – Incidents at the opening of the ice railway bridge.” Canadian Illustrated News, 14 February 1880, 104.

Hauling freight on thin ice: The ice bridge railway between Longueuil, Québec, and Hochelaga / Montréal, Québec, Part 2

The gaily decorated W.H. Pangman locomotive and the flat cars it towed during the first crossing of the Saint Lawrence River between Hochelaga / Montréal, Québec, and Longueuil, Québec, January 1880. R. Richou, “Un chemin de fer sur la glace.” La Nature, 28 April 1883, 349.

Hauling freight on thin ice: The ice bridge railway between Longueuil, Québec, and Hochelaga / Montréal, Québec, Part 1

Ahh, ice cream, the cause of and solution to all of life’s problems. I do wonder if this young boy knew he was actually eating mellorine. Anon., “De la crème glacée synthétique.” Photo-Journal, 16 April 1953, 3.

Do they or do they not buy some? Only their grocer knows for sure: A brief look at a lower-cost imitation of ice cream sometimes known as mellorine

A typical T.K. Bellis Turtle Company Limited advertisement. Anon., “T.K. Bellis Turtle Company Limited.” The Graphic, 8 January 1898, 64.

Ransacking nature and building up a fortune by satisfying the cravings of a selfish elite; Or, How an industry dominated by T.K. Bellis Turtle Company Limited of London, England, nearly obliterated a true marvel of the sea, Part 2

Thomas Kerrison Bellis, in other words the Turtle King. Anon., “Good Stories for All – Turtle King of England is a Powerful Ruler.” The Boston Daily Globe, 17 March 1898. 8.

Ransacking nature and building up a fortune by satisfying the cravings of a selfish elite; Or, How an industry dominated by T.K. Bellis Turtle Company Limited of London, England, nearly obliterated a true marvel of the sea, Part 1

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 piloted by Second Lieutenant Franciszek Jarecki, Rønne airfield, Rønne, Denmark. Jarecki is the gentleman marked by an arrow. Anon., “Undamaged Red Jet in NATO Hands.” The Gazette, 7 March 1953, 2.

A flight for freedom which pierced the Iron Curtain; or, The day Second Lieutenant Franciszek Jarecki escaped from Poland aboard a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 jet fighter

Four of the main characters of the what could well be Canada’s first SF television series, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Space Command. Anon., “Space Command Is Not Run-Of-Mill ‘Opera.’” The Ottawa Citizen, 26 December 1953, 14.

“Challenging the stars themselves”: An infinitesimal look at what could well be Canada’s first science fiction television series, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Space Command

The prototype of the Astro Kinetics Aero Kinetic Lift, Houston, Texas. Anon., “Aircraft and Powerplants – Crane version of ‘flying saucer’ projected in U.S.A.” The Aeroplane and Commercial Aviation News, 7 March 1963, 24.

“Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a Texan flying saucer!” Astro Kinetics Corporation of Houston, Texas, and its unique looking vertical take off landing aircraft

James Bertram Blackmon (on the right, of course) talking about his rocket with the host of the very popular American daily news and talk television show Today, David Cunningham Garroway, New York City, New York. Anon., “Jimmy on TV Show.” The Charlotte Observer, 1 December 1956, 2.

An American whiz kid at the dawn of the Space Age who became a professor at the Propulsion Research Center of the University of Alabama in Huntsville: James Bertram Blackmon, this is your life, Part 2

James Bertram “Jim / Jimmy” Blackmon and his homemade rocket, Charlotte, North Carolina, July 1956. Irwin Hersey, “Aid for basement rocketeers.” Astronautics, February 1958, 25.

An American whiz kid at the dawn of the Space Age who became a professor at the Propulsion Research Center of the University of Alabama in Huntsville: James Bertram Blackmon, this is your life, Part 1

The Canadair Silver Star of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Ontario, June 2005. This aircraft was flown by the Red Knight, the solo aerobatic pilot of the Royal Canadian Air Force, in 1961-64. Alain Rioux, via Wikimedia.

It really kept going and going and going: A brief look at the Canadian career of the Lockheed / Canadair Silver Star jet trainer, part 2

Canada’s Minister of National Defence, Brooke Claxton, left, during the taking of possession of the first Canadian-made Lockheed T-33 Silver Star jet trainer, Cartierville, Québec. Anon., “M. Claxton reçoit le premier réacté T-33 fabriqué ici.” La Patrie, 13 February 1953, 1.

It really kept going and going and going: A brief look at the Canadian career of the Lockheed / Canadair Silver Star jet trainer, part 1

The thirty or so Mexican peasants who helped clear the Bacubirito meteorite, not far from Bacubirito, Mexico, 1902. N. Rosst, “La grande météorite de ‘Bacubirito’ (Mexique).” La Nature, 14 February 1903, 173.

A blaze in the northern skies and a cinder of sidereal fire: The Bacubirito meteorite

A Woolery Machine Company runway de-icing device in action at Cologne-Wahn airport, Cologne, West Germany. Anon., “Ancillary Review – Flame-throwing – On Ice.” The Aeroplane and Commercial Aviation News, 28 February 1963, 29.

Come on, PB, light my fire. Try to set the ice on fire: A peek at the American firm Woolery Machine Company and some of its ideas and products

A promoter of Sure Food, the food chemist James Pearson (right), at the facility of Wentworth Canning Company Limited of Hamilton, Ontario. Anon., “La viande, synthétique, produit canadien, pourrait sauver de la famine les peuples affamés d’Europe.” Photo-Journal, 5 February 1948, 3.

“It smells like meat. It even looks like meat.” The long forgotten tale of a synthetic meat / meat substitute / meat analogue / meat alternative / imitation meat sometimes called Sure Food

The Junkers Ju 52 bushplane registered as CF-ARM of Canadian Airways Limited of Montréal, Québec, Manuan Lake, Québec, August or September 1940. CASM, 13469.

Old bushplanes never die, they just fade away: A few lines, all right, many lines on the remarkable career of a Junkers Ju 52 “flying box car” named CF-ARM, part 3

The Junkers Ju 52 bushplane registered as CF-ARM of Canadian Airways Limited of Montréal, Québec, under repair, Arviat, Nunavut (Eskimo Point, Northwest Territories), September 1932. CASM, 1208.

Old bushplanes never die, they just fade away: A few lines, all right, many lines on the remarkable career of a Junkers Ju 52 “flying box car” named CF-ARM, part 2

The Junkers Ju 52 bushplane registered as CF-ARM of Canadian Airways Limited of Montréal, Québec. Anon., “Pionnier des transports lourds dans le nord du Canada, le ‘Cargo volant’ a fini sa carrière.” Photo-Journal, 29 January 1948, 2.

Old bushplanes never die, they just fade away: A few lines, all right, many lines on the remarkable career of a Junkers Ju 52 “flying box car” named CF-ARM, part 1

Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Sergeant Bob Electro caught in the act of saluting the commanding officer of RCAF Station Clinton, Group Captain John Gordon Mathieson, Clinton, Ontario. Anon., “Six-Year-Old Sergeant.” The North Bay Nugget, 7 January 1963, 15.

Dōmo arigatō, gunsō Electro, mata au hi made: The electronic adventures of Royal Canadian Air Force / Canadian Armed Forces Sergeant Bob Electro

A very appropriate piece of equipment given the season, well, the season which affects the northern part of the northern hemisphere of planet Earth, the domestic / home snowblower of Autocanner Registered of Montréal, Québec. Anon., “–.” Montréal-Matin, 9 January 1948, 6.

“Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!” The Blo-All domestic / home snowblower of Autocanner Registered of Montréal, Québec

The 10-inch flight impact simulator of the National Research Council of Canada at some point during its long career, Uplands / Ottawa, Ontario. NRC.

A great Canadian success story you should know about: A brief look at the National Research Council of Canada flight impact simulators donated to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Part 3

The 3.75- / 3.5-inch flight impact simulator of the National Research Council of Canada at some point during its long career, Uplands / Ottawa, Ontario. NRC.

A great Canadian success story you should know about: A brief look at the National Research Council of Canada flight impact simulators donated to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Part 2

The 10-inch flight impact simulator of the National Research Council of Canada at some point during its long career, Uplands / Ottawa, Ontario. NRC.

A great Canadian success story you should know about: A brief look at the National Research Council of Canada flight impact simulators donated to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Part 1

A typical wild and free bullfrog. John J. Brice, editor, A Manual of Fish-Culture: Based on the Methods of the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, with Chapters on the Cultivation of Oysters and Frogs (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1897), 258.

“Is a frog game or fish? There is the rub.” A brief look at the history of ranaculture in Canada and Québec, Part 4

A typical advertisement of Giant Frog & Sea Food Limited of Montréal, Québec. Anon., “Giant Frog & Sea Food Limited. La Patrie, 18 October 1952, 53.

“Is a frog game or fish? There is the rub.” A brief look at the history of ranaculture in Canada and Québec, Part 3

Three of the innumerable American bullfrogs found on the frog farm of Harold Lee, Casitas Springs, California. Anon., “Nature – Frog Farm.” Pix, 6 January 1951, 30.

“Is a frog game or fish? There is the rub.” A brief look at the history of ranaculture in Canada and Québec, Part 2

A typical advertisement of Canadian Frog’s Industries Company of Montréal, Québec. Anon., “Canadian Frog’s Industries Company.” La Patrie, 16 November 1952, 86.

“Is a frog game or fish? There is the rub.” A brief look at the history of ranaculture in Canada and Québec, Part 1

An editorial cartoon which reflected the reaction of many Americans following the launch of Sputnik 2. John Milt Morris, “Our own non-fly doghouse.” The Nome Nugget, 8 November 1957, 2.

Three Days of the Sputnik; or, “Radio-Moscow admits that the dog revolving around the earth in the satellite will never return”: Laika, Sputnik 2 and the daily press of Québec, part 3

A replica of Sputnik 2, Tsentral’nyy Dom Aviatsii i Kosmonavtiki DOSAAF Rossíi, Moscow, April 2021. Krasnyy via Wikipedia.

Three Days of the Sputnik; or, “Radio-Moscow admits that the dog revolving around the earth in the satellite will never return”: Laika, Sputnik 2 and the daily press of Québec, part 2

The first official portrait of Laika to be released by the Soviet authorities. This photograph was originally published in the Moscow daily Pravda. Anon., “More Sputnik Dogs Due Before Humans Go Up.” The Evening Star, 13 November 1957, 6.

Three Days of the Sputnik; or, “Radio-Moscow admits that the dog revolving around the earth in the satellite will never return”: Laika, Sputnik 2 and the daily press of Québec, part 1

The (single seat?) biplane designed by Canadian Aircraft Works (Incorporated? Limited? Registered?) of Montréal / Coteau Rouge, Québec, January 1915. Gustave Pollien might be at the controls. CASM, 1134.

A terrific trio active during the early days of aviation in Québec: Ernest Anctil, Gustave Pollien and Percival Hall Reid, part 3

The biplane made by Gustave Pollien (left) and Ernest Anctil, Cartierville, Québec. Anon., “L’aviation chez nous – Un jeune aviateur canadien-français, Ernest Anctil, vole avec succès sur un biplan construit au pays.” La Presse, 27 September 1912, 1.

A terrific trio active during the early days of aviation in Québec: Ernest Anctil, Gustave Pollien and Percival Hall Reid, part 2

The biplane fabricated by Ernest Anctil (on the left in the lower photograph) and Gustave Pollien, Cartierville, Québec. Anon., “The first Montreal-made biplane.” The Standard, 5 October 1912, 4.

A terrific trio active during the early days of aviation in Québec: Ernest Anctil, Gustave Pollien and Percival Hall Reid, part 1

Louis Victor Jules Vierne (3rd from left), composer and organist of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral at the keyboard of the Coupleux Givelet electronic organ, Poste Parisien radio station, Paris, France. Anon., “L’orgue des ondes du ‘Poste parisien’ est inauguré.” Le Petit Parisien, 27 October 1932, 1.

The melodious saga of two French pioneers of electronic music who deserve to be better known: Joseph Armand Marie Givelet and Édouard Éloy Coupleux

Artist’s impression of the Canadian satellite Alouette in orbit above Canada. National Film Board, Photostory 288: Canadian Scientists Keep Pace with Space, NFB62-5961.

Alouette, gentille alouette, Alouette, je te lancerai; Or, How the Cold War propelled Canada into space via the Alouette satellite, part 3

The Thor-Agena rocket which put the Canadian satellite Alouette into orbit, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Anon., “Alouette’ Working Perfectly – First Canadian Satellite in Orbit.” The Montreal Star, 29 September 1962, 1.

Alouette, gentille alouette, Alouette, je te lancerai; Or, How the Cold War propelled Canada into space via the Alouette satellite, part 2

Two of the engineers who made the Alouette satellite a success: Colin A. Franklin (left) and John N. Barry, Ottawa, Ontario. Anon., “Many ‘Firsts’ for Canadian Satellite – Alouette Sports New Space Advances.” The Montreal Star, 22 September 1962, 43.

Alouette, gentille alouette, Alouette, je te lancerai; Or, How the Cold War propelled Canada into space via the Alouette satellite, part 1

Approximate view of the area in which the solar eclipse of 31 August 1932 could be observed in its totality (main image), or not (right-side column). Anon. “Mighty Workings of Tomorrow’s Eclipse.” Sherbrooke Daily Record, 30 August 1932, 1.

“We all pray for a cloudless day:” The solar eclipse of 31 August 1932 in Québec, part 3

Some of the eminent British researchers en route to Canada to observe the total solar eclipse of 31 August 1932. Anon., “Le ciel québécois et les astronomes. La Presse, 29 July 1932, 9.

“We all pray for a cloudless day:” The solar eclipse of 31 August 1932 in Québec, part 2

The solar eclipse of 31 August 1932 as it could be observed in its totality, from a country road in Maine. Anon., “Souvenir d’éclipse.” La Presse – Magazine illustré, 24 September 1932, 9.

“We all pray for a cloudless day:” The solar eclipse of 31 August 1932 in Québec, part 1

The Manicouagan Reservoir, also known as the Eye of Québec, as photographed from space by the Sentinel 2-A satellite of the European Space Agency’s Copernicus Programme, January 2017. https://scihub.copernicus.eu/ via Wikimedia.

Sic itur ad astra: Several observations on the stellar career of Canadian astronomer Carlyle Smith Beals, part 2

Carlyle Smith Beals, Dominion Astronomer. Raymond Taillefer, “Tant qu’il y aura des étoiles – L’observatoire fédéral assure au Canada un brillant rôle scientifique.” Le Droit, 2 August 1947, 1.

Sic itur ad astra: Several observations on the stellar career of Canadian astronomer Carlyle Smith Beals, part 1

The prototype of the Canadian de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver bushplane on display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Ontario. CASM, deHavilland DHC-2 Beaver-005.

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Beaver, happy birthday to you: An all too brief look at a Canadian icon, the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver bushplane, part 2

The prototype of the Canadian de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver bushplane on the day of its first flight, Downsview, Ontario, August 1947. CASM, KM-08317.

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Beaver, happy birthday to you: An all too brief look at a Canadian icon, the de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver bushplane, part 1

The Shell By-Plane X 100 Astroterramare of Professor Septimus Urge (far right), Pleasure Gardens of the Festival of Britain, Battersea Park, London, England. Anon., “New British Jet Unique, but Not Matchless.” Aviation Week, 18 August 1952, 44.

Heath Robinson / Rube Goldberg machines that Heath Robinson and “Rube” Goldberg themselves would have approved of; Or, The wonderful world of Frederick Rowland Emett and his things

Rachel Marie-Louise Clément, born Guillot, salting Madame Clément camembert cheeses produced by Laiterie R.A. Clément (Enregistrée? Incorporée? Limitée?), McMasterville or Beloeil, Québec. Anon., “Fromages du Québec.” Photo-Journal, 28 August 1952, 33.

“If I had a hundred lives, I would start again the adventure of the camembert:” The delicious Québec saga of the Clément family and its cheeses

An artist’s impression of the airship designed by Québec modeler, sculptor, stonemason or worker Louis N. Filion. Anon., “Le secret de la direction des ballons est-il réellement détenu par un Canadien-français?” La Patrie, 26 July 1902, 19.

In 1902, was the secret of steering dirigible balloons held by Quebecer Louis N. Filion? That is for me to know and you to find out

A typical advertisement of the Bamboo Cycle Company Limited of London, England. Anon., “Bamboo Cycle Company Limited.” The Graphic, 31 July 1897, 179.

“Should anyone be in doubt my advice is Buy a Bamboo:” A few pages on Bamboo Cycle Company Limited of London, England

An American test firing of a Douglas M31 Honest John short range unguided ground to ground rocket. Anon., “Engins et missiles.” Aviation Magazine, 1 June 1959, 155.

It might not have changed history but would certainly have changed the geography: A brief yet frightening look at the Douglas M31 and M50 / MGR-1 Honest John short range unguided ground to ground rockets, part 2

A team of the Canadian Army’s Royal Canadian Artillery training on a Douglas M31 Honest John short range unguided ground to ground rocket of the United States Army, Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Anon., “Rocket Training.” Sherbrooke Daily Record, 13 July 1957, 1.

It might not have changed history but would certainly have changed the geography: A brief yet frightening look at the Douglas M31 and M50 / MGR-1 Honest John short range unguided ground to ground rockets, part 1

A Frisco Soda Water Company of Montréal, Québec, advertisement for the Salvador beer brewed by Reinhardt ‘Salvador’ Brewery Limited of Toronto, Ontario. Anon., “Frisco Soda Water Company.” The Montreal Daily Star, 5 July 1912, 5.

A tale of two Reinhardts; or, A brief look at two long gone and forgotten Canadian breweries

Kenneth Albert Arnold, in the centre, with two other pilots who claimed they had had seen unidentified flying objects, namely Emil J. Smith, on the left, and Ralph Stevens. Anon., “Pilotes qui virent des soucoupes volantes.” Le Soleil, 8 July 1947, 1.

“Everyone has seen the flying saucers, except journalists:” The first sightings of unidentified flying objects / unidentified aerial phenomena in the province of Québec, 24 June to 19 July 1947, part 2

Kenneth Albert Arnold. Anon., “Boise Airman Positive He Didn’t See Ordinary Craft Reflections.” The Idaho Daily Statesman, 28 June 1947, 9.

“Everyone has seen the flying saucers, except journalists:” The first sightings of unidentified flying objects / unidentified aerial phenomena in the province of Québec, 24 June to 19 July 1947, part 1

A typical advertisement for a product offered by O-Pee-Chee Gum Company of London, Ontario. Anon., “O-Pee-Chee Gum Company.” The Aylmer Express, 6 June 1912, 5.

“Chew Chew Chew Chew Your Bubble Gum:” The sweet old times of O-Pee-Chee Gum Company Limited of London, Ontario

Advertisement for the Isetta manufactured by Isetta of Great Britain Limited. Anon., “City Motors Limited.” The Gazette, 21 November 1957, 2.

A look under the hood of one of the symbols of the West German economic miracle of the 1950s; or, The multifaceted and multinational tale of the Isetta microcar, part 2

A typical BMW 250 or 300. Devon Francis, “What you get in the foreign economy cars.” Popular Science, June 1957, 62.

A look under the hood of one of the symbols of the West German economic miracle of the 1950s; or, The multifaceted and multinational tale of the Isetta microcar, part 1

A Spitz planetarium projector at the Planetario Municipal Agrimensor Germán Barbato, the first planetarium in South America, inaugurated in 1955, Montevideo, Uruguay, February 2015. Fedaro via Wikimedia.

Blessed be the one who brings the wonders of the cosmos to the multitude: Armand Neustadter Spitz and his planetarium projectors, part 2

Armand Neustadter Spitz. Hilaire Cuny, “Sciences et techniques – La plus gigantesque tentative de notre temps: La conquête de l’espace cosmique.” Combat, 15 May 1957, 6.

Blessed be the one who brings the wonders of the cosmos to the multitude: Armand Neustadter Spitz and his planetarium projectors, part 1

A typical advertisement of the Toronto, Ontario, firm William Hood & Company. Anon., “William Hood & Company.” The Canadian Grocer & General Storekeeper, 27 May 1892, 9.

“A new trade winner for grocers and general merchants;” or, How William Hood & Company of Toronto, Ontario, became a pretext to dwell upon the mysteries of... castor oil

A typical Tillson Company Limited advertisement. Anon. “Tillson Company Limited.” The Canadian Grocer & General Storekeeper, 13 May 1892, 19.

“A Food, not a Fad:” The life and times of Edwin Delevan Tillson of Tillsonburg, Ontario

Gertrude Dugal, the first francophone Québec women to obtain a pilot’s license – or not, Cartierville airport, Cartierville, Québec. Anon., “La seule diplômée.” La Patrie, Journal du dimanche, 18 May 1947, 1.

“Across the clouds I see my shadow fly:” Some words about Gertrude Dugal, the first francophone Québec woman to obtain a pilot’s license – unless it was someone else

A Vincent Amanda personal watercraft in its element, Ruislip, England, April 1957. Anon., “Triss i bâtar.” Teknikens Värld med Flyg, 2 to 16 May 1957, 8.

Bournemouth, Scarborough, ooh I want to take you. Great Yarmouth, Lyme Regis, come on my reading friend: The Vincent Amanda, the almost forgotten ancestor of today’s personal watercrafts

A close-up view of a radio pill a few moments before the first volunteer patient swallowed it. Anon., “Science – Radio Made to Swallow.” Life, 29 April 1957, 74.

Take one of these pills and your innards will call me in the morning: The digestive saga of… the radio pill

Dan Cooper, as drawn by Belgian “bande dessinée” author Albert Weinberg during his visit to North Bay, Ontario, in May-June 1966. Anon., “Originator of RCAF cartoon hero visits defence bases at North Bay.” The North Bay Nugget, 3 June 1966, 1.

A prolific Belgian “bande dessinée” author who deserves to be better known: the father of Dan Cooper, Canadian hero, Albert Weinberg (1922-2011), Part 2

Albert Weinberg during one of his many visits on Canadian soil. Anon., “Dan Cooper c’est Buzz Beurling.” La Presse, 31 March 1975, A3.

A prolific Belgian “bande dessinée” author who deserves to be better known: The father of Dan Cooper, Canadian hero, Albert Weinberg (1922-2011), Part 1

A typical FFVS J 22 fighter plane of the Swedish air force, or Flygvapnet, Bunge, Sweden, circa 1948-49. Flygvapenmuseum, FVMF.002142.

I have been asked a few times what my favourite airplane was. Well, here is one of my all-time favourites: Sweden’s FFVS J 22 fighter plane, part 2

A typical FFVS J 22 fighter plane of the Swedish air force, or Flygvapnet. Harald Jacobson, “Ett flygplan – en flygepok.” Looping, April 1952, 12.

I have been asked a few times what my favourite airplane was. Well, here is one of my all-time favourites: Sweden’s FFVS J 22 fighter plane, part 1

 An advertisement for products, in this case herrings and sardines, canned by Connors Brothers Limited of Black’s Harbour, New Brunswick. Anon., “Connors Brothers Limited.” Le Prix courant, 29 March 1912, 20.

From lobster bait and potato fertiliser to salt water silver: The humble sardine and Connors Brothers Limited of Black’s Harbour, New Brunswick

A Volvo P1800 comparable to the one driven by Simon Templar, also known as the Saint, a character played on television by Roger George Moore, Volvo Museum, Göteborg, Sweden, 2008. Jarle Vines via Wikimedia.

A saintly automobile from the land of “Pippi” Longstocking and Lisbeth Salander: The Swedish Volvo P1800 grand tourer / sports car, part 2

A typical Volvo P1800 grand tourer / sports car. Anon., “La plus belle auto.” La Patrie du Dimanche, 25 March 1962, 11.

A saintly automobile from the land of “Pippi” Longstocking and Lisbeth Salander: The Swedish Volvo P1800 grand tourer / sports car, part 1

The outgoing representative of the electoral district of Limoux, France, senator Henri Charles Étienne Dujardin-Beaumetz. Joseph Uzanne. Figures contemporaines. (10th edition) (Paris: Librairie Henri Floury, 1906), no page number.

“My dear Védrines, it is a voting failure:” Charles Toussaint “Jules” Védrines and the partial legislative election of Limoux, France, in March 1912, Part 2

Cartoon of Senator Henri Charles Étienne Dujardin-Beaumetz messing with “Jules” Védrines, the defeated candidate in the Limoux, France, by-election of March 1912. Anon., “La course Limoux-Palais-Bourbon.” Le Rire, 30 March 1912, no page number.

“My dear Védrines, it is a voting failure:” Charles Toussaint “Jules” Védrines and the partial legislative election of Limoux, France, in March 1912, Part 1

The Lincoln Continental 1950X / Ford X-100 laboratory on wheels. Anon., “La Ford de l’avenir.” Photo-Journal, 28 February 1952, 8.

The car of tomorrow as imagined 70 years ago: The Lincoln Continental 1950X / Ford X-100 laboratory on wheels

Edward T. Faulkner and his Curtiss JN-4 Canuck, Honeoye Falls, New York, 1962. Canada Aviation and Space Museum 2985.

It took off at 100 kilometres/hour, flew at 100 kilometres/hour and landed at 100 kilometres/hour, more or less: The saga of the Curtiss JN-4 Canuck

An advertisement of David Brown (Canada) Limited of Toronto, Ontario, showing the tractors offered by a British sister / brother firm, David Brown Tractors Limited. Anon., “David Brown (Canada) Limited.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, February 1962, 75.

“Do you want to drive my tractor? Let us go and load some hay.” A very brief look at the history of the British firm David Brown Tractors Limited

Tomanowos, better known as the Willamette meteorite, American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York. Anon., “Ça et là, par l’image.” Le Samedi, 22 February 1947, 8.

Tomanowos, a visitor from the sky or Moon: A brief look at the largest North American meteorite known today

Vera Elsie Strodl wearing the leather flight jacket she wore during the Second World War. Glennis Zilm, “Only Canadian honored – Long love of flying brings award to aviatrix.” The Gazette, 1 February 1972, 8.

God may have been her co-pilot, Or, The remarkable career of a remarkable pilot, Vera Elsie Strodl

John D’Alton Woodlock with one of his sons, Peter Woodlock, in front of the family television set, Iberville, Québec, summer of 1949. Arthur Prévost, “Dix ans avant CBFT – À Iberville, on a la TV depuis 14 ans!...” Le Petit Journal, 14 January 1962, A-49.

But sadly, like so many great minds, Québec television pioneer John D’Alton Woodlock was gone too soon – and quickly forgotten

An advertisement of the Société auxiliaire agricole of Paris, France, showing a Pavesi P4 or Agrophile-Pavesi agricultural tractor in action. Anon., “Société auxiliaire agricole,” L’Agriculture nouvelle, 14 January 1922, 4.

Once upon a time there was an acrobat tractor: The beautiful although partly military story of the Pavesi P4 farm tractor and the career of Ugo Pavesi

Two of the great fighter planes of the First World War: A SPAD S.VII of the Royal Flying Corps or Aéronautique militaire and an Albatros D.III of the Luftstreitkräfte. Anon., “A Dog Fight.” Canadian Aviation, January 1932, 12.

The tale of the most extraordinary photographs ever taken of air fights during the First World War, Or, The long and short of the Cockburn-Lange collection

An overall view of one of the first telephone networks in Canada, Montréal, Québec, 1878. Anon., “Le premier téléphone qui ait jamais été installé à Montréal.” La Presse, 27 January 1912, 5.

They were among the first to reach out and touch someone: A look at one of the first telephone networks in Canada

The Canadair CL-44 leased by British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), September 1963. This Seaboard World Airlines Incorporated aircraft carried 19 racing cars from the United Kingdom to the United States on that flight, its first in the colors of BOAC. CASM.

A good swing deserves another: The saga of the Canadian Canadair CL-44 cargo plane, Part 2

An advertisement from the aircraft manufacturer Canadair Limited of Cartierville, Québec, extolling the merits of its ginormous cargo plane, the Canadair CL-44. Anon., “Canadair Limited.” La Presse, January 23, 1962, 29.

A good swing deserves another: The saga of the Canadian Canadair CL-44 cargo plane, Part 1

Advertisement published by the Zeller’s Limited stores of Calgary, Alberta, which highlighted the Reely Ride-’em tractor produced by Reliable Toy Company Limited of Toronto, Ontario. Anon., “Zeller’s Limited.” The Calgary Herald, 11 December 1961, 32.

Toys, glorious toys, we are anxious to try them: A few pages on Reliable Toy Company Limited of Toronto, Ontario

A de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter utility floatplane operated by Northway Aviation Limited of St. Andrews, Manitoba, Fishing Lake, Manitoba, September 2005. Mark Swaffer via Wikimedia.

Canada’s flying one tonne truck: The de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter

A Moline Plow Company advertisement showing a Moline Universal Tractor in action. Anon. “Moline Plow Company.” L’Agriculture nouvelle, 10 December 1921, 707.

A very successful vehicle and, dare I type it, a sidehill gouger of the farm tractor industry: The Moline Universal Tractor

The Douglas DC-8 jetliner of Canadian Pacific Airlines Limited of Vancouver, British Columbia, known as Empress of Montreal. Anon., “Empress of Montreal DC-8 First CPA Jet Visitor.” The Gazette, 6 December 1961, 17.

An article whose punchline I am reluctant to divulge so early in the game: Or, A speedy DC used by CP

The United States Air Force Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar cargo plane borrowed by Iron Ore Company of Canada Incorporated in 1951. Anon., “Fret aérien – L’opération Ungava – Le fret aérien accélère l’application d’un projet. » Interavia, December 1951, 672.

“In the interests of national security”: The role played by a United States Air Force Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar cargo plane in the development of the Knob Lake region’s iron ore deposits

The Vertol Model 42 of Skyrotors Limited of Arnprior, Ontario, chartered by Spartan Air Services Limited of Ottawa, Ontario, as part of Operation High Tower. Anon., “Operation High Tower.” The Ottawa Citizen, 8 November 1961, 3.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to move stuff around: Spartan Air Services Limited of Ottawa, Ontario, the Ottawa radio station CFRA and Operation High Tower

One of the two life-size aluminum alloy sculptures of whooping cranes created by Wolfram F. Niessen for Regina Municipal Airport, Regina, Saskatchewan. Anon., “Regina Honors the Whooping Crane.” The Ottawa Citizen, Weekend Magazine, 18 November 1961, 38.

Let’s talk about art, humans. All the humans. Louder now. Help me out. – Wolfram F. Niessen, John Cullen Nugent and the life-size aluminum alloy sculptures of whooping cranes created for Regina Municipal Airport

Joseph Alphonse Ouimet. Anon., “Le pionnier de la télévision préférait la radio à une bicyclette neuve.” La Patrie, 5 November 1961, 26.

“The pioneer of television preferred radio to a new bicycle:” An overview of the career of Joseph Alphonse Ouimet, a founding father of Canadian television

An advertisement published by La traction et le matériel agraires Société anonyme for the American Beeman Junior garden tractor. Anon., “La traction et le matériel agraires Société anonyme.” L’Agriculture nouvelle, 12 November 1921, 664.

“Green acres is the place to be. Farm livin’ is the life for me:” The American firm Beeman Garden Tractor Company and the Beeman Junior or Model G garden tractor / walking tractor

An ascent made by Québec female fairground balloonist and parachutist Florida Lanthier. Maurice Desjardins, “Dans une modeste maison de Montréal-Nord -- Florida Lanthier, reine des parachutistes, vit de couture... et de souvenirs.” Photo-Journal, 8 November 1951, 3.

Shadows and light in the skies of Québec: A preliminary look at the life and times of Québec female fairground balloonist and parachutist Florida Lanthier

The Mobile Demonstration Irradiator put together by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited. Anon., “Boon to Canadian potato industry.” Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, 21 October 1961, 6.

One hot potato, two hot potatoes, three hot potatoes, four: Atomic Energy of Canada Limited of Chalk River, Ontario, and the early days of food irradiation in Canada

A Mathis VL 333 light and economical automobile. Fernand de Laborderie, “Le 33e Salon de l’automobile.” La Nature, 15 October 1946, 331.

A vision of the future for a firm running out of steam: The French Mathis VL333 light and economical automobile

A coastal reconnaissance Bristol Bolingbroke destined for the Royal Canadian Air Force being assembled at the Fairchild Aircraft Limited factory, Longueuil, Québec, 1941. Anon., “Les C.F. et la R.C.A.F.” Le Samedi, 18 October 1941, (c).

“We must get aircraft equipment and look after our coasts” – The Royal Canadian Air Force and the Bristol Bolingbroke coastal reconnaissance aircraft

The prototype of the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter on display at the Canada Aviation Museum, Ottawa, circa 2001. CASM.

From pole to pole and horizon to horizon, the Twin Otter was, is and will be there: A very brief pontification on one of the best Canadian aircraft ever designed

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Ottawa, Ontario, February 2009. Wikipedia.

The strange and baffling case of the switched aeroplanes; or, Even when using New Mathematics, 4112 never equals 5878: The tall tale of the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, part 2

The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum when it belonged to the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, Ontario. H.J. (“Titch”) Jenkins, “Correspondence – Ottawa’s – and Sowrey’s – B.E.2c.” Flight, 12 October 1961, 600.

The strange and baffling case of the switched aeroplanes; or, Even when using New Mathematics, 4112 never equals 5878: The tall tale of the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, part 1

Isidore Joseph Amédée Marsan. Anon., “Isidore Joseph Amédée Marsan.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, 17 September 1921, cover.

One of the pioneers of agricultural science in Québec and Canada: Isidore Joseph Amédée Marsan

An advertisement for St. Lawrence Starch Company Limited, Port Credit, Ontario. Anon., “Advertisement – St. Lawrence Starch Company Limited.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, September 1941, 61.

Free, magnificent cards bearing drawings or photographs of Allied aircraft! Collect them all!

An Aluminium français-Grégoire automobile, Cité de l’automobile – Musée national – Collection Schlumpf, Mulhouse, France, May 2010, Wikimedia.

‘Tween two joints, he really did something: Jean Albert Grégoire and his magnificent automobiles, Part 2

 An example of the French CGE-Tudor electric automobile. C. Faroux, “Un progrès considérable de la voitures électrique.” La Vie automobile, 25 September 1941, 284.

‘Tween two joints, he really did something: Jean Albert Grégoire and his magnificent automobiles, Part 1

The one and only example of the Italian long range airliner Breda Zappata BZ 308. Jacques Gambu. “Breda Zappata BZ 308.” Aviation Magazine, 1 September 1951, 21.

Il Constellation italiano, an unrecognised star in Italy’s aeronautical firmament: The Breda Zappata BZ 308 long range airliner

Paul Fjeld in the family residence, Rosemère, Québec. Claude-Lyse Gagnon, “Parti avec $200 en poche – Un jeune Québécois a pu voir décoller Apollo 15.” La Patrie, 15 August 1971, 12.

Space, the final frontier towards which travels our planet, the Earth; this is the life story of Paul Fjeld, space enthusiast and artist for over half a century

Advertisement for the Frontenac Blue Label lager of National Breweries Limited of Montréal, Québec. Anon., “Advertisement – National Breweries Limited.” Le Samedi, 23 August 1941, 12.

The great victim of the Montréal beer war of 1925: Frontenac Breweries Limited of Montréal, Québec

A Karou Karou all-terrain vehicle. Anon., “Opération Camping à Saint-Hilaire.” Photo-Journal, 26 July to 1 August 1971, 47.

All-terrain, all-weather, all-pleasure: Karou Incorporée of Drummondville, Québec, and the Karou all-terrain vehicle

The first production example of the Canadian-made Avro Anson advanced training aircraft fitted with the moulded plywood fuselage, location unknown, 1943. CASM, 23290.

Not everyone knows that aircraft manufacturing can be a contact sport: Clarence Decatur Howe, Harvey Reginald MacMillan and the production of Avro Anson advances training aircraft in Canada, Part 2

A pair of Canadian-made Avro Anson advanced training aircraft operated by No. 10 Service Flying Training School, Royal Canadian Air Force Station Dauphin, near Dauphin, Manitoba, 1943-44. CASM, 27297.

Not everyone knows that aircraft manufacturing can be a contact sport: Clarence Decatur Howe, Harvey Reginald MacMillan and the production of Avro Anson advanced training aircraft in Canada, Part 1

The very first electric streetcar operated by Telegraphen-Bau-Anstalt von Siemens & Halske, Berlin, German Empire. Anon., “The first electric railway in Berlin.” Canadian Illustrated News, 9 July 1881, 21.

A streetcar named Straßenbahn Groß-Lichterfelde, or, How Telegraphen-Bau-Anstalt von Siemens & Halske put in service the world’s first electric streetcar

The Canadian author and aviation pioneer Frank Henry Ellis (centre) with American aviation pioneers Frank Purdy Lahm (left) and Will D. “Billy” Parker, president of Early Birds of Aviation Incorporated, Los Angeles, California. Robert Francis, “Early Birds.” Sunday Sun Magazine, 28 July 1951, 5.

If we have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of a giant: Frank Henry Ellis and Canada’s Flying Heritage

An advertisement showing an Italian SAME Buffalo tractor. Anon. “Advertising – Les Entreprises Biasotto & Hardy (Canada) Incorporée.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, July 1981, 26.

They were all the same, brothers to each other: Francesco Cassani, Eugenio Gabriele Cassani and the Società Accomandita Motori Endotermici (SAME)

A Canadair North Star of British Overseas Airways Corporation, London Airport, Heathrow, England, September 1954. Wikimedia

Around the world in eighty hours: A few pages on the Canadair North Star, part 2

The prototype of the Canada North Star, 1946. Canada Aviation and Space Museum, KM-08329

Around the world in eighty hours: A few pages on the Canadair North Star, part 1

An advertisement for a hay cutter made by La Machine Agricole Nationale Limitée of Montmagny, Québec. Anon., “Advertisement – La Machine Agricole Nationale Limitée.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, 11 June 1921, 556.

Don’t let it be forgot that once there was a firm, for one brief shining moment, that was known as La Machine Agricole Nationale Limitée of Montmagny, Québec

The Folland / Hawker Siddeley Hoverstretcher in action. Anon., “Airborne comfort.” The Calgary Herald, 9 June 1961, 19.

Developing the germ of an idea: Maurice Joseph Brennan and his hovercraft

Some mothers and children about to get aboard one of the Douglas DC-3 airliners converted into Nurseryliners by United Air Lines Incorporated, San Francisco, California, April or May 1946. Anon., “Service aérien pour bébés.” Photo-Journal, 20 June 1946, 12.

Sit back. Relax. Enjoy the flight – Babies on a plane: United Air Lines Incorporated and its Nurseryliner service

The Canadian engineer and amateur astronomer James Hargreaves with an instrument he had built himself. Jean Taillefer, “Un voyage de 180 jours au Soudan, en Afrique; une expérience astronomique de 180 secondes.” Le Droit, 16 June 1951, 13.

“An Ottawa scientist makes a sacrifice for science:” The Canadian engineer and amateur astronomer James Hargreaves and his travels around the globe

The prototype of the Fairchild F-11 Husky bushplane shortly before its first flight, June 1946. Canada Aviation and Space Museum KM-05311.

You’re good, doggy, but as long as the rodent’s around, you’ll always be second best, see: The brief yet long story of the Fairchild F-11 Husky bushplane

A cutaway view of Canada’s Fleet Model 50 Freighter bushplane. Anon., “Fleet’s Trainer and Transport.” Aviation, May 1941, 61.

It could (and should?) have been one of the greats: Canada’s Fleet Model 50 Freighter bushplane

Wilfrid-Henri Perron. Claude Asselin, “Une encyclopédie québécoise pour les horticulteurs.” Photo-Journal, 3 to 9 May 1971, 12.

Chez Perron, tout est bon: A giant of Québec and Canadian horticulture, Wilfrid-Henri Perron (1897-1977)

The cyclecar / “vélomobile” / “vélocar” / bicycle car / “automouche” with pedals and / or auxiliary engine Le Dauphin. Edmond Massip, “Un cyclecar à pédales et moteur auxiliaire.” La Vie automobile, 25 May 1941, 153.

The cyclecar / “vélomobile” / “vélocar” / bicycle car / “automouche” with pedals and / or auxiliary engine Le Dauphin: An (extreme?) solution to the fuel shortage in Paris during the German occupation in the Second World War

The Pitcairn PCA-2 autogiro of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum during its grand tour of the United States, when it was owned by Sealed Power Corporation. Anon. “Pohled na Ciervovu autogiro za letu.” Letectvi, November 1932, 310.

“‘Flying Windmill’ here on Wednesday”: The great journey of Donald Walker and the Pitcairn PCA-2 of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, part 2

The Pitcairn PCA-2 autogiro of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum when it was owned by Standard Oil Company of New York. Anon., “Advertisement – Standard Oil Company of New York.” Aviation, May 1931, 22.

“‘Flying Windmill’ here on Wednesday”: The great journey of Donald Walker and the Pitcairn PCA-2 of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, part 1

A sober, no-frills advertisement from Elzéar Fortier Limitée of Québec, Québec. Anon., “Advertisement – Elzéar Fortier Limitée.” L’Action catholique, 8 April 1946, 9.

He was a smooth operator: Elzéar Fortier and the production of soft drinks in Québec, Québec

Major Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin during his visit to Helsinki, Finland, July 1961. Wikimedia.

That was also one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind: The flight into space of Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin in the French language press of Québec, 12-15 April 1961, Part 1

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation radio host Claire Wallace interviewing Trans-Canada Air Lines interior accommodation engineer Diana Jocelyn Dudley, January 1946. Anon. “Air Transportation – Radio Broadcast over Niagara.” Canadian Transportation, April 1946, 200.

No place for a lady?! Balderdash!: Trans-Canada Air Lines’ first interior accommodation engineers, Diana Jocelyn Dudley and Janet Elizabeth Lowe

Peter Müller at the controls [sic] of the Pedroplan, Berlin, Germany, March 1931. Anon., “Cologne contre Marseille – Le mystère du ‘Pédroplan.’ [sic]” Les Ailes, 2 April 1931, 14.

I want to fly my bicycle, I want to fly my kite: Peter Müller and the Pedroplan

The Phillips Saucercraft hovercraft, Mount Hope, Ontario. Anon., “Flying saucer crack-up”. The Calgary Herald, 2 March 1961, 1.

A most intriguing INFO (Identified Non Flying Object): The Phillips Saucercraft hovercraft

Dr. Ann Elizabeth Noelle Grace tending to one of her patients, Montreal General Hospital, Montréal, Québec. Claude Adams, “An eye-opener for our reporter – Team of women doctors shatters Ben Casey myth.” The Gazette, 3 March 1971, 31.

Shattering the Ben Casey and James Kildare myth: Canada’s first female pediatric surgeon, Dr. Ann Elizabeth Noelle Grace

 An advertisement from Langlais & Frère Incorporée of Québec, Québec, extolling the merits of the Zetor 25 tractor. Anon. “Advertising – Langlais & Frère Incorporée.” L’Action catholique, 3 March 1951, 14.

They shall beat their swords into plowshares; or, A brief look at the Czech state-owned firm Zbrojovka Brno Národní Podnik

Some personalities present at the inauguration of the École d’avionnerie de Cartierville, Cartierville, Québec, 3 March 1941. Anon., “À l’inauguration de l’École d’avionnerie de Cartierville.” La Presse, 4 March 1941, 19.

A magnificent achievement, full of promises for the future, swept away by the narrow mind of Maurice Le Noblet Duplessis: The École d’avionnerie de Cartierville

The presentation of the first Boeing Model 747 of Air Canada at Montreal-Dorval International Airport, Dorval, Québec. Anon., “Des milliers de personnes ont vu le géant des airs.” La Presse, 22 March 1971, A 1.

66 327 people cannot be wrong, but they can be cold: The presentation of the first Boeing Model 747 of Air Canada at Montreal-Dorval International Airport

The Fokker D.VII of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, March 2019. CASM.

One of the great combat aircraft of the 20th century and one of the many jewels of one of the most remarkable aviation and space museums on planet Earth: The Fokker D.VII and the airplane of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum

An advertisement from Équipements Ascot Incorporée of Saint-Élie-d’Orford, Québec, extolling the merits of the UTB U530 tractor. Anon. “Advertising – Équipements Ascot Incorporée.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, February 1981, 28.

They shall beat their wings into plowshares; or, A brief look at the Romanian government firm Uzina Tractorul Braşov

An editorial cartoon highlighting the launch of the Soviet planetary probe Venera 1 in February 1961. Edmund Alexander Sebestyen, “To Venus With Love.” Saskatoon Star-Phoenix, 14 February 1961, 4.

Trying to lift the veils under which Venus hid itself from our gaze: The saga of the Soviet planetary probe Venera 1

A Jacobs Jaycopter at rest, Edmonton, Alberta. Lyn Harrington, “Cutting helicopter training cost.” Canadian Aviation, February 1961, 20.

A helicopter simulator with a difference: it flies – Canada’s Jacobs Jaycopter

Editorial cartoon showing King Neptune offering his crown to the crew of the English Electric Canberra which crossed the Atlantic Ocean in February 1951. Charles R. Knight, “Ready to Abdicate.” The Windsor Daily Star, 22 February 1951, 4.

Several thousand words on the English Electric Canberra / Martin B-57 Canberra and the small role played by Canadair Limited in its history

The first production example of the Piasecki HUP Retriever helicopter. Anon., “News Picture Highlights.” Aviation Week, 15 January 1951, 9

“Shoe,” Retriever, “Hupmobile” or Army Mule – a HUP by any other name is still a HUP: The Piasecki HUP Retriever and H-25 Army Mule helicopters, and the HUP of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum

A view of the Warsak Dam, northern West Pakistan. Anon., “Inauguration du barrage de Warsak.” Le Droit, 27 January 1961, 12.

Frankly, my dear, we did give a dam: Canada and the Warsak dam in Pakistan

One of the first de Havilland Canada Chipmunk imported to the United Kingdom. Anon., “De Havilland [Canada] DHC-1 ‘Chipmunk.’” Aviation Magazine, 1 January 1951, cover.

A Tamias striatus cavorting in the clouds: The de Havilland Canada Chipmunk

The 5th pre-production de Havilland Canada AC-1 Caribou. Larry Booda, “Aeronautical Engineering – Aviation Week Pilot Report – STOL Caribou Calls for Special Handling.” Aviation Week and Space Technology, January 23, 1961, 56.

A flying truck which gave soldiers atom-age mobility: The de Havilland Canada Caribou

The Oberth Moon car as imagined in 1960. I.M. Levitt, “Le problème du transport sur la Lune.” L’Action catholique, 10 July 1960, 5.

I’m just not sure this vehicle was well thought through: The Moon car of astronautic pioneer Hermann Julius Oberth

The Ferrari 512 Pininfarina Modulo, on display at the 1971 edition of the Salon international de l’Auto de Montréal, Montréal, Québec. Jean D. Legault, “Une première mondiale et 12 continentales.” La Patrie, 17 January 1971, 31.

One of the most famous dream cars of all time: The Ferrari 512 Pininfarina Modulo

A rather sober advertisement for F.A. Fluet Enregistré’s La Canadienne spruce beer. Anon., “Advertisement – F.A. Fluet Enregistré.” L’Action catholique, 4 January 1951, 5.

A small beer which was no small beer: F.A. Fluet Enregistré of Québec, Québec, and La Canadienne spruce beer

A scene captured at the launch of the Jeu de l’électricité by Éditions Héritage Incorporée, Montréal, Québec, 6 November 1968. Anon., “–.” Le Devoir, 6 November 1968, 11.

A B C Abécédaire. Viens avec nous autour de la Terre: The Société Radio-Canada’s Tour de Terre children educational television program

An advertisement selling the merits of the Vin St.Georges. Anon. “Advertising – T.G. Bright & Company Limited.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, December 1940, 2.

To treat the family this holiday season, do not forget the Vin St.Georges: A brief look at a pioneer of the Canadian wine industry, T.G. Bright & Company Limited

The Bell Model 47 operated by Airspray Limited, Ontario. Anon., “Helicopter – Down on the Farm.” Canadian Aviation, September 1947, 25.

Old Macdonald had a farm, Ee-I-Ee-I-O. And on that farm he had a Bell, Ee-I-Ee-I-O: A few more words on the early days of agricultural aviation in Canada

An advertisement announcing the introduction into service of Trans-Canada Air Lines’ Vickers Vanguard short to medium range airliner. Anon., “Advertisement – Trans-Canada Air Lines.” Maclean’s, 3 December 1960, 8-9.

From “big Viscount” to Merchantman: The abbreviated journey of the Vickers Vanguard

 The Convair 580 operated by the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing of Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport, Ottawa, Ontario, September 2001. Wikipedia.

It was one of the greats: The Convair 580 remote sensing aircraft of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum

An Air Tractor AT-502 agricultural aircraft operated by Southeastern Aerial Crop Service Incorporated, Belle Glade State Municipal Airport, Florida, June 2013. Wikipedia.

Wings over the world: The PT6 turboprop and turboshaft engine, Part 2

The first turboprop engine designed in Canada, the PT6 of Canadian Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company Limited. Anon., “Advertisement – Canadian Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Company Limited.” The Gazette, 14 November 1960, 24.

Wings over the world: The PT6 turboprop and turboshaft engine, Part 1

The 14 volumes of the 1960 edition of L’Encyclopédie de la jeunesse of Grolier Limitée. Anon., “Advertisement – Grolier Limitée. » La Tribune - Perspectives, 12 November 1960, 31.

A book of knowledge: L’Encyclopédie de la Jeunesse

Roxana Hartley and Mr. Jolie / Lord Robert Brummel, the main protagonists of the 1930 American play Dancing Partner, Belasco Theatre, New York City, New York. Anon., “The Stage Goes ‘Air-minded’.” Scientific American, November 1930, 355.

A play in an airplane, and an airplane in a play: Dancing Partner, 1930

The Supermarine Spitfire on display for the 20th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, 18 September 1940. Anon., “News roundup – Battle of Britain ceremonies.” Aircraft, November 1960, 58.

A gift for heaven: The Canada Aviation and Space Museum’s Supermarine Spitfire Mk IIb

Some of the displays of the National Aviation Museum, Uplands Airport, Ottawa, Ontario, early 1960s. CASM, negative number 4446.

Happy birthday to us. Happy birthday to us. Happy birthday dear CASM. Happy birthday to us: A few words on the early days, weeks, months and years of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum

A somewhat inaccurate (life-size?) reproduction of Sputnik I on display in Prague, Czechoslovakia, as part of an exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. Anon., “Modèle du satellite russe.” Le Nouvelliste, 10 October 1957, 1.

Québec / Canada and the simplest satellite, the PS-1 spacecraft, in other words Sputnik 1: An overview of what was published in the French language Québec press between 5 and 12 October 1957, Part 4

Pierre Dorion, « L’ère des émotions. » La Presse, 9 October 1957, 4.

Québec / Canada and the simplest satellite, the PS-1 spacecraft, in other words Sputnik 1: An overview of what was published in the French language Québec press between 5 and 12 October 1957, Part 3

The simplest satellite or PS-1 spacecraft, in other words Sputnik I, a little before its launch, September 1957. NASA.

Québec / Canada and the simplest satellite, the PS-1 spacecraft, in other words Sputnik 1: An overview of what was published in the French language Québec press between 5 and 12 October 1957, Part 2

A somewhat inaccurate drawing of the spacecraft PS-1, in other words Sputnik I, in orbit around the Earth. Anon., « Fusées et satellites seraient invincibles. » Le Soleil, 8 October 1957, 1.

Québec / Canada and the simplest satellite, the PS-1 spacecraft, in other words Sputnik 1: An overview of what was published in the French language Québec press between 5 and 12 October 1957, Part 1

Eldon Douglas McEarchern working on his agricultural Piper PA-18 Super Cub as one of his sons watched on, Carman, Manitoba. Anon., “Les fermiers volants de l’ouest canadien.” Le Samedi, 22 October 1960, 25.

Oh, what a beautiful mornin’! Oh, what a beautiful day!: An overview of the first decade of the flying farmer movement in Canada

One of the towed threshers designed and fabricated by Dion & Frère Incorporée of Sainte-Thérèse-de-Blainville, Québec. Anon., “Publicité – Dion & Frère Incorporée.” Le Bulletin des agriculteurs, September 1940, 47.

A century of agricultural technology and innovation in the Laurentides region of Québec: From Dion & Frère to Dion-AG

Jani Moreau, female flight attendant as imagined by Québec artist Nicole Lapointe. Anon., “Un nouvel illustré: Jani hôtesse de l’air.” Claire, 15 September 1960, cover.

She is not a waitress in the sky: Jani hôtesse de l’air and some words on the presence of female flight attendants in popular culture

An infuriated Clara shredding the Curtiss biplane piloted by George F. Russell, Dongan Hills, New York, 10 September 1910. Anon., “La vache et l’aéroplane.” Le Petit Journal – Supplément illustrée, 25 September 1910, 312.

A close encounter of the strange and unusual kind, or, How did Clara the cow meet a Curtiss biplane in Staten Island, New York City, New York

The first Douglas DC-3 airliner delivered to Trans-Canada Air Lines, Montreal (Dorval) Airport, Dorval, Québec, circa 1945-48. CASM, negative number 25515

A gleaming example of one of the most famous and significant aircraft of the 20th century: The Douglas DC-3 of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum

The first Fleet Model 80 Canuck light / private airplane, Fort Erie, Ontario, March 1946. This aircraft belonged to Sturgeon Air Services Limited of Fredericton, New Brunswick. CASM, negative number KM-07962

Teaching to fly because it has wings: Canada’s Fleet Model 80 Canuck light / private airplane

A Zenair CH-701 manufactured under license by Czech Aircraft Works Společnost s ručenim omezeným, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 2011. Wikimedia.

Born in a garage, but now all the world is a market for Zenair Limited: A look at the Cold War era designs of Christophe Jean Heintz, Part 2

Christophe Jean Heintz at the controls of the Heintz Zenith. Anon., “–.” Aviation magazine international, 15 to 31 August 1970, cover.

Born in a garage, but now all the world is a market for Zenair Limited: A look at the Cold War era designs of Christophe Jean Heintz, Part 1

The Echo 1A satellite balloon during an inflation test, 1960. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

The wonderful lead balloons of Claude Williams Coffee, Junior, Walter Edward Bressette and William J. O’Sullivan: The Echo satelloons in Québec and elsewhere, Part 2

The Echo 1A satelloon whizzing in the sky, above the École normale de Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi, Québec. Dominique Lapointe, “Une visite qui nous est devenue familière – L’Écho 1 continue à se promener tous les soirs sur notre région.” Le Progrès du Saguenay, 27 August 1960, 7.

The wonderful lead balloons of Claude Williams Coffee, Junior, Walter Edward Bressette and William J. O’Sullivan: The Echo satelloons in Québec and elsewhere, Part 1

One of the Found FBA-2s of Georgian Bay Airways Limited. H.L. “Des US et du Canada 2 formules d’avions légers – 1 Le Found ‘Flying Truck.’” Aviation magazine international, 1 July 1964, 39.

A small Ontarian flying truck relocated in the land of the kiwis: The Found FBA-2 bush airplane

The one and only Cushioncraft CC1, initially known as the Britten-Norman BN-1 Cushioncraft / CC1 Cushioncraft. Anon., “News Digest – New Cushion-rider.” Canadian Aviation, August 1960, 46.

It seemed like a good idea at the time: The bananas of the British Cameroons and the Cushioncraft CC1 hovercraft

The one and only Canadian Car & Foundry CBY-3 Loadmaster. CASM, negative number 17826.

The eight lives of a unique flying boxcar, the Canadian Car & Foundry CBY-3 Loadmaster

The atomic / nuclear pulse rocket imagined by well-known American illustrator Francis Xavier Theban Tinsley. Anon., “Advertisement – American Bosch Arma Corporation.” Aviation Week, 4 July 1960, 13.

A nasty blast from the past: Francis Xavier Theban Tinsley and the atomic / nuclear pulse rocket

Walter Thomas Leavens examining the cups which drove the agitator mounted inside the hopper of the Piper J-5 Cub Cruiser light / private airplane flown by Leavens Brothers Air Services Limited. Anon., “Crop Dusting with a Cub.” Canadian Aviation, July 1945, 50.

Weed’em and Reap: Leavens Brothers Air Services Limited and the early days of agricultural aviation in Ontario / Canada after the Second World War

L’Aviateur du Pacifique.

A scientific romance and war novel from the Belle Époque: L’Aviateur du Pacifique of Captain Danrit (Émile Driant)

The Fouga CM-8 Cyclone / Sylphe jet-powered glider. Anon., “–.” Aviation Magazine, 1 June 1950, cover.

I love the clouds… the clouds that pass… over there… over there… the marvelous clouds! The Établissements Fouga et Compagnie and its jet-powered gliders

The Sharp / Bond Minicar Mk A microcar presented to the people of Montréal, Québec, by local dealer Budd & Dyer Limited. Anon., “Jusqu’à 110 milles au gallon.” La Presse, 10 June 1950, 26.

A microcar designed in a time of austerity: The Bond Minicar

A Koser / Koser-Hrovat KB-3 Jadran hydroglider, Adriatic Sea, summer 1949. In the background, the coastal passenger ship Dalmacija of the government-owned shipping firm Jadranska Linijska Providba. Anon., “Gliding and sailplanes in Yugoslavia.” Sailplane and Glider, June 1950, 125.

Above the lakes, above the vales: The Koser / Koser-Hrovat KB-3 Jadran hydroglider

Tsar Nikolai II, on the left, with his hands behind his back, looking at the aeroplanes which took part in the Sankt-Peterburgskaya aviatsionnaya nedelya, St. Petersburg, Russian Empire. Anon., “Nouvelles sportives – Le tsar chez les aviateurs.” La Revue aérienne, 10 June 1910, 349.

Miracle of miracles, look what the plane dragged in: The Sankt-Peterburgskaya aviatsionnaya nedelya

The Dane Jan Bo Kristensen performing a precision landing with a parafoil during a national competition organised by the Dansk Faldskærms Union, Randers, Denmark, August 2005. Wikipedia.

Imagination is the highest kite one can fly: The life and times of a master of the wind, Domina Cléophas Jalbert, Part 2

Domina Cléophas Jalbert, on the left, and Hamnett Pitzer Munger with one of the kytoons made by Jalbert Aerological Laboratory Incorporated to study atmospheric pollution. Anon., “Ce que devient un jouet d’enfant.” La Presse, 23 May 1950, 3.

Imagination is the highest kite one can fly: The life and times of a master of the wind, Domina Cléophas Jalbert, Part 1

Two of the young employees of Ontario Model Aircraft Company at work, Toronto, Ontario. Arthur Lowe, “Kindergarten of the Air.” Maclean’s, 1 May 1940, 24.

A kindergarten for the air age: Ontario Model Aircraft Company / Model Craft Hobbies Limited and a few other words on scale aircraft modelling in Canada before and during the Second World War

The one and only Monte-Copter Model 15 Triphibian, Seattle, Washington. Anon., “World Air News.” Air Pictorial, May 1960, 167.

The day of the triphibs: Monte-Copter Incorporated and the Model 15 Triphibian helicopter

Vladislav Verner’s little sweetie, the Verner W-01 Brouček. Anon., “Private Flying.” Flight International, 14 May 1970, 806.

Malé letadlo a skvěly příběh / A small airplane and a great story: The Verner W-01 Brouček homebuilt airplane

The crate containing Jean Versailles’ Blériot Type XI on the specially-equipped horse-driven truck belonging to Shedden Forwarding Company Limited, Montréal, Québec. Anon., “Le premier aéroplane à Montréal.” La Presse, 28 May 1910, 12.

Montréal has its first aeroplane: The Blériot Type XI of Jean Versailles and William Carruthers

A black-and-white image depicts a group of men standing underneath a Royal Air Force Avro Lancaster; they are loading cloth supply bags into the bomb bay. Wikimedia Commons

He gave them bread from heaven to eat: A few words on Operation Manna and Operation Chowdown, April-May 1945

A boy and elements of a toy on display at the 1950 edition of the toy fair of New York City, New York: Stefan Olsen and the cloud chamber of a Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab. Anon., “La page des enfants – Initiation atomique.” Photo-Journal, 13 April 1950, 20.

One of the most dangerous toys of all times: The Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab

One of the Aeronautica Macchi AL-60s used in Canada by Northwest Industries Limited to interest potential customers, Edmonton, Alberta. Anon., “Aeronews.” Air Progress, July 1969, 15.

An L-402 by any other name is still an L-402 – or an AL-60 or a Conestoga or a Ranger or a Santa Maria or a Trojan, unless it’s a Kudu, Part 2

The first prototype of the Lockheed L-402. Anon., “Le Lockheed-Azcarate C.L.-402.” Les Ailes, 16 April 1960, 1.

An L-402 by any other name is still an L-402 – or an AL-60 or a Conestoga or a Ranger or a Santa Maria or a Trojan, unless it’s a Kudu, Part 1

One of the advertisements published in Québec newspapers to promote the new Glas Goggomobil T700 automobile. Anon., “Advertisement – Eugène Roy Limitée.” La Presse, 1 April 1960, 39.

In search of… the Glas Isar / Isard T700, an automobile previously known as the Goggomobil T700

The aerosled designed and built by Kenneth J. Richards. Anon., “Traîneau moderne.” L’Auto, 9 February 1940, 1.

The magical mystery week is waiting to take you away, or, Does anyone in the blogosphere know anything about the Richards aerosled or the Lawrence aerosled?

From left to right, Boum-Boum, Ba-Ba and Bi-Bi, in other words the Lunours. Anon., “Toute la vérité sur la soucoupe de St-Bruno – Un coup monté de $100,000.” Photo-Journal, 23 February to 1 March 1970, 1.

We are Bi Bi Ba Ba Boum Boum: The saga of the Lunours

An example of the Swedish STAL Skuten turbojet engine on display, under guard, in Stockholm, Sweden. Anon., “Production – First Swedish Turbojet Revealed.” Aviation Week, 27 March 1950, 36.

A tale of two engines, or four, or even six: The STAL Skuten, Dovern and Glan

Frances Marian “Poppy” Northcutt in one of the space exhibits of the Palais de la Découverte, a science centre in Paris, France, not Texas. Anon., “Astronautique – ‘Poppy’ à Paris.” Aviation Magazine International, 15 to 31 March 1970, 42.

Her parents find her job exciting, but they would like her to marry: Frances Marian “Poppy” Northcutt at NASA and beyond

Turi Widerøe speaking with a flight attendant aboard a Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle jetliner of Scandinavian Airlines System Denmark-Norway-Sweden. J.-C. Fortin. “SAS ne compte qu’une seule femme pilote de ligne: Turi Wideroe.” Le Petit Journal, 1 March 1970, 28.

Turi Widerøe paid a flying visit to Montréal the other day

A few aspects of the fourth Montréal Motor Show. Anon., “Ouverture de l’exposition d’automobiles et de yachts.” La Presse, 28 March 1910, 1.

A week at the Coliseum: The 1910 Montréal Motor Show and the first aeroplanes displayed in Québec / Canada

Doctor Margaret Beznak with one of her research subjects. Elizabeth Motherwell, “Elle succède à son mari à la tête de la faculté de physiologie de l’U. d’Ottawa.” La Tribune, 3 February 1960, 17.

A stellar example of the contribution made by people who choose Canada: A few words on the life and times of Doctor Margaret Beznak

Sisters Maria Cleofas and Maria Innocenza of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Aloysius Gonzaga aboard an AVIA / Lombardi FL.3 light / private airplane during their flight training, Turin, Italy. Anon., “Le ciel leur appartient.” Le Soleil / Perspectives, 20 February 1960, 12.

Sister Bertrille was not the first flying nun, or, Let’s talk about Sisters Maria Cleofas and Maria Innocenza – and about Sister Mary Aquinas too

The Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario, ca 2007. Wikipedia.

So far away from home: The Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Part 2

A Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker operated by Alaska Coastal Airlines, Incorporated, Juneau, Alaska. This floatplane is now on display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario. Keith Petrich, “Bush Flying Is Dead.” Air Trails Pictorial, February 1945, 26.

So far away from home: The Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker of the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, Part 1

A typical New-Map / Rolux Baby microcar. Anon., “La voiturette ‘Baby VB-60’ à Québec au milieu de février.” L’Action catholique, 14 January 1950, 12.

The car that was more economical than the streetcar: The New-Map / Rolux Baby microcar

Charles Aznavour with the Beehoo / Magna Amphicat all-terrain vehicle he was examining, Montréal, Québec. His daughter Seda is near him. Suzanne Piuze, “Aznavour m’a dit…” La Patrie, 25 January 1970, 20.

I would love to own one; on my boat, that would be dandy: The off road journey of the Beehoo / Magna Amphicat

The lunar habitat imagined by Rocco G. “Roy” Scarfo. Anon., “C’est écrit dans le ciel.” La Patrie du dimanche, 24 January 1960, 6.

He was one of the greats: Rocco G. “Roy” Scarfo, space artist, and the world beyond tomorrow

A demonstration of the lightness of the Williams Jet No.1 turbojet engine. Anon. “23-lb. Turbojet Develops 70 lb. of Thrust.” Aviation Week and Space Technology, 18 January 1960, 126.

This engine may have been a bit heavy but her smile still stayed on: The Williams Jet No. 1 and its successors

The General Development / Christmas airliner, near New York City, New York. Anon., “Potężny łoskot silników powietrznych gigantów powitał rok nowy.” Lot Polski, January 1930, 1.

The powerful roar of the aerial giants’ engines greeted the new year: The troubling saga of William Wallace Whitney Christmas

Some actresses and actors who contributed to the success of the Québec science fiction television series Opération-Mystère, 1958. From left to right, Luce Guilbeault, Marcel Cabay, Georges Groulx, Louise Marleau and Hervé Brousseau. Société Radio-Canada.

Opération-Mystère, a television series which answered the needs of the sputnik and flying saucer generation

The aluminium bridge of Arvida, Arvida / Saguenay, Québec. Anon., “Premier pont tout en aluminium.” Le Petit Journal, 4 December 1949, 51.

On the bridge of Arvida, a national historic civil engineering site, they are dancing, they are dancing

The Piaggio P-7 at rest in its element. Joaquin de la Llave y Sierra, “Antes y después de la Copa Schneider.” Aérea, December 1929, 8.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try, try, try again: The odd story of the Piaggio P-7

A poster for the Japanese science fiction film Uchû Daisensô

Uchû Daisensô, or, A battle in outer space from the land of the rising Sun

The very first Zar Zar-Car automobile / microcar, Windsor, Ontario. Arthur Prévost, “La première auto entièrement canadienne bientôt en vente!” Le Petit Journal, 25 October 1959, 67.

In search of a Canadian car: The Zar of all the Windsors

Soviet astrophysicist Alla Genrikhovna Masevich and her daughter, Natasha Josifovna Friedlander. Sam Schecter, “Deux Canadiens en Russie – Rencontres avec l’élite russe.” Le Soleil / Perspectives, 26 September 1959, 11.

Her name is Masevich, Alla Genrikhovna Masevich

The University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies Great Flapper ornithopter during trials, Malton, Ontario, 2005. http://www/ornithopter.net

To dream, perchance to fly: The saga of the Great Flapper

Beth Ross posing for a photographer as she cleaned up the main fragment of the Dresden chondrite in front of the office of The Dresden News. Anon., “Adding lustre to meteor that startled a province.” Toronto Daily Star, 13 July 1939, 1.

The art of the deal in rural Ontario; or, The unhappy tale of the Dresden chondrite

Gérard Duquette, foreman at Héroux Incorporée, on the right, with many family members and 2 of his workers, 20 July 1969. Roger Nadeau, “Les ouvriers de la Héroux ont tressailli de joie en voyant le LEM sur la Lune.” Le Petit Journal, 27 July 1969, 4.

Did you know that the Eagle landed on the Moon on legs made in Québec?

Canadian engineer Owen Eugene Maynard with a model of the Convair Atlas launch vehicle topped by a McDonnell Mercury space capsule, 1962. Roger Nadeau, “Une foule de techniciens canadiens ont pris part au vol d’Apollo 11.” Le Petit Journal, 20 July 1969, 4.

The little guy from Sarnia who put the first human on the Moon

The first Taylor J.T.1 Monoplane, White Waltham, England. Anon., “Sport and Business.” Flight, 19 June 1959, 839.

Tinker, Taylor, monoplane

Constance Cann Wolf caught on film as she herself caught on film a scene that caught her eye, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The gas balloon belonged to the Balloon Club of America. Anon., “Balloon over Paris.” Flying, May 1959, cover.

Suspended under a twilight canopy: Constance Cann Wolf and the wonderful world of ballooning

The unloading of the nitroglycerin carried from Shelby, Montana, to Calgary, Alberta, aboard the (purple?) Stinson SB-1 Detroiter operated by Great Western Airways Limited, February 1929. Anon., “–.” Canadian Aviation, April 1929, 17.

Unsafe at any speed or time

A prototype of the Kamov Sever-2 aerosled in its element. Anon., "’Mail Train’ to North." The Gazette, 26 March 1959, 2.

Oh what fun it is to ride in a Kamov Sever-2

The SIMCA Fulgur concept car. The French parachutist and model Colette Duval was at the controls. Anon., “Actualités.” La Patrie du dimanche, 1 March 1959, 2.

It was fulgur, fulgur, fulgur, fulgurable

The Spirit of Canada hot air balloon. Peter Calamai, “Lots of hot air and a high old time.” Canadian, 26 August 1967, 14.

This magnificent man in his flying machine

The road section monitored by the speed radar set of the Connecticut State Police, near Glastonbury, Connecticut. Anon., “L’actualité en images – Pièges à comboys.” La Patrie, 16 February 1949, 14.

Cowboy traps did not appear yesterday

Cecil George Armitage at the controls of an Aérodoo, Richelieu River, Québec, November 1968. Anon., “Et maintenant… l’Aérodoo.” Vallée de la Petite Nation, 30 January 1969, 15.

The Mancunian candidate; or, How to float near the ground with the greatest of ease

Some members of the Ligue des avions miniatures de Montréal examining the radio controlled model then under construction. Christian Verdon, “Avion-miniature contrôlé par la radio.” La Patrie, 7 January 1939, 44.

A league of their own: The long forgotten story of the Ligue des avions miniatures de Montréal

Santa Claus’ two rigid airships over the Saint Lawrence River abreast of Québec, Québec. Anon., “Advertising – A.E. Rea & Company.” La Presse, 2 December 1910, 15.

A thoroughly modern Santa Claus

A poster for the movie From the Earth to the Moon

Jules Gabriel Verne would not have been amused: From the Earth to the Moon

An image from the credits of CF-RCK.

A captivating television show: CF-RCK, Part 2

The main actors of the Société Radio-Canada television show CF-RCK, Yves Létourneau (on the right) and René Caron. Anon., « Une scène de CF-RCK avec René Caron et Yves Létourneau. » La semaine à Radio-Canada, from 2 to 8 January 1960, cover.

A captivating television show: CF-RCK, Part 1

Loading up Voo-Doo, the Waco Hadrian used for the first transatlantic flight by a cargo glider, Montreal Airport (Dorval), Dorval, Québec, June 1943. Anon., “Flying into focus”. Flying Aces, October 1943, 7.

It was magnificent. It was splendid. It was pointless.

A poster of the Italian-French movie La morte viene dallo spazio. We see 2 members of the control centre’s team: the unsavoury French researcher and the pretty but cold mathematician.

Movie titles can be so… positive and cheerful: The Day the Sky Exploded

The host of the weekly television show Plein Ciel, on the right, and his technical adviser, Captain Marcel Everard. Anon., “Introduction à l’aviation.” La semaine à Radio-Canada, 29 November to 5 December 1958, 12.

A television show I would have liked to see during my youth

Lift off of the hydrogen balloon that carried aloft the antenna of the American emergency radio transmitter BC-778, better known under the name “Gibson Girl.” Anon., “Gibson Girl to the rescue.” Flying Aces, septembre 1943, 30.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

Two Rohrbach Ro VIII Rolands operated by Iberia, Compañía Aérea de Transportes Sociedad anónima, Madrid, December 1927. The one in the background was used for the Madrid-Barcelona flight of 14 December. Anon., “Inauguración del nuevo servicio aéreo Madrid-Barcelona.” Aérea, October-December 1927, 33.

Never on a Sunday: The tall tale of an Iberian Roland, Part 1

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Junior lieutenant Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova in street clothes and space clothes. Anon., “Un 3e Russe dans l’espace? Il irait rejoindre le couple qui s’y trouve.” La Presse, 17 June 1963, 1.

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Four of the main characters of the what could well be Canada’s first SF television series, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Space Command. Anon., “Space Command Is Not Run-Of-Mill ‘Opera.’” The Ottawa Citizen, 26 December 1953, 14.

“Challenging the stars themselves”: An infinitesimal look at what could well be Canada’s first science fiction television series, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Space Command

James Bertram Blackmon (on the right, of course) talking about his rocket with the host of the very popular American daily news and talk television show Today, David Cunningham Garroway, New York City, New York. Anon., “Jimmy on TV Show.” The Charlotte Observer, 1 December 1956, 2.

An American whiz kid at the dawn of the Space Age who became a professor at the Propulsion Research Center of the University of Alabama in Huntsville: James Bertram Blackmon, this is your life, Part 2

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