Toronto's Most Notorious Murders. Explore bone-chilling true tales from the city's past with this online course from author Adam Bunch. Begins May 7, 2026. Pay what you like. adambunch.com
"Toronto's Most Notorious Murders" is back — four weekly lectures filled with some of the most bone-chilling true tales from the city's past.
Pay what you like!
Learn more: adambunch.com/murderregist...
A black-and-white photo of a hockey team celebrating on the ice in front of a packed crowd. At the center, one player is being lifted off the ground by two teammates, smiling broadly. He wears a jersey with a large maple leaf crest on the chest, along with striped socks and old-style hockey gear. Around them, several other players in matching uniforms gather, some holding sticks and others clapping or looking toward the lifted player. The boards and glass are low, and behind them, a dense audience of spectators in suits and coats fills the stands, many watching the moment closely. The ice surface appears worn, and the players’ equipment reflects an earlier era of hockey.
On this day in 1951, Bill Barilko scored in overtime to win the Toronto Maple Leafs the Stanley Cup. Only a few months later, he disappeared on a fishing trip.
Learn more in my Deep Dive 👇
buff.ly/gngWsfZ
Read our bio of James Duffy (1890–1915) here: www.biographi.ca/en/bio/duffy...
Stereograph photo of a white three-storey building with a mansard roof and a large entrance portal. It is labelled, "Jacobs & Sparrow's Opera House, Toronto, Ont." The side of the card has a logo for Webster & Albee Publishers, Rochester, NY. Fonds 1441, Item 20.
In 1890, Jacobs and Sparrow's Opera House stood at 27 Adelaide St W, now the site of Scotia Plaza. Located in a former roller rink, it specialized in inexpensive melodramas.
https://ow.ly/GlL550YLj9H
Bird's-eye view looking northeast from approximately foot of Parkside Drive, showing arrival of American fleet prior to capture of York, 27 April 1813. Baldwin Collection of Canadiana, Toronto Public Library.
Do you know about our thematic galleries? These special projects bring together many biographies within the context of a theme such as the First World War, sports, etc. Today's highlighted theme is the War of 1812, the last major conflict fought on Canadian soil.
www.biographi.ca/en/theme_181...
A Black man, short-haired, wears a dark suit and light collared shirt and short tie.
Bio of the Day: Richard Randolph Disney (1830–91), Methodist minister, bishop, and editor.
In 1857 he came to Upper Canada to minister to the many Blacks who had sought refuge there from slavery in the years prior to the Civil War. www.biographi.ca/en/bio/disne...
Black-and-white photograph of Jenny Pike standing beside a large studio camera mounted on a tripod. She wears a dark coat with a tie and has a cloth draped over her head, partially covering her hair. She looks downward at a small object held in her hands. Behind her are large circular studio lights with reflective metal shades, and another light fixture mounted on a stand to the right. The scene is set indoors against a plain backdrop, with lighting equipment arranged around her.
Jenny Pike began her photography career at Eaton's, and her skill eventually took her to London, England where she developed some of the first images of D-Day in 1944.
She then became a police darkroom technician and even did some film work.
This is her story.
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Toller Cranston captured mid-air in a dramatic leap, wearing a bright red, form-fitting outfit with a yellow long-sleeve top underneath. His arms are extended gracefully above and behind him, and his legs are bent in a dynamic pose. He has curly hair and is looking toward the camera. Behind him is Toronto City Hall, with its two curved towers and central council chamber. A Canadian flag is visible to the left, and a group of people sit along the edge of the skating rink below, watching.
On this day in 1949, Toller Cranston was born in Hamilton.
A highly influential figure skater, he is credited with bringing a new level of artistry to men's figure skating. He won an Olympic bronze medal and won every Canadian championship from 1971 to 1976. He died in 2015.
A dark-haired bearded white man in a dark suit sits in a chair, holding a book.
A dark-haired bearded white man in a dark suit sits in a chair, looking down at a book.
Bio of the Day: Thomas Robertson (1852–1902), civil servant, author, entrepreneur, and politician.
He supported ventures dedicated to the improvement of his region. His greatest contribution to the area came with his promotion of a local railway line. www.biographi.ca/en/bio/rober...
Portrait of a young man with dark hair, big dark eyes, and a high forehead. He is wearing a high-collared white shirt.
Bio of the Day: Olivar Asselin (1874–1937), journalist, polemicist, newspaper editor-in-chief and owner, office holder, real estate agent, soldier, and philanthropist.
Caught up in the nationalist movement, he helped found the Ligue Nationaliste Canadienne.
www.biographi.ca/en/bio/assel...
Colour photograph of Pierre Trudeau seated at a small table beside Queen Elizabeth II as she signs a document. Queen Elizabeth II wears a teal coat and matching hat, with medals pinned to her chest, and holds a pen over the paper. Pierre Trudeau, seated to her left, wears a dark suit and looks toward the document. Several men in formal suits stand around them, leaning in and observing. The scene takes place on a red-carpeted platform with a rope barrier in the foreground.
On April 17, 1982 on Parliament Hill, Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed the new Constitution Act.
This transferred the country's highest law from the British Parliament to Canada's federal and provincial legislatures.
This is the story.
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Deadline: June 30, 2026. Prize: $1,000. #cdnhist #history #immigration
Bio of the Day: Claude Chauchetière (1645–1709), Jesuit missionary, mathematician, artist, and mystic. He is considered one of New France’s pioneer painters. Interested in scientific concepts, he left notes on natural phenomena and descriptions of flora and fauna. buff.ly/WBSsh4T
A white woman wearing an elaborate hat and a high-collared dress looks towards the camera. She has a cat sitting on her shoulder.
Bio of the Day: Lily Dougall (1858–1923), author.
Her novels were widely and favourably reviewed, as were her philosophical and religious works. She was an intellectual writer with an enquiring mind who used her skills to challenge the status quo. www.biographi.ca/en/bio/douga...
Portrait of a Black man wearing black robes and with a white collar.
Typeset page, the title page of "Narrative of the Lord’s wonderful dealings with John Marrant".
Bio of the Day: John Marrant (1755–91), freeborn Black American, author, and minister of the Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion. He had a lasting impact on historical and literary trends among Black people in North America and Africa.
www.biographi.ca/en/bio/marra...
Happy National Canadian Film Day! The ACA Presentation of David Hartford's Back to God's Country is now available for the next 48 hours.
www.canfilmday.ca/event/association-of-canadian-archivists-presents-back-to-gods-country
#CanFilmDay
Gray-scale photo of a man wearing a gray suit, white shirt, and dark tie. He has a high forehead and a small moustache.
#NewBio! Paul Frederick Bredt (d. 1940) was a leader in the western Canadian grain industry and the agricultural cooperative movement in the 1930s. www.biographi.ca/en/bio/bredt... #Manitoba
Newfoundland Suffragists, ca. 1920s. A group of women in hats and sashes stand around a sign about a Woman's Franchise Meeting.
Do you know about our thematic galleries? These special projects bring together many biographies within the context of a theme. Today's highlighted theme is Women in the DCB/DBC: Winning the Right to Vote.
www.biographi.ca/en/theme_wom...
A white man with a high forehead, dark hair and a dark moustache is wearing a dark jacket with a bow tie and a high-collared white shirt.
Bio of the Day: Joseph-Dominique Guay (1866–1925), journalist, farmer, politician, and businessman.
A man of vision who focused on his own region, Joseph-Dominique Guay, throughout his life, devoted his energies to the development of the milieu he came from. www.biographi.ca/en/bio/guay_...
Terry Fox, a young man with curly hair, runs on a prosthetic leg. His T-shirt has a Canadian flag in the shape of a map of Canada and reads "Marathon of Hope".
Terry Fox's “Marathon of Hope” began in St. John's, Newfoundland on 12 April 1980, and by February 1981 over $24 million had been raised. The Terry Fox Run – annual local runs held in his memory – became a tradition that continues today.
www.biographi.ca/en/bio/fox_t...
A Black man with close-cropped hair and a large moustache is wearing a dark suit and a dark robe over it.
Bio of the Day: Delos Rogest Davis (1846–1915), teacher and lawyer.
Delos R. Davis was born in Maryland, the son of enslaved Black people. Although he is often believed to have been the first Black lawyer in Canada, two others had qualified before him.
biographi.ca/en/bio/davis...
Mike Weir smiling as another man helps him put on a green jacket from behind. He wears a black collared shirt with a small logo on the chest. The green jacket is open, showing its lining and interior pocket. A crowd of spectators sits and stands in the background, some clapping, with trees visible beyond them.
On this day in 2003, Mike Weir won the Masters Tournament. He became the first (and to date only) Canadian and the first left-handed player, to win the Masters. Weir also won the Lou Marsh Trophy (now the Northern Star Award) as Canada's Athlete of the Year.
job
History - Assistant Professor (Modern Canada)
Lakehead University - Thunder Bay Campus
Application Deadline: April 30th, 2026
csn-rec.ca/job-postings...
@cndhistassoc.bsky.social
Carved wooden oak lounge panel fragment believed to be from the First Class archway into the lounge. Musical-floral motif. Two vertical gaps designed for expansion and contraction alignment with the movement of the ship. Scratch marks on upper left corner. Jagged left and right edges.
This fragmented First Class lounge panel was the inspiration for Rose and Jack’s final moment in James Cameron’s Titanic.
Terry Fox stands on a rocky shoreline beside a body of water, wearing a light blue athletic shirt with darker sleeves, short running shorts, white socks, and running shoes. His right leg is a prosthetic. Doug Alward stands next to him in a tan jacket and dark pants, hands in his pockets. A rope or cable runs along the edge of the shore in front of them. The water extends into the background with a distant shoreline and buildings visible across it.
On April 12, 1980, Terry Fox, accompanied by his friend Doug Alward, dipped his right leg into the Atlantic Ocean at St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
It began the Marathon of Hope and turned Fox into a Canadian hero and icon.
This is the story.
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Bio of the Day: Louis Clexlixqen (Little Louis) (1828–1915), HBC employee, farmer, and Shuswap chief.
He was unflagging in his efforts to forge a confederacy or, if necessary, a military alliance of the Shuswap, Thompson River, and Okanagan tribes on the land issue.
www.biographi.ca/en/bio/clexl...
Drawing of a white man with light-coloured eyes and a high forehead, wearing a jacket and vest and a dark tie knotted around his neck.
Bio of the Day: Linus Wilson Miller (1817–80), farmer and insurrectionist.
He was among the Americans who strongly sympathized with the “Patriot” cause. He was sentenced and transported to Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania), arriving there in 1840.
www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mille...
Portrait of Mary Heister Reid. She is wearing a brimmed hat and a fur coat.
Bio of the Day: Mary Augusta Catharine Hiester (Reid) (1854–1921), artist.
Best known as a painter of floral still lifes, by 1890 she was widely considered the pre-eminent flower painter in Canada.
www.biographi.ca/en/bio/hiest...
Glenn Gould seated at a piano on a concert stage, turned slightly toward the camera with one hand near the keys. He wears a dark suit and sits on a low chair. Behind him, members of an orchestra are visible with music stands and instruments, dressed in formal attire. The lighting is focused on Gould and the piano, leaving the background dimmer.
On this day in 1964, Glenn Gould gave his final public performance. He greatly disliked public performances, considering it a form of competition. He subsequently devoted himself to studio work. In his career, he gave less than 200 concerts, and only about 40 outside Canada.
Ted Kotcheff seated in a close-up portrait, with medium-length thinning hair and a thick dark mustache. He is wearing a light-colored short-sleeve shirt with a few buttons undone at the collar. His head is turned slightly to the side, eyes looking off-camera, with a neutral expression. The background is plain and out of focus.
On this day in 1931, Ted Kotcheff was born in Toronto. He directed The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Rambo First Blood, Weekend at Bernies and several other films. He won a Canadian Film Award and was nominated for a Genie, Gemini and the Palme d'Or. He died in 2025.