In this column, I continue documenting the extraordinary lives of Newmarket pioneers of the early 1900s In previous columns, the name Oliver Edgar Tench has surfaced regarding the designing of local schools, buildings and houses, so I felt he was an excellent historical character to examine as part of this series. Oliver Edgar Tench (1859-1941)…
Author: HistoryHound
Few Could Afford TVs In Its Early Days
This is part two of a series on the history of Canadian television. You can read part one about the most popular and long-running shows here. I must confess, in the past, I have been prone to watching too much television, more than was likely good for me. Today, I tend to watch primarily sporting events…
Ryerson Was Influential — For Better And Worse
The practice of “officially erasing” figures from our history has become more commonplace today, which has prompted me to undertake an examination of Egerton Ryerson. Ryerson rose to historical stardom and then, recently, was practically erased from history. In this column, we shall examine Ryerson — warts and all. Hopefully, I will present a balanced view of…
The History Of Our Jewish Canadians
I recently had a discussion about how wonderful the Newmarket demographic mosaic is and how it contributes to making Newmarket such an intriguing place to live. The conversation turned to the historical presence of various ethnic groups in Canada and particularly in my hometown. It was this basic curiosity concerning how we all got here…
Canadians Were Quick To Jump On Horseless Carriage Trend
The first part of this series can be read here. In the second instalment of the history of the car in Canada series, I will continue my examination of the birth of the automobile in Canada with a chronological examination of the industry’s growth domestically. July 1, 2024, marked the 157th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, and I…
Which Canadian TV Shows Are Most Popular?
This is the second article in a two-part series on Canadian television, this one looking at some of the most popular shows and some of the longest running shows. Some of them may surprise you. Let us start with some of the longest-running Canadian TV shows: Heartland is currently the longest-running Canadian drama series having aired for 16 seasons…
Augustus Jones Helped Pave Way To Today’s Communities
We have had so many extraordinary historical characters who have played a part in our past and it’s always a pleasure to engage in the research necessary to properly document their contributions to our collective history. Over the next six months, I shall endeavor to portray some of these historical characters as part of a…
July and August Article Schedule
Good Morning Everyone, I wanted to provide a list of pending articles which will appear on Newmarket Today and on my website covering the period from this Saturday to August 17th. I know that some of you like to know what is coming up! 15-Jun Augustus Jones 22-Jun History of Cars in Canada 1 29-Jun…
Lions Were The First Service Club In Newmarket
About a year ago, Brad Joseph pitched the idea of doing a column on the Lions Clubs of Newmarket and their history. He arranged for me to interview Tom Gordon from the North Newmarket Lions Club, and this column is the product of that interview and some information I had from a previous presentation. I’ll…
The Neighborly History Of Newmarket And Aurora
In celebration of the launch of AuroraToday, I thought I would dedicate this column to a quick comparison our histories. I think you will find many parallels and some interesting differences between the two communities. The addition of a wider coverage of our local history is a most welcome enterprise and particularity so in the case of our…