Dueling—that organized method of combat was used to determine a man’s honor, but it has since the turn of the 19th century fallen by the wayside. Canada’s last ever duel occurred in 1873 and was amusingly absent of the steely-eyed severity that one would expect.
As the two men were standing back-to-back, both armed with pistols, they began pacing the necessary ten steps, but they were both gripped by an overpowering fear at what was about to happen. As they turned around to fire, one hit the ground immediately after he fainted from fright. The other was horrified, believing he had shot and killed him. Soon after, it was revealed that their pistols had been loaded with blanks!
True North Cold and Free
One of the coldest temperature to have ever been recorded was in Canada. It was -63 C, that's -81.4 F, and it was recorded at Snag, Yukon back in 1947.
That's about the same temperature as the surface of Mars!
Sorry?
Canadians are famous for saying "sorry" at any slight bit of offense. But interestingly, in the Canadian province of Ontario, an apology does not inevitably mean taking responsibility.
The province instituted a piece of legislation called the Apology Act, which states that speaking legally, an apology is not an expression of fault or responsibility. Sorry!
First Thanksgiving
The first Thanksgiving that was ever hosted in North America occurred in Canada by the English explorer called Martin Frobisher in Newfoundland back in 1578 during his journey to find the Northwest Passage.
It was only 43 years later—in 1621—that the pilgrims hosted their first Thanksgiving at Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts. So we guess that explains why they're held in different months?
Some Cereal and 19 Acres
In the 1950s, Quaker Oats, the breakfast cereal giant, offered their customers one square inch of land in the barren Northern Canadian territory of the Yukon if they purchased a box of their oatmeal cereal. The giveaway became a legal battle for Quaker Oats, with twenty-one million deeds that represented about 19 acres of land, were printed and placed on Quaker Oats cereal boxes across the country.
As we would expect, boxes flew off the shelves, but many didn't even claim their land. As for Quaker Oats, they never paid taxes on the 19 acres, and, alas, the Canadian government claimed it back for a small fee of $37.20 in 1965.