Nov. 21, 2019 marked the 236th anniversary of the first untethered, manned hot air balloon flight. The flight was the result of the work of Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, brothers from the small town of Vandalon, France. Their father’s lucrative paper company enabled them to fund their scientific endeavours and[Read More…]
Tag: history
Searching for the Fountain of Youth
Montreal community members crowded into the Redpath Museum Auditorium on Sept. 27 for a Freaky Friday lecture. In the talk, Professor Joe Schwarcz, Director of the McGill Office for Science and Society, discussed humanity’s historical attempts to delay aging. “Nobody looks forward to getting old,” Schwarcz said. “Historically, there has[Read More…]
Social media: The scrapbook of our time
Being a naturally private person, I have never felt social media came easily to me. I’ve often found myself sympathizing with those who criticize my generation for our tendency to overshare online, not because I see it as symptomatic of narcissism, but simply because I don’t share the same impulse.[Read More…]
Esteemed McGill professor Desmond Morton passes away
On Sept. 3, the McGill community lost 81-year-old Desmond Morton, an esteemed author and professor whose contributions as a ‘historian of conflict’ earned him numerous accolades. Morton was the Hiram Mills Professor in the Department of History and Classical Studies at McGill since 1998. Antonia Maioni, the Dean of the[Read More…]
Beyond the gates of Montreal’s cemeteries
Taking a peek inside Montreal’s spookiest necropolis.
Little corporal, big world
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA)’s Napoleon: Art and Court Life in the Imperial Palace offers a scale and quality of artwork exhibited in is immediately reflected upon entering the museum. The second floor of the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion is transformed into a replica of Tulieries Palace under[Read More…]
“Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance” explores a conflict still unresolved
During the summer of 1990, a centuries-long land dispute between Mohawk members of the Kanehsatà:ke community and the Canadian government developed into an armed confrontation that would last for almost three months. The conflict broke out because of a proposed golf course expansion in Oka, a small town roughly 60[Read More…]
‘The Cradle Will Rock’ offers a snapshot of American socialist history
The McGill English Department’s production of The Cradle Will Rock will show Thursday, Nov. 30 to Saturday, Dec. 4. at Moyse Hall. Today, Marc Blitzstein’s musical The Cradle Will Rock (1937) is remembered not for its content, but for the outrage sparked by its original production. Directed by Orson Welles (Citizen Kane),[Read More…]
‘In Search of Expo 67’ offers perspective on Montreal World’s Fair
The Montreal Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) has opened up its doors for spectators to explore the world of Montreal’s proudest moment on the international stage (sorry 1976 Olympics). In Search of Expo 67 takes us back 50 years to a booming Montreal; a city welcoming the world’s fair during[Read More…]
What does it mean to call food nourishing: A historical perspective
Today, individuals who wish to commit to a healthy diet will find no shortage of scientific data to ground their choices. However, as we scroll past yet another study about the nutritional merits of the latest fad diet, it may be instructive to look back on the time before the[Read More…]
