The Great Whale Robbery of Labrador

The Great Whale Robbery of Labrador

Basque whalers in the 1500s travelled to the very edge of their known universe in search of their gargantuan prey, and landed on the shores of a fog-shrouded bay in Labrador. In this unlikely setting, Canadiana revels in one of Canada's most absurd true crime stories: the tale of a Basque who stole from their rival, sparking a Spanish Supreme Court case that wouldn't be settled for nearly 20 years.

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Winnipeg's Secret Code

Winnipeg's Secret Code

The Manitoba Legislative Building has a hidden code. If you look closely, you’ll find Egyptian sphinxes, the Arc of the Covenant, Greek monsters, cattle skulls, lion heads, and a mysterious black star. The question is: what does it all have to do with Winnipeg?

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The Forbidden City

The Forbidden City

Canada’s oldest Chinatown was once considered to be a “forbidden city” — a segregated maze of alleyways, hidden courtyards, brother, gambling dens and opium factories. But it’s history is also one of proud resilience in the face of some of the most racist laws our country has ever seen.

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The King of Queen's Park

The King of Queen's Park

How did an old statue from the other side of the world ended up in the middle of downtown Toronto? It's a bloody story of royalty, revolution, and two cities with very different experiences of what it meant to be members of the British Empire.

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A Tomb in High Park

A Tomb in High Park

Hidden away in a quiet corner of Toronto's High Park, you'll find a massive tomb surrounded by a very old fence. And how it ended up there is a morbid tale of grave robbers, shipwrecks and death.

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