Canadian Institute for Historical Education

The atomic bomb that changed the world had a Canadian chapter few people know.

On this day in 1945, the United States dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, just three days after Hiroshima. Within days, Japan surrendered, bringing the Second World War to an end.

While the bomb was built in the United States, Canada played a significant role in the Allied atomic program.

Canadian scientists worked in cooperation with British and American researchers at the Montreal Laboratory and later at the Chalk River Laboratories in Ontario, helping solve some of the scientific challenges behind nuclear technology. At the same time, uranium mined at Port Radium in the Northwest Territories supplied critical material for Manhattan Project experiments.

Canada's contribution reflected a broader wartime reality: scientific research had become a strategic weapon.

The end of the war ushered in the nuclear age, transforming international relations, military strategy, medicine and energy production. Nuclear technology would go on to power cities, treat cancer and advance scientific research. It would also introduce humanity to the possibility of its own destruction.

The story reminds us that history is rarely divided neatly into heroes and villains. The same scientific breakthroughs that helped end one of history's deadliest wars also created ethical questions that continue to shape global politics nearly eighty years later.

Credit: Library and Archives Canada/National Film Board

Did you know that August 9 is recognized as National Peacekeepers' Day in Canada because of a tragic event in 1974?

On August 9, 1974, a Canadian Armed Forces Buffalo transport aircraft was shot down by Syrian missiles while on a routine United Nations peacekeeping resupply mission over Syria. All nine Canadian peacekeepers on board were killed.

This remains the deadliest single-day loss in Canadian peacekeeping history, and it is the reason Canada honours peacekeepers each year on this date.

The incident took place after the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, when Canadian forces were helping maintain a fragile ceasefire in the Golan Heights under the United Nations. The aircraft was unarmed, clearly marked with UN colours, and carrying out what should have been a routine supply mission.

While many Canadians today associate Syria with more recent conflicts, Canadian peacekeepers were serving—and sacrificing—their lives there decades earlier in the pursuit of peace.

Since 1948, more than 125,000 Canadians have taken part in peace support missions around the world. Their service is a reminder that peacekeeping often involves real risk and sacrifice.

The story of the Buffalo Nine is why August 9 is more than just a date—it’s a day to remember the courage and commitment of Canadians who have served in peacekeeping missions.

The “Buffalo Nine” (from the top, left to right): Captain George Garry Foster, Captain Keith Bradley Mirau, Corporal Morris Harry Trevor Kennington, Corporal Michael William Simpson, Master Warrant Officer Gaston Landry, Master Warrant Officer Cyril Bogdan Korejwo, Master Corporal Ronald Clifford Spencer, Corporal Bruce Kenneth Stringer and Captain Robert Barr Wicks. PHOTO COMPOSITE: Adapted from Vintage Wings of Canada

At 4:20 a.m., every gun opened fire.

“Every gun shot together,” recalled Canadian gunner Bertie Cox, “and the thing was off.”

On August 8, 1918, the Canadian Corps launched its attack at Amiens, beginning what became known as Canada’s Hundred Days: a series of victories that helped bring the First World War to an end.

The operation depended on secrecy and surprise. More than 100,000 Canadian soldiers, along with their artillery, vehicles, horses and supplies, had been quietly moved some 120 kilometres to the Amiens front. Tanks, aircraft, artillery and infantry then advanced together through the early morning mist.

The German lines broke. Canadian troops advanced as far as eight kilometres on the first day. German commander Erich Ludendorff later called August 8 “the black day of the German Army.”

Historian J.L. Granatstein argues that the Hundred Days, rather than Vimy Ridge alone, should be remembered as Canada’s greatest military achievement. From Amiens through Arras, the Drocourt-Quéant Line, the Canal du Nord and Cambrai, the Canadian Corps helped defeat a German army that was still fighting fiercely.

But victory came at a terrible price. During the final three months of the war, the Canadian Corps suffered approximately 45,000 casualties.

The Last Hundred Days revealed how far Canada’s military had come since 1914. It had become a disciplined and highly effective fighting force, capable of helping turn a four-year stalemate into victory.

Yet, as Granatstein observes, this extraordinary and costly chapter of Canadian history remains far less familiar than Vimy.

On August 8, we remember the Canadians who began the final advance, and those who did not live to see the peace that followed.

Further reading: J.L. Granatstein, The Greatest Victory: Canada’s One Hundred Days, 1918; Granatstein’s account of the opening attack at Amiens; and Veterans Affairs Canada’s history of the Last Hundred Days.


Photos: Library and Archives Canada

: Yousuf Karsh

You may not immediately recognize the name Yousuf Karsh. But you almost certainly know at least one of the faces he photographed.

Winston Churchill, glowering at the camera with defiant resolve. Albert Einstein, his expression thoughtful and weary. Ernest Hemingway in a heavy fisherman’s sweater. Georgia O’Keeffe, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Queen Elizabeth II and countless other artists, scientists, political leaders and cultural figures.

Karsh did more than photograph some of the most influential people of the 20th century. He helped shape how history remembers them.

Born in 1908 to an Armenian family in Mardin, in what is now Türkiye, Karsh grew up amid persecution and violence during the Armenian genocide. His family escaped to Syria, and in 1924, at the age of 16, he was sent to Canada to live with his uncle, a photographer in Sherbrooke, Quebec.

Karsh spoke little English or French when he arrived. But in his uncle’s studio, he began learning the craft that would define his life. After apprenticing with Armenian portrait photographer John Garo in Boston, he returned to Canada and established his own studio in Ottawa in 1932.

His breakthrough came on December 30, 1941, when Winston Churchill visited Parliament Hill. Churchill had just delivered a rousing wartime speech when Karsh was given only a few minutes to take his portrait. When Churchill refused to put down his cigar, Karsh stepped forward and removed it himself.

Churchill’s scowl produced one of the most famous photographs ever taken. Known as The Roaring Lion, the portrait came to symbolize Britain’s determination during the Second World War and made “Karsh of Ottawa” internationally famous.

Yet Karsh’s real contribution went beyond a single image.

Through his careful use of light, composition and conversation, he tried to reveal the character behind the public figure. He studied his subjects closely, spoke with them before raising his camera and waited for the moment when something genuine appeared. His portraits became a visual record of an extraordinary century.

Karsh also carried Canada’s name around the world. He could have built his career in London, Paris or New York. Instead, he made Ottawa his professional home and signed his work proudly: “Karsh of Ottawa.”

What can Canadians learn from his life?

Karsh’s story reminds us that people who arrive in Canada after experiencing persecution and displacement do not simply become part of our country. They can help define it. His success was made possible by talent and determination, but also by family, mentorship and the opportunity to build a new life.

Karsh understood that every face contains a story. His gift was taking the time to look closely enough to find it.

Who is one Canadian whose story deserves to be better known?

Submit your idea to Telling Canada’s Stories and help us bring the people who shaped this country into clearer focus.

Photo: Chris Lund, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

For Telling Canada's Stories, we are looking for your ideas on Canadians whose story you think should be better known

As Canada approaches its 160th anniversary in 2027, it is an opportunity to reflect on the people whose contributions helped shape our country.

Nominate a historical figure whose contributions deserve more recognition, or submit your own story to help us shine a light on Canada's rich and diverse past.

Share your idea in the comments or submit it on our website at https://buff.ly/C94x7Jg

Telling Canada's Stories — because history is about more than just the names we already know.