Canada150

Aaaaaaaaaahhhh 150 years my country has been independeeeeeent
I'M SO PROOOUUUUUD

This took me forever, and I'm not totally happy with it, tbh. I knew I had to get something out for 150 years, however, since I will hopefully have escaped this fandom by the time 200 rolls around ;D
   HAPPY CANADA DAY!!!/JOYEUSE FETE DU CANADA!!!     

NOW, LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY AMAZING COUNTRY:
(I'll do small tidbits about the photos on the three main rows, starting from the top left and working across/down. Note they are not in chronological order haha...)
Row 1:
    1. Group of 7 artists (founded 1920): Painted the Canadian Shield. They were some of Canada's most influential artists, and are still celebrated as being major contributors to Canadian art society.
    2. Confederation! 
    3. Avro Arrow (late 1950s): A revolutionary interceptor jet produced by Avro Canada during the height of the Cold War. Along with its engine, the Iroquois (a masterpiece in itself), this interceptor was truly ahead of its time. Plans had it travelling Mach 2 (really fast for the time), with maneuverability of 2g at 15 240 metres of altitude. Tragically, the Arrow ended up canceled, mostly due to the high costs. However, inexplicably, the five completed planes, 37 nearly-completed planes, the Iroquois engine, as well as any design sheets, plans, records, and test results - anything pertaining to the project - were to be immediately dismantled, torched, and disposed of. The Iroquois engine suffered a similar fate. The only way records were kept was by workers and engineers sneaking files out of the building in their lunch kits as their wonderful planes were literally torn to shreds (seriously, look up photos of the Arrow's Black Friday). No one truly knows why the Arrow and Iroquois were destroyed - they were powerful, and an all-Canadian symbol made by Canadians for Canadians. However, many conspiracies point to the Americans. The US had always shown interest in the Arrow, but once they saw its strength, many believe they played a role in having it destroyed for fear it would fall into Soviet hands, as well as the CIA's nervousness that it could far outperform their top planes. Canada was removed from the aeronautical industry, and we still haven't managed to regain our leading role in the field, leaving the Americans to take our place. Canadian anti-American paranoia, or legit? Again, no one knows, but it is interesting to mention that the US immediately sold a bunch of crappy, second-hand Voodoo fighters to Canada directly afterwards. ... Dunno, seems fishy. (Sorry, that was long, but OMG I love this plane. Did a major research paper on it heh heh (got 100% yuuus). Anyway, DEFINITELY do more research on this one. Epic Canadian achievement with a tragic ending.)
    4. Château Frontenac in Québec City. Absolutely beautiful, 10/10 would recommend a visit.
Row 2:
    1. Canadarm(2)! Canada's major contribution to the International Space Station. A remote-controlled mechanical arm "deployed, captured and repaired satellites, positioned astronauts, maintained equipment, and moved cargo." (-Canadian Encyclopedia)
    2. Construction of Peace Tower (Completed 1920): After the fire that burnt Centre Block to the ground in 1916, a new version was built with Peace Tower at the head. On the second floor is the Memorial Chamber, a room containing the seven Books of Remembrance. The books are each dedicated to conflicts Canada has taken part in, and contain the names of those Canadians whose lives were lost because of it. Every morning at 11 a.m., the pages are flipped, allowing every name to be on display once during the calendar year. Parliament Hill is a LOVELY place, visit if you haven't!!
    3. Canadians on D-Day (1944): The Canadians fought in Operation Overlord alongside their British and American brothers. The beach they landed on was called Juno Beach. By the end of the first day, Canadian troops had penetrated the furthest inland, and went on to play a vital role in the liberation of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
    4. The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, BCATP (1939): During WWII, Canada was tasked with training nearly all of the Commonwealth's pilots, and this was the name of the plan to do it. Fun fact: many British ace pilots, both in WWI and WWII, were actually Canadian.
    5. Vimy Ridge Memorial: Erected in 1936 as a dedication to Canada for its role in capturing the strategic location of Vimy Ridge, France. It was held strong by German forces, and both the French and British had tried and failed to capture the point many times, losing thousands in the process. The task was handed to Canada, and, after nearly a year of preparation, the battle began. After three days, Vimy had fallen to the Canadians. As thanks for breaking the front, France gifted the land of Vimy Ridge to Canada, and it is now Canadian territory. The battle also celebrated its 100th anniversary this year.
Row 3:
    1. Queen Elizabeth and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau signing the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms into law (1982): The Charter replaced the British North America Act, and this was technically Canada's final step to becoming its own, full-fledged nation. The Charter has since been a model worldwide, held in the highest of regards, with countries such as South Africa basing their own acts on it.
    2. Summit Series (1972): At the height of the Cold War, it was the Soviet Union vs Canada in an epic eight-game series of ice hockey. The eight game came around, and so far, Canada and the USSR were tied 3 victories to 3, with one tie. The Canadians overcame a two-point Soviet lead, and by the third period, the game was a tie. And then, with 34 seconds left on the clock, Paul Henderson scored Canada the winning goal. Now, sure, this was just a game of hockey, but the ideological conflict going on at the time truly made this a game of dominance - Soviets and North America, their cold war carrying over onto the ice. Winning this summit was a huge deal, a war won in itself. (My friends all tease me when I tell this story. They just don't appreciate that it was more than just a hockey game lol...)
    3. Unveiling of the new Canadian flag (1965): A contest was held, and the maple leaf flag design was selected. The British symbols held by its predecessor were not carried over into the new design. The flag's maple leaf has a point for all thirteen of the provinces and territories, though the stem must be counted, as Nunavut wouldn't separate from the Northwest Territories until 1999.
    4. Alouette 1 (1962): In 1962, Canada became the third country to launch a satellite into orbit (after the USSR and US), and the first to do so for non-military purposes. Due to its success, the US and Canada signed an agreement to work together to launch further satellites.
    5. Expo 67, the Universal and International Exhibition (1967): The highlights of Canada's centennial celebrations, Canada hosted the World's Fair in Montreal. It was originally supposed to be held in the Soviet Union, but due to complications within the Union, was handed to Canada. As such, there was a huge time crunch to get it ready. Many people thought it would be impossible (heck, a computer mathed it out, and it claimed it would be impossible), but in the end, they made it happen. Many people still believe it to be one of the most successful World's Fairs, and Canadians took great pride in it being a part of their nation's 100th year anniversary.
HISTORY RANT END

WOOO Sorry that was so long. Also, most of it was off the top of my head (with the exception of dates heh heh) so pardon any inaccuracies!! Photo credits mostly to the Canadian Encyclopedia and Archives Canada~
ONCE AGAIN, HAPPY CANADA DAY EVERYONE!!!!

(Full resolution file can be found here: Canada150_Full_Res, If you needed it for some reason.)