On June 22, 1633, Galileo was convicted of heresy by the Church and forced to recant his statements that the Earth rotated around the sun and not vice-versa as the Bible said and Church taught. hmmmm
On April 12, 1633, chief inquisitor Father Vincenzo Maculani da Firenzuola, appointed by Pope Urban VIII, began the inquisition. Galileo was ordered to turn himself in to the Holy Office to begin trial for holding the belief that the Earth revolves around the sun, which was deemed heretical by the Catholic Church. Standard practice demanded that the accused be imprisoned and secluded during the trial.
This was the second time that Galileo was in the hot seat for refusing to accept Church orthodoxy that the Earth was the immovable center of the universe: In 1616, he had been forbidden from holding or defending his beliefs. In the 1633 interrogation, Galileo denied that he “held” belief in the Copernican view but continued to write about the issue and evidence as a means of “discussion” rather than belief. The Church had decided the idea that the sun moved around the Earth was an absolute fact of scripture that could not be disputed, despite the fact that scientists had known for centuries that the Earth was not the center of the universe.
This time, Galileo’s technical argument didn’t win the day. On June 22, 1633, the Church handed down the following order: “We pronounce, judge, and declare, that you, the said Galileo… have rendered yourself vehemently suspected by this Holy Office of heresy, that is, of having believed and held the doctrine (which is false and contrary to the Holy and Divine Scriptures) that the sun is the center of the world, and that it does not move from east to west, and that the earth does move, and is not the center of the world.”
Along with the order came the following penalty: “We order that by a public edict the book of Dialogues of Galileo Galilei be prohibited, and We condemn thee to the prison of this Holy Office during Our will and pleasure; and as a salutary penance We enjoin on thee that for the space of three years thou shalt recite once a week the Seven Penitential Psalms.”
Galileo agreed not to teach the heresy anymore and spent the rest of his life under house arrest. It took more than 300 years for the Church to admit that Galileo was right and to clear his name of heresy.
One thing that no American would ever know, or for that matter most Canadians, is that the most southern part of Canada, specifically Point Pelee National Park in Lake Erie, (think Detroit-Windsor) is farther south (41.75 degrees latitude) than the most northern part of California next to the Oregon border. (41.99 degrees) Hard to imagine, yes. This one has won a lot of beer bets over the years. (red wine actually but that does not sound quite as macho as it should)
The national sport of Canada is…nope, not hockey, seemed like it was basketball in 2019, but it actually is, drum roll please,……… lacrosse.
Speaking of the Raptors, we must recall that this sport was invented in 1891 by a Canadian. True
I know what you are thinking. Big deal, no Canadian players in the NBA since? Not quite. Steve Nash from Vancouver was MVP two consecutive years in 2004 and 2005.
And……Andrew Wiggins from Toronto was first overall pick in 2014 NBA draft.
And…the first ever NBA game was played between the Toronto Huskies and the New York Knickerbockers on November 1, 1946 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
Speaking of “first evers”, the first recorded baseball game took place in Beachville, Ontario in 1838. (no clue where this place is)
.and…..Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run on the Toronto Islands as a rookie in the International League on September 5, 1914.
Fascinating Trivia
The population of Canada is 40 million in 2023 whereas that of California is 39 million. Canada, however, is divided into 10 provinces, 3 territories each with a legislative body and one federal government. Seems like a lot of governing to me.
Ninety percent of the Canadian population lives within 100 miles of the American border. We are not crazy, after all !
Toronto is the fourth largest city in North America at 2.79 million, just a tad ahead of Chicago. Mexico City, New York and Los Angeles are the top three.
Canada is a parliamentary democracy. The Prime Minister is the leader of the party in power. He or she is not specifically elected for this position as is the case in the republic to the south. However, the PM must be the successful candidate in his or her riding to sit in the House of Commons. All cabinet ministers are generally also elected members of Parliament. It is a custom as opposed to a legal requirement.
The Senate is an appointed body. It is an anachronism. It should be abolished. Every bill which is passed by the House of Commons must also receive Senate approval. The last Conservative government stated that it would simply refuse to appoint any more members to the Senate. The present Liberal government has not made any official position known.</p>
Quebec City is the sole walled city in North America and is a UNESCO site. It was founded in 1608.
La belle ville, the only walled city in North America
Lunenberg, Nova Scotia also has the same international designation. It is an example of a planned British colonial settlement built in 1753. It remains today as originally constructed.
Lunenberg, home of German immigrants, initially
Many Canadians will know that Tommy Douglas is widely considered the person responsible for the creation of the Canadian universal medical health care system, but few know that his for real life grandson is….Kiefer Sutherland !
When Really Was The War of 1812?
The War of 1812 was kinda sorta between Canada and the US, except that Canada did not yet exist. Both sides claim victory but we know the real story. It actually was the war of 1812 to 1814 between the British and the US but the majority of the war was fought in Ontario and upper NY state, including Lake Ontario.
The war started because the British were then fighting Napoleon and the French, as usual, and had barred any trade between France and neutral countries, which included the US. This annoyed the powers-to-be in Washington who then declared war on the Brits. Actually, in fairness, the British had intercepted American merchant marine ships and “suggested” their sailors join the British Navy.
When the Americans burned down the Capital building in Toronto (actually called York at the time), the British retaliated by burning down the White House, although it was not white then, it was then red . It became white when it was rebuilt.
Something to Sing About
After the British ransacked Washington, they then attacked Baltimore in the battle of Fort McHenry. It was not victorious as the Americans defended successfully. To get to the point, however at long last, it was this battle which inspired the American anthem, the Star Spangled Banner.
When the war was resolved by the Treaty of Ghent in December of 1814, news of this event had yet to reach the soldiers of either army in Louisiana. The Battle of New Orleans was fought when both sides had yet to learn that the war was over. Now that would be a tough way to go.
Long before email
Beer Rocks
This advertisement caught the eyes of Canadians, appropriately run by a beer company, Molsons, which is no longer Canadian owned, but part of the Anheuser-Bush empire. It well reflects Canadian views of not being Americano.
