via Wikimedia Commons
As you probably know, Canada is having a big birthday this year. On July 1st, 2017 citizens nation-wide celebrated Canada 150. That’s right, it’s been 150 years since Canadian Confederation. To celebrate this milestone, we put together a list of interesting facts about Canada that gives us an even bigger reason to love our country.
1) Basketball
Although Canada has only one NBA team (Toronto Raptors), Ontarian James Naismith invented basketball back in 1891.
via Giphy
2) Pizza
Speaking of inventions, Hawaiian pizza wasn’t created by someone of Hawaiian descent, rather it was created in 1962 by fellow Canadian Sam Panopoulos.
3) Mac ‘n Cheese
While we’re on the topic of food, did you know that Canada consumes more mac and cheese than any other country in the world? I mean, how can we resist that cheesy, gooey goodness?
via Meme Generator
4) Canadian Coastline
Did you know that Canada has the longest coastline in the world? It would take about four and a half years to walk along Canada’s entire coastline. Maybe we can save that for our next cardio day.
5) Wild Weather
As many of you have probably experienced, we can get some crazy weather here in Canada. One of the most mind baffling weather moments has got to be in Pincher Creek, Alta. in 1962 when the temperature went from -19C to 22C in just one hour.
via Giphy
6) National Sport
Many people mistaken hockey as Canada’s sole national sport, but lacrosse is actually one as well! According to the National Sports of Canada Act, lacrosse is the national summer sport of Canada, and hockey is Canada’s national winter sport.
7) Bathtub Race
Bet you didn’t know there is a world championship bathtub race held every year in Nanaimo, B.C.? In fact, the annual international competition has been running since 1967!
via Giphy
8) Eh!
If you were to ask anyone in the world about what words come to mind when they think about Canada, they would probably say the word “eh.” We’re ecstatic to let you know that the word “eh” is actually in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, and is indeed a word.
9) So Sorry
A lot of people readily acknowledge that Canadians like to say “sorry,” even if we did nothing wrong. In fact, we said “sorry” so frequently in court that in 2009 the government passed an Apology Act, which clarifies that apologies aren’t a representation of guilt, rather it is just a commonly used term for “sympathy and regret.”
via Imgflip
10) UFO Landing Pad
Finally, when we say Canada’s ideas are out of this world, we mean it. Literally. In 1967, the UFO Landing Pad was built in St. Paul, Alberta, making it the first UFO landing pad in world history.
via WiffleGif
Moreover, Canada is one of the five native English-speaking countries in the world along with the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
Moreover, Canada is one of the five native English-speaking countries in the world along with the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand (Kachru, 1985).