JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

  The Telegram, March 15, 1949. I've been on a hot streak of stories for TVO over the past two weeks, which is winding down with a look at the 75th anniversary of residents moving into the first phase of Regent Park . 

  St. James' Cathedral after the Great Fire of 1849. Wikimedia Commons/Toronto Public Library. This time out, a look at the Great Fire of 1849 , which struck Toronto 175 years ago this month. What really struck me while researching this story was the depictions of public apathy toward helping out during unfolding disasters, with at least one description reminding me of modern armchair quarterbacking (people who will have an opinion about everything, but do absolutely nothing to solve problems). 

  Two TTC guides standing next to a scale-model cake of a subway train. Royal York Hotel, March 30, 1954. (City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1128, Series 381, File 298, Item 11847-5). Two stories this time out. First up: a look at the 70th anniversary of the opening of Toronto's first subway line , complete with celebratory cake. Front page of Windsor Star, April 4, 1974. Second, a look at the 50th anniversary of a deadly tornado that struck Windsor , one of 148 that struck eastern North America that day. 

  San Francisco Examiner, January 10, 1976. Why are these men smiling? Because, for a brief moment, they had settled a deal to buy the San Francisco Giants and were going to move the team to Toronto . But, as we know, that didn't quite pan out. It's the back door secret origin of the Blue Jays, with guest appearances by Harold Ballard and Danny Kaye!

  The Telegram, August 21, 1958. This month's Spacing repost takes a look at the debates surrounding approval of the Bloor-Danforth subway line (today's Line 2), which faced opposition from suburban politicians convinced it would be too much of a tax burden for their constituents, a burden that they would never use. You'll also discover some politicians who may have had consultations with Lyle Lanley (had to drop a classic Simpsons reference in there...). 

  Publicity photo of Kit Coleman, c. 1894. Library and Archives Canada. This time around, for International Women's Day, I look at Kit Coleman, Canada's first officially-accredited war correspondent, and her coverage of the Spanish-American War in Cuba for the Mail and Empire in 1898 . 

  Kitchener-Waterloo Record, January 2, 1991. To mark the passing of Brian Mulroney, my latest piece for TVO looks at one of his administration's legacies, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) . With only just over two weeks between its final passage and public implementation, there was plenty of scrambling - let's just say it was a golden age to be a technician specializing in either cash registers or taxi meters. And there's an amusing headline about a revision to the tax that will make every inner 12-year-old smile. 

  Winding down my Black History Month coverage for TVO for this year with the tale of one of the most controversial exhibits the Royal Ontario Museum ever mounted ...and how it became a textbook example of how not to mount such an exhibit.

  Toronto Star, January 2, 1971. For Spacing , I revisit a piece focusing on a January 1971 Toronto Star feature where local politicians and dignitaries were asked for their visions on how to make Toronto a more pleasant place to live . 

  Toronto Star, May 25, 1959. Kicking off my Black History Month coverage with a look at what happened when an interracial group of teens from Toronto travelled to Buffalo to appear on a TV dance show and ran into prejudice provoked by a few angry viewers .  EXTRA! How bad was the coverage of the incident in Buffalo's two major dailies? The Buffalo Evening News ran a wire report buried on page 17!

  Ottawa Citizen, February 16, 1934. To mark this weekend's NHL All-Star Game, for TVO I journey back 90 years to the first gathering of the league's top players, which was held as a benefit for injured Toronto Maple Leafs star Ace Bailey. 

  Eldorado’s John Street in the early 1900s, with a shingle mill, box factory, and railway tracks. Community Archives of Belleville and Hastings County. For TVO, I look at Ontario's first gold rush during the 1860s , which was centered around our version of Eldorado, just north of Madoc.