Thanks to Marsha Boulton, I’ve just been taught about (or reminded of) 71 stories that contribute to our Canadian culture.

Just a Minute is the ultimate Canadian bathroom reader. The stories cover a broad sweep of time (from 1000 to 1964) and are each treated in less than three pages. (Sometimes you can sneak two in at one … sitting.) Boulton covers topics like:

• Laura Secord’s heroic journey
• The largest manmade explosion prior to the atomic bomb
• The first trans-Atlantic telegraph signal
• The original of Canadian baseball
• Grey Owl’s identity crisis

Due to the nature of a three page story, these sketches don’t go into depth, but that’s not the point. Reading Just a Minute is an interesting way to brush up on your Canadian trivia and bolster your Canadian pride.

Boulton, Marsha. Just a Minute: Glimpses of Our Great Canadian Heritage. McArthur & Company, 1994.