Fun Facts About Winnipeg

Last night as the Winnipeg Jets were crushing the Florida Panthers, the Fox TV feed of the Panther's play-by-play near the end of the game was hilarious.... instead of describing the defeat, the two announcers from Florida went into a conversation on the "Fun Facts About Winnipeg". I mean, it had to be more interesting than what their team was doing, no?

Oh yes it was:




And here are even more fun facts about my fine city they didn't mention:


Bob Hope played his first game of golf here.

It's the city Pi's family was headed for in The Life of Pi.

The Harlequin Romance publishing empire began in Winnipeg.

Winnipeg celebrities include Monty Hall, David Steinberg, Terry Fox, Neil Young, The Guess Who, Randy Bachman (BTO) and Oscar Winner Anna Paquin.

The Second World War’s most famous spymaster Sir William Stephenson, the man called Intrepid, was the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s 007. He was born and raised in Winnipeg.

The first movie ever filmed in Canada was in Winnipeg. It was propaganda for the CP railway, singing the praises of Manitoba to entice European farmers and their families to resettle here.

The Pan American Games, which are second in scale only to the summer Olympics, have been held twice in Canada—both times (1967 and 1999) in Winnipeg.

Winnipeg holds the 2008 Guinness World Record for the longest naturally frozen skating trail.

Tommy Douglas— raised in Winnipeg—is recognized as the “Father of Medicare” in this country.

Winnipegger Charles Thorson worked as part of the design team that created Snow White—who incidentally bore a striking resemblance to his Winnipeg girlfriend—during his time at Walt Disney Studio in the 1930s. While at the Warner Brothers Animation “factory,” he created the name and prototype of the infamous cartoon character, Bugs Bunny.

At the time of construction in 1968, the Winnipeg Floodway was the second-largest earth-moving project in the world after the Panama Canal. It has saved the city from flooding many times since it was constructed

In the early 1900s, Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle attended a séance at a Winnipeg physician's home and later declared, “Winnipeg stands very high among the places we have visited for its psychic possibilities.”

Winnipeg National Microbiology Laboratory houses Canada’s only Biological Safety Level 4 containment laboratory, used to test the most deadly human and animal diseases. In 2012, local scientists discovered antibodies to cure Ebola.



Oh, and it's nearly mid-April and it's still snowing.

Yep. I love it here :)


5 People would rather be commenting:

Jackie said...

Winnipeg is awesome! It's still snowing in Calgary too fyi.

Bruce Johnson said...

Fun Facts about Phoenix, Arizona.

It is ungodly hot here, all the time.

The major weather events are dust storms, really big dust storms.

Organized crime figures retire here, because law enforcement here is to inept to even write correct speeding tickets.

Four of our past governors have been indicted on Felony charges.

Most of the water stolen from the Colorado River for Arizona, goes to water golf courses.

Maureen said...

Jackie: Yikes. Seems like winter will never end this year, eh?

Bruce: Ha! Oh and don't forget Phoenix also STOLE our beloved Winnipeg Jets back in the 90's.... ;)

JoJo said...

Very interesting facts!!! I remember once when Winnipeg lost to the Bruins, the sports anchor at the TV station I was working at referred to them as 'Lose-ipeg'. lol I never forgot that.

Maureen said...

JoJo: Well, we beat them just a couple of weeks ago, so he can't say THAT anymore! Ha!

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