Forrest Pass
@forrestpass.bsky.social
Historian, curator, heraldist, vexillologist, collector of arcane and eclectic Canadiana. All opinions my own. Likes, reskeets =/= endorsement.
As a grad student, I pestered the poor guy who played cover songs at the UWO Grad Club until he added "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" to his rotation. Not sure if he still plays it - anyone, @westernupubhist.bsky.social, @westernuhistory.bsky.social?
#cdnhist
#cdnhist
We remember the 29 men that were lost when the "Big Fitz" went down on #OnThisDay in 1975, just on Lake Superior. Join SSHSA's Aimee Bachari & Archivist for the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes Mark Sprang to reflect on the #50thanniversary of the sinking of the EDMUND FITZGERALD.
November 10, 2025 at 5:41 PM
As a grad student, I pestered the poor guy who played cover songs at the UWO Grad Club until he added "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" to his rotation. Not sure if he still plays it - anyone, @westernupubhist.bsky.social, @westernuhistory.bsky.social?
#cdnhist
#cdnhist
Reposted by Forrest Pass
Sam Slick the Salesman: "Arriving at the farmhouse of Deacon Flint, Sam decides to sell his last clock, which the Squire describes as 'a gawdy, highly varnished, trumpery-looking affair.'"
Thanks Thomas Haliburton (1796-1865) for the mot juste. #cdnhist #nshist #canlit
Illustration: C.W. Jefferys
Thanks Thomas Haliburton (1796-1865) for the mot juste. #cdnhist #nshist #canlit
Illustration: C.W. Jefferys
November 9, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Sam Slick the Salesman: "Arriving at the farmhouse of Deacon Flint, Sam decides to sell his last clock, which the Squire describes as 'a gawdy, highly varnished, trumpery-looking affair.'"
Thanks Thomas Haliburton (1796-1865) for the mot juste. #cdnhist #nshist #canlit
Illustration: C.W. Jefferys
Thanks Thomas Haliburton (1796-1865) for the mot juste. #cdnhist #nshist #canlit
Illustration: C.W. Jefferys
November 9, 2025 at 1:34 PM
On a dark desert highway
Cold command in the sneer
Vast and trunkless legs of stone
Rising from the sand ne-e-ear..
Up ahead in the distance
Saw a pedestal grey
Words graven 'round the base
Thought I saw them say
Welcome to the Hotel Ozymandias
Such a lovely place, such a shattered face...
Cold command in the sneer
Vast and trunkless legs of stone
Rising from the sand ne-e-ear..
Up ahead in the distance
Saw a pedestal grey
Words graven 'round the base
Thought I saw them say
Welcome to the Hotel Ozymandias
Such a lovely place, such a shattered face...
[stomp stomp clap
stomp stomp clap
stomp stomp clap
stomp stomp clap]
Ozy you're a boy, makin' big works
Visage in the sand, gonna be a big MANdias
A cold sneer on your face
shattered remains
Nothin' but sand all 'round the decay
singin'
LEGS OF
LEGS OF
ROCK HEWN
LEGS OF
LEGS OF
ROCK HEWN
stomp stomp clap
stomp stomp clap
stomp stomp clap]
Ozy you're a boy, makin' big works
Visage in the sand, gonna be a big MANdias
A cold sneer on your face
shattered remains
Nothin' but sand all 'round the decay
singin'
LEGS OF
LEGS OF
ROCK HEWN
LEGS OF
LEGS OF
ROCK HEWN
Me and my boys went to a strange LAND
The sun beat down on the desert SAND
My man Ad-rock turned to us and said
Yo, you two see that BIG-ASS HEAD?
We approached this ancient, beat up MASS
We learned his name was OZYMANDIAS
A sign said take a look AND DESPAIR
But we saw no works, nothing was THERE
The sun beat down on the desert SAND
My man Ad-rock turned to us and said
Yo, you two see that BIG-ASS HEAD?
We approached this ancient, beat up MASS
We learned his name was OZYMANDIAS
A sign said take a look AND DESPAIR
But we saw no works, nothing was THERE
November 4, 2025 at 2:17 AM
On a dark desert highway
Cold command in the sneer
Vast and trunkless legs of stone
Rising from the sand ne-e-ear..
Up ahead in the distance
Saw a pedestal grey
Words graven 'round the base
Thought I saw them say
Welcome to the Hotel Ozymandias
Such a lovely place, such a shattered face...
Cold command in the sneer
Vast and trunkless legs of stone
Rising from the sand ne-e-ear..
Up ahead in the distance
Saw a pedestal grey
Words graven 'round the base
Thought I saw them say
Welcome to the Hotel Ozymandias
Such a lovely place, such a shattered face...
Of course it is: it was designed by a Canadian 😉 ! #vexillology #cdnhist
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace...
October 31, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Of course it is: it was designed by a Canadian 😉 ! #vexillology #cdnhist
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace...
17 yrs ago, I spoke to a campus radio station about Halloweens past - my 1st scholarly media spot. Host was completely unprepared, so the conversation was... err... "wideranging". She also forgot to turn off the mic after, so the on-air banter continued. Yes, it's still on my CV. #publichistory
October 31, 2025 at 4:17 PM
17 yrs ago, I spoke to a campus radio station about Halloweens past - my 1st scholarly media spot. Host was completely unprepared, so the conversation was... err... "wideranging". She also forgot to turn off the mic after, so the on-air banter continued. Yes, it's still on my CV. #publichistory
This early 20th c. pulp pamphlet promises so much: Vampires! Deathly Cars! Lady Grifters! Ferrets! Spoiler alert: it doesn't really deliver. The story is about charity fraud. #bookhistory #halloween
October 31, 2025 at 1:55 PM
This early 20th c. pulp pamphlet promises so much: Vampires! Deathly Cars! Lady Grifters! Ferrets! Spoiler alert: it doesn't really deliver. The story is about charity fraud. #bookhistory #halloween
My eldest (age 10) decided he wanted to be @mark-carney.bsky.social for Halloween this year. No time to shop at Savile Row, but I think the Costume turned out all right "notwithstanding" (see what I did there?) #cdnpoli
October 31, 2025 at 11:50 AM
My eldest (age 10) decided he wanted to be @mark-carney.bsky.social for Halloween this year. No time to shop at Savile Row, but I think the Costume turned out all right "notwithstanding" (see what I did there?) #cdnpoli
Reposted by Forrest Pass
My latest in @dcb-dbc.bsky.social: an eccentric Vancouverite I first came across back in (ulp!) 2002. Years later, British Israelism - a seldom acknowledged influence on today's religious far right - continues to rear its at-best-odd-and-at-worst-downright-ugly head in my research. #bchist #cdnhist
#NewBio! Edward Odlum (1850-1935), militiaman, educator, geologist, ethnologist, businessman, lecturer, politician, and lay preacher.
His legacy is darker than he might have anticipated.
www.biographi.ca/en/bio/odlum...
His legacy is darker than he might have anticipated.
www.biographi.ca/en/bio/odlum...
October 29, 2025 at 3:03 PM
My latest in @dcb-dbc.bsky.social: an eccentric Vancouverite I first came across back in (ulp!) 2002. Years later, British Israelism - a seldom acknowledged influence on today's religious far right - continues to rear its at-best-odd-and-at-worst-downright-ugly head in my research. #bchist #cdnhist
When is it not a good time for a very niche (and I don't mean @nichecanada.bsky.social) #cdnhist meme? I can't begin to know when...
October 29, 2025 at 8:04 PM
When is it not a good time for a very niche (and I don't mean @nichecanada.bsky.social) #cdnhist meme? I can't begin to know when...
My latest in @dcb-dbc.bsky.social: an eccentric Vancouverite I first came across back in (ulp!) 2002. Years later, British Israelism - a seldom acknowledged influence on today's religious far right - continues to rear its at-best-odd-and-at-worst-downright-ugly head in my research. #bchist #cdnhist
#NewBio! Edward Odlum (1850-1935), militiaman, educator, geologist, ethnologist, businessman, lecturer, politician, and lay preacher.
His legacy is darker than he might have anticipated.
www.biographi.ca/en/bio/odlum...
His legacy is darker than he might have anticipated.
www.biographi.ca/en/bio/odlum...
October 29, 2025 at 3:03 PM
My latest in @dcb-dbc.bsky.social: an eccentric Vancouverite I first came across back in (ulp!) 2002. Years later, British Israelism - a seldom acknowledged influence on today's religious far right - continues to rear its at-best-odd-and-at-worst-downright-ugly head in my research. #bchist #cdnhist
I taught my seven-year-old how to operate our espresso machine. Never has a paternally imparted life skill paid such dividends to the imparter. #coffee #parentingwin
October 26, 2025 at 3:59 PM
I taught my seven-year-old how to operate our espresso machine. Never has a paternally imparted life skill paid such dividends to the imparter. #coffee #parentingwin
Reposted by Forrest Pass
So occasionally I use gelatin powder for cooking. Heretofore I've used Knox (a US brand). But today, I was delighted to find a German alternative, which is both organic AND cheaper per 100g. One fewer US product. Neither truck nor trade with totalitarian tantrum toddlers. #BuyCdn #BuyEU #CdnPoli
Angus: This is a guy who showed an AI video of himself dumping diarrhea on his own citizens. So the fact that he’s freaking out because we showed a video that just had Ronald Reagan speaking shows he’s not trustworthy.
October 26, 2025 at 12:24 AM
So occasionally I use gelatin powder for cooking. Heretofore I've used Knox (a US brand). But today, I was delighted to find a German alternative, which is both organic AND cheaper per 100g. One fewer US product. Neither truck nor trade with totalitarian tantrum toddlers. #BuyCdn #BuyEU #CdnPoli
Angus: This is a guy who showed an AI video of himself dumping diarrhea on his own citizens. So the fact that he’s freaking out because we showed a video that just had Ronald Reagan speaking shows he’s not trustworthy.
October 26, 2025 at 12:24 AM
This kitty was not a great mouser, but did catch a pear! (Still my favourite design from my days as a herald). #heraldry #catsofbsky
Arms of Diane Marie Cecile Perry, Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada, vol. 6, p. 55.
www.gg.ca/en/heraldry/...
Arms of Diane Marie Cecile Perry, Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada, vol. 6, p. 55.
www.gg.ca/en/heraldry/...
October 24, 2025 at 11:57 AM
This kitty was not a great mouser, but did catch a pear! (Still my favourite design from my days as a herald). #heraldry #catsofbsky
Arms of Diane Marie Cecile Perry, Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada, vol. 6, p. 55.
www.gg.ca/en/heraldry/...
Arms of Diane Marie Cecile Perry, Public Register of Arms, Flags and Badges of Canada, vol. 6, p. 55.
www.gg.ca/en/heraldry/...
#otd in 1964, the House of Commons Flag Cttee recommended this design for the National Flag of Canada. Listen to my conversation with David Borys on his "Curious Canadian History" podcast to find out more! #cdnhist #vexillology
(Photo: Cdn Mus of History, 2013.6.12)
shows.acast.com/cool-canadia...
(Photo: Cdn Mus of History, 2013.6.12)
shows.acast.com/cool-canadia...
October 22, 2025 at 2:06 PM
#otd in 1964, the House of Commons Flag Cttee recommended this design for the National Flag of Canada. Listen to my conversation with David Borys on his "Curious Canadian History" podcast to find out more! #cdnhist #vexillology
(Photo: Cdn Mus of History, 2013.6.12)
shows.acast.com/cool-canadia...
(Photo: Cdn Mus of History, 2013.6.12)
shows.acast.com/cool-canadia...
Donald Trump really has no respect for tradition. Doesn't he realize it's the prerogative of real, dyed-in-the-(red)-wool monarchists to destroy the White House? #cdnhist
October 21, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Donald Trump really has no respect for tradition. Doesn't he realize it's the prerogative of real, dyed-in-the-(red)-wool monarchists to destroy the White House? #cdnhist
OMG - a pack of Dentyne Fire Spicy Cinnamon a day in early grad school... and I have the receding gum lines to prove it... (very few cavities, though: 'twas sugar free).
October 20, 2025 at 5:06 PM
OMG - a pack of Dentyne Fire Spicy Cinnamon a day in early grad school... and I have the receding gum lines to prove it... (very few cavities, though: 'twas sugar free).
October 20, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Did their bellies bounce inside them as they knocked the inflatable penis to the floor? They don't like taking prisoners in their phoney little war...
#NoKings event in Fairhope, Al.
A woman was arrested for "lewd conduct" because she was dressed in penis suit with a sign that said "No dick-tator"
3 cops on a 53 yo woman.
A woman was arrested for "lewd conduct" because she was dressed in penis suit with a sign that said "No dick-tator"
3 cops on a 53 yo woman.
October 19, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Did their bellies bounce inside them as they knocked the inflatable penis to the floor? They don't like taking prisoners in their phoney little war...
I mean, I suppose one can define the continent more broadly, in which case King Willem-Alexander reigns over Sint-Maarten, and Charles III has a few other realms, but the principle still stands. #NoKings
Only one king reigns on this continent, Americans - and you can't have him! #NoKings
October 18, 2025 at 2:59 PM
I mean, I suppose one can define the continent more broadly, in which case King Willem-Alexander reigns over Sint-Maarten, and Charles III has a few other realms, but the principle still stands. #NoKings
Reposted by Forrest Pass
You'd think those rugged western individualists would chafe at a motto pinched from song lyrics by an Ontario-born Quebec judge, but here we are. #cdnhist #abhist
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
October 16, 2025 at 5:52 PM
You'd think those rugged western individualists would chafe at a motto pinched from song lyrics by an Ontario-born Quebec judge, but here we are. #cdnhist #abhist
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
You'd think those rugged western individualists would chafe at a motto pinched from song lyrics by an Ontario-born Quebec judge, but here we are. #cdnhist #abhist
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
October 16, 2025 at 5:52 PM
You'd think those rugged western individualists would chafe at a motto pinched from song lyrics by an Ontario-born Quebec judge, but here we are. #cdnhist #abhist
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_...