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    1. Articles

    History Lesson

    44
    When Montreal had a steam-powered shortcut to the top of Mount RoyalHistory Lesson
    J.P. Karwacki

    When Montreal had a steam-powered shortcut to the top of Mount Royal

    From 1884 to 1918, a steam-powered cable railway hauled Montrealers to the summit in minutes, despite a park designer's vision of leisurely mountain strolls.

    The Gothic Montreal mansion where the CIA broke minds with LSD and electroshockHistory Lesson
    J.P. Karwacki

    The Gothic Montreal mansion where the CIA broke minds with LSD and electroshock

    The Ravenscrag manor housed the Allan Memorial Institute, where patients seeking help became victims of Cold War experiments.

    Get to the heart of Montreal's Latino communities through a single grocery storeHistory Lesson
    J.P. Karwacki

    Get to the heart of Montreal's Latino communities through a single grocery store

    For decades, Sabor Latino's been the gravitational centre for Montreal's Latino communities.

    Ruby Foo's was an absolute legend of a Chinese restaurantHistory Lesson
    J.P. Karwacki

    Ruby Foo's was an absolute legend of a Chinese restaurant

    From its 1945 opening to a 1984 closure and its present-day hotel, the Décarie Boulevard institution was where Montreal went to see and be seen.

    Montreal Pool Room: Serving a city's hot dogs for over a centuryHistory Lesson
    J.P. Karwacki

    Montreal Pool Room: Serving a city's hot dogs for over a century

    How a Bulgarian immigrant's billiard hall became one of Montreal's most enduring institutions, from pimp steaks to late night eats infamy.

    NDG's Empress Theatre survived a century of change. Can it survive neglect?History Lesson
    Kaitlyn DiBartolo

    NDG's Empress Theatre survived a century of change. Can it survive neglect?

    Montreal's last (and Canada's only) Egyptian Revival movie palace reinvented itself for decades. Now it's been empty for 33 years.

    When McGill med students went grave-robbing for scienceHistory Lesson
    J.P. Karwacki

    When McGill med students went grave-robbing for science

    The law demanded they learn anatomy but made dissection illegal, so for nearly a century, stolen corpses were tobogganed down Mount Royal to a folk hero janitor who paid cash, no questions asked.

    How Little Portugal carved out its place in the PlateauHistory Lesson
    Phylida Tuff-West

    How Little Portugal carved out its place in the Plateau

    From postwar migration to piri piri chicken, Azorean immigrants transformed an iconic Montreal neighbourhood with enduring community.

    How 24 Stanley Cups turned the Montreal Canadiens into a religionHistory Lesson
    The Main

    How 24 Stanley Cups turned the Montreal Canadiens into a religion

    From dynasty to drought: a brief-ish look at the making of Montreal's most devotional sports franchise.

    The rise and fall of Le Palais des Nains, the palace where tourists became giantsHistory Lesson
    The Main

    The rise and fall of Le Palais des Nains, the palace where tourists became giants

    For over 60 years, the fully functional home of two circus veterans became a Montreal tourist attraction where everything was scaled down to their three-foot-tall size.

    A butcher's gamble, a forgotten tavern, and how the Mile End earned its nameHistory Lesson
    The Main

    A butcher's gamble, a forgotten tavern, and how the Mile End earned its name

    From a Durham County butcher shop and Massachusetts tavern keepers to a global creative district, the real story's one historians got wrong for decades.

    How Montreal got its Little ItalyHistory Lesson
    Daniel Bromberg

    How Montreal got its Little Italy

    A century-long story of how a neighbourhood grew from railroad workers to family legacies everywhere you look today.

    Montreal's decades-long Polynesian fantasy and volcano cocktail experimentHistory Lesson
    Phylida Tuff-West

    Montreal's decades-long Polynesian fantasy and volcano cocktail experiment

    When Kon Tiki brought post-war escapism and Hollywood's idea of the South Pacific to Peel Street, it created an exotic escape unlike any other.

    Before the world knew his name, Montreal heard him firstHistory Lesson
    J.P. Karwacki

    Before the world knew his name, Montreal heard him first

    The Harlem of the North, Little Burgundy, raised a legend. It took 100 years to say it as loudly as possible from the city's rooftops.

    How the Atwater Market fed Montreal through depression and renewalHistory Lesson
    J.P. Karwacki

    How the Atwater Market fed Montreal through depression and renewal

    A civic monument, a neighbourhood anchor, and a living archive of what Montreal eats since 1933.

    From opera house to haunted relic to hot ticket, Montreal's Rialto Theatre refuses to dieHistory Lesson
    J.P. Karwacki

    From opera house to haunted relic to hot ticket, Montreal's Rialto Theatre refuses to die

    A near-forgotten movie palace that's outlasted demolition plans, disco dreams, and decades of decline to become one of Montreal’s most resilient cultural landmarks.

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