History Lesson

Why “North” Doesn’t Mean North in Montreal

The St. Lawrence River, French colonial planning, and centuries of habit created a directional system where “north” has almost nothing to do with a compass.

History Lesson

The Century Club: Montreal's Oldest Businesses Still Standing Today

An eclectic collection of Montreal businesses approaching, reaching, and surpassing the 100-year mark.

History Lesson

Before Jazz Had Festival Stages, It Had Coffeehouses

Montreal’s jazz culture grew in the city’s espresso bars and coffeehouses. This summer, Le Café Lavazza pays tribute to that legacy at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.

History Lesson

The Entire History of a City Told in Six Kilometres

From a country road out of a fortified colony to a corridor of immigrants, artists, labour organizers, gangsters, and entrepreneurs, Saint-Laurent Boulevard tells the story of Montreal better than any other street.

History Lesson

Everyone's Street, Nobody's Neighbourhood: The Story of Plaza St-Hubert

The 200-year story of a street that's always belonged to everyone and no one.

History Lesson

The Last Stand of Louis Cyr, the World’s Strongest Man

He patrolled the streets of Montreal, packed theatres across Europe, and returned to the city for an event that felt part miracle, part funeral.

History Lesson

Why “North” Doesn’t Mean North in Montreal

The St. Lawrence River, French colonial planning, and centuries of habit created a directional system where “north” has almost nothing to do with a compass.

History Lesson

The Century Club: Montreal's Oldest Businesses Still Standing Today

An eclectic collection of Montreal businesses approaching, reaching, and surpassing the 100-year mark.

History Lesson

Before Jazz Had Festival Stages, It Had Coffeehouses

Montreal’s jazz culture grew in the city’s espresso bars and coffeehouses. This summer, Le Café Lavazza pays tribute to that legacy at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.

History Lesson

The Entire History of a City Told in Six Kilometres

From a country road out of a fortified colony to a corridor of immigrants, artists, labour organizers, gangsters, and entrepreneurs, Saint-Laurent Boulevard tells the story of Montreal better than any other street.

History Lesson

Everyone's Street, Nobody's Neighbourhood: The Story of Plaza St-Hubert

The 200-year story of a street that's always belonged to everyone and no one.

History Lesson

The Last Stand of Louis Cyr, the World’s Strongest Man

He patrolled the streets of Montreal, packed theatres across Europe, and returned to the city for an event that felt part miracle, part funeral.

History Lesson

What Happened to Frederick Law Olmsted’s Vision for Mount Royal?

As Mount Royal Park turns 150, the story of its creation reveals how Olmsted's vision for the mountain was compromised almost from the very beginning.

History Lesson

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.

History Lesson

What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?

Jazz legends, burlesque queens, and organized crime made it one of the most alive corners in North America. Then Montreal decided it had a reputation to protect.

History Lesson

The Montreal Punch That May Have Killed Houdini

A backstage encounter at a Montreal theatre, a few punches, a death six weeks later. The cause remains disputed.

History Lesson

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.

History Lesson

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.

History Lesson

What Happened to Frederick Law Olmsted’s Vision for Mount Royal?

As Mount Royal Park turns 150, the story of its creation reveals how Olmsted's vision for the mountain was compromised almost from the very beginning.

History Lesson

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.

History Lesson

What Happened to Montreal's Red Light District?

Jazz legends, burlesque queens, and organized crime made it one of the most alive corners in North America. Then Montreal decided it had a reputation to protect.

History Lesson

The Montreal Punch That May Have Killed Houdini

A backstage encounter at a Montreal theatre, a few punches, a death six weeks later. The cause remains disputed.

History Lesson

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.

History Lesson

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.