ERAO PRESENTS ZOOM TALK
Weird and Wacky and Wonderful Tales from Ottawa with author James Powell
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at 10:00 am
Ottawa has a reputation for being boring—the home of sober public servants where the sidewalks are rolled up at 6:00 pm. Au contraire!
Ottawa has a reputation for being boring—the home of sober public servants where the sidewalks are rolled up at 6:00pm. Au contraire!
Come listen to James Powell from the Historical Society of Ottawa talk about some weird and wacky stories from the nation’s Capital. These include the day that Ottawa ground to a halt; the prognostications of an Ottawa weather prophet who scared millions; the air raid that panicked the Capital; the “Ottawa boy” who hobnobbed with the cream of society only to turn bad…really bad; and the time when Ottawa rivalled Fort Knox. Let's also not forget sexy Miss Civil Service, chosen annually by federal mandarins; and the tale of Ottawa's fabled chicken cannon.
James Powell's bio:
Born in Bermuda, James received a MA (Economics) in 1978 from the University of Alberta and is a retired senior officer of the Bank of Canada. He is the author or co-author of three books dealing with some aspect of Canadian economic history: A History of the Canadian Dollar; The Bank of Canada of James Elliott Coyne: Challenges, Confrontation and Change; and (with Jill Moxley), Faking It! A History of Counterfeiting in Canada. He also wrote A History of the G-20 Countries for the Group of Twenty, as well as two corporate books for the Bank of Canada, one focusing on the architecture and art of the Bank of Canada, and another on Canada’s currency collection.
James is an Officer of the Historical Society of Ottawa and is the author of an Ottawa history blog called Today in Ottawa’s History. To date, he has published more than 300 stories.
Wednesday, February 5 at 10:00 am - ZOOM
REGISTER BY FEBRUARY 3, 2025.
Born in Bermuda, James received a MA (Economics) in 1978 from the University of Alberta and is a retired senior officer of the Bank of Canada. He is the author or co-author of three books dealing with some aspect of Canadian economic history: A History of the Canadian Dollar; The Bank of Canada of James Elliott Coyne: Challenges, Confrontation and Change; and (with Jill Moxley), Faking It! A History of Counterfeiting in Canada. He also wrote A History of the G-20 Countries for the Group of Twenty, as well as two corporate books for the Bank of Canada, one focusing on the architecture and art of the Bank of Canada, and another on Canada’s currency collection.
James is an Officer of the Historical Society of Ottawa and is the author of an Ottawa history blog called Today in Ottawa’s History. To date, he has published more than 300 stories.
Wednesday, February 5 at 10:00 am - ZOOM
REGISTER BY FEBRUARY 3, 2025.
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