Dust and Depression

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Please note: There is an error in the audio narration where the events leading to the stock market crash are referred to as occurring on Black Friday. The correct name is Black Thursday.

This video also comes with French subtitles; you can adjust the language in the captioning section of your viewer.

Read the transcript

This episode is the second of a new animated web series called History Bits. The series explores a diverse range of topics, from overcoming racism in Africville, Nova Scotia, to the historic fight for women’s voting rights, to the struggle to survive the dustbowl era of the Dirty Thirties. Each action-packed episode highlights the courage, creativity, and perseverance of Canadians from the past.

Supplemental Lesson

In this lesson, students will conduct their own research into the Dust Bowl.

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Flying and Spying

Chinese-Canadian Kam Len “Doug” Sam served in the air force in the Second World War. Shot down in France, he gathered critical information as a spy for the Allies.

No Votes For Men!

Nellie McClung and a group of devoted suffragists stage their mock parliament to make a point about women’s equality.

Remembering Africville

The city of Halifax bulldozes a Black settlement that had stood for 150 years, destroying a community but not its spirit.

Railway Men

Ride the rails across Canada with Black sleeping car porters as they fight for labour rights and civil rights.

Wildfire

Meet Tom Longboat, an Onondaga long distance runner who becomes a world-class athlete.

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We hope you will help us continue to share fascinating stories about Canada’s past.

We highlight our nation’s diverse past by telling stories that illuminate the people, places, and events that unite us as Canadians, and by making those stories accessible to everyone through our free online content.

Canada’s History is a registered charity that depends on contributions from readers like you to share inspiring and informative stories with students and citizens of all ages — award-winning stories written by Canada’s top historians, authors, journalists, and history enthusiasts.

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Support Canada's History

History Bits was inspired by comics that appear in Kayak: Canada’s History Magazine for Kids, written by Kayak editor Nancy Payne and illustrated by Alex Diochon, and published by Canada’s History Society.