New Year Celebrations!
This celebration marks the beginning of the new calendar year on January 1.
New Year's Day
This day, celebrated every year on July 1, marks the creation of Canada as a country in 1867.
Canada Day
Then: People mailed handwritten letters.
Now: Most people send these instantly using phones or computers.
Emails
“I have a dream…” — words spoken during the 1963 March on Washington.
Martin Luther King Jr.
This invention made it possible to store food safely for longer periods and reduced food waste in homes.
Refrigerator
In New York City, millions watch this famous object descend in Times Square at midnight.
New Years Eve Ball Drop
In 1969, this historic event saw humans land on the Moon for the first time.
Apollo 11 Moon Landing
Then: Music was commonly played on vinyl records.
Now: Music is most often streamed digitally on these platforms.
Streaming Services
“Courage, my friends; ’tis not too late to build a better world.”
Tommy Douglas
This everyday medical innovation helps millions see clearly and has existed in some form since the 13th century.
Eyeglasses
This traditional song is commonly sung at midnight on New Year’s Eve and is based on a poem by Robert Burns.
Auld Lang Syne
This Canadian hero’s 1980 run raised millions for cancer research and awareness.
Terry Fox
Then: Families gathered around the radio for entertainment.
Now: They often watch movies and shows on this on-demand service.
Streaming Television/ Television
“That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,” was spoken during the first Moon landing.
Neil Armstrong
Invented by Alexander Graham Bell, this device revolutionized long-distance communication.
Telephone
In Spain and some Latin countries, people eat this many grapes at midnight—one for each stroke of the clock—for good luck.
12 Grapes
In 1945, this global conflict ended, marking a major turning point in world history.
World War II
Then: Film cameras required rolls of film to take photos.
Now: Photos are usually taken, edited, and shared instantly on this device.
Smartphone
“Never was so much owed by so many to so few,” referred to RAF pilots during World War II.
Winston Churchill
This life-saving discovery by Canadian scientists made diabetes a manageable disease rather than a fatal one.
Insulin
This East Asian celebration, also called the Lunar New Year, is marked by red decorations, family feasts, and the zodiac animal of the year.
Chinese New Year/ Lunar New Year
This 1920 milestone granted Canadian women the federal right to vote.
Women's Suffrage in Canada
Then: Research meant encyclopedias and libraries.
Now: Information is most often found instantly using this online tool.
Search engine/ Internet
Let us be clear: the days of this country drawing a line down the middle and saying ‘this side is for some people and that side is for others’ are over.”
Pierre Elliot Trudeau
This late-20th-century invention combines computing, communication, and internet access into a single handheld device.
Smartphone