Canada's National History Society
Encyclopedia
Canada's National History Society is a Canadian
Winnipeg
-based charitable organization
founded in 1994 by the Hudson's Bay Company
for the purpose of promoting greater popular interest in Canadian history
principally through its publishing activities and outreach and recognition programs. The Society receives a core grant from the Hudson's Bay Company History Foundation
annually, but operates as an independent entity. Its operating budget averages $2.7 million a year, and its largest share of revenues comes from its membership who in addition to subscribing to their magazines also contribute charitable donations. 66% of total annual revenues come from individual subscriptions and donations.
Its flagship product is The Beaver: Canada's History Magazine
. Produced 6 times a year with a current paid subscriber/membership base of 44,000. In addition, the History Society launched Kayak: Canada's History Magazine for Kids in 2003 which now published quarterly in English and in French as an insert to Quebec children's magazine Les Editions Les Debrouillards. Paid circulation for the English edition is just under 6,000.
The History Society has published three books: For The Love of History (Random House 2005) An anthology of the collected works of the first decade of Pierre Berton Award recipients; Those Earlier Hills (Heritage House 2007) A collection of R.M. Patterson's articles appearing in The Beaver magazine; and 100 Photos That Changed Canada (2009)celebrating Canada's most memorable photographs.
In addition to its publishing projects, the History Society produces Canada's History Awards, a national celebration of the country's top history honours including the Governor General’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History and the Pierre Berton Award for achievement in popular history. In 2008, the History Society established the National Forum on Canadian History as part of the annual Awards events as an opportunity to bring students, teachers, historians, museum specials, and history organizations together to discuss ways to improve formal and informal history education in Canada.
From 2007-2009 it partnered with Hbc to administer the Hbc Local History Grants Program which provided modest support to small community-based history projects. Today the History Society continues to support local history organizations through the Canada's History Awards program as well as its website's news and travel services.
was the first recipient and agreed to lend his name to future awards. The award honours those who have introduced Canadian characters and events of the past to the national and international public.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
-based charitable organization
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
founded in 1994 by the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
for the purpose of promoting greater popular interest in Canadian history
History of Canada
The history of Canada covers the period from the arrival of Paleo-Indians thousands of years ago to the present day. Canada has been inhabited for millennia by distinctive groups of Aboriginal peoples, among whom evolved trade networks, spiritual beliefs, and social hierarchies...
principally through its publishing activities and outreach and recognition programs. The Society receives a core grant from the Hudson's Bay Company History Foundation
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
annually, but operates as an independent entity. Its operating budget averages $2.7 million a year, and its largest share of revenues comes from its membership who in addition to subscribing to their magazines also contribute charitable donations. 66% of total annual revenues come from individual subscriptions and donations.
Its flagship product is The Beaver: Canada's History Magazine
The Beaver (magazine)
Canada's History is the official magazine of Canada's National History Society. It is published six times a year, and aims to promote interest in and knowledge of Canadian history. Founded in 1920 as The Beaver by the Hudson's Bay Company , the magazine was acquired by the Society in 1994...
. Produced 6 times a year with a current paid subscriber/membership base of 44,000. In addition, the History Society launched Kayak: Canada's History Magazine for Kids in 2003 which now published quarterly in English and in French as an insert to Quebec children's magazine Les Editions Les Debrouillards. Paid circulation for the English edition is just under 6,000.
The History Society has published three books: For The Love of History (Random House 2005) An anthology of the collected works of the first decade of Pierre Berton Award recipients; Those Earlier Hills (Heritage House 2007) A collection of R.M. Patterson's articles appearing in The Beaver magazine; and 100 Photos That Changed Canada (2009)celebrating Canada's most memorable photographs.
In addition to its publishing projects, the History Society produces Canada's History Awards, a national celebration of the country's top history honours including the Governor General’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History and the Pierre Berton Award for achievement in popular history. In 2008, the History Society established the National Forum on Canadian History as part of the annual Awards events as an opportunity to bring students, teachers, historians, museum specials, and history organizations together to discuss ways to improve formal and informal history education in Canada.
From 2007-2009 it partnered with Hbc to administer the Hbc Local History Grants Program which provided modest support to small community-based history projects. Today the History Society continues to support local history organizations through the Canada's History Awards program as well as its website's news and travel services.
Canada's History Awards
National honours included in awards program include:- The Governor General's Awards for Excellence in Teaching Canadian History
- The Pierre Berton Award
- Kayak Kids' Illustrated History Challenge (Kayak Magazine)
- The Begbie Canadian History Essay Competition (The Begbie History Society)
- Great Canadian Questions Essay Contest (Historica-Dominion Institute)
- The Sir John A. Macdonald Prize for academic writing (The Canadian Historical Association
Pierre Berton Award
Established in 1994, the Pierre Berton Award is presented annually by the Society for distinguished achievement in presenting Canadian history in an informative and engaging manner. Canadian writer and historian Pierre BertonPierre Berton
Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton, was a noted Canadian author of non-fiction, especially Canadiana and Canadian history, and was a well-known television personality and journalist....
was the first recipient and agreed to lend his name to future awards. The award honours those who have introduced Canadian characters and events of the past to the national and international public.
- 2010 recipient: Desmond MortonDesmond Morton (historian)Desmond Dillon Paul Morton, OC, FRSC, CD is a Canadian historian who specializes in the history of the Canadian military, as well as the history of Canadian political and industrial relations....
- 2009 recipient: Paul GrossPaul GrossPaul Michael Gross is a Canadian actor, producer, director, singer and writer born in Calgary, Alberta. He is known for his lead role as Constable Benton Fraser in the television series Due South as well as his 2008 war film Passchendaele, which he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in...
- 2008 recipient: Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History
- 2007 recipient: Brian McKennaBrian McKennaBrian McKenna is an award winning Canadian documentary filmmaker.He has been a frequent collaborator with his brother Terence McKenna, also an award winning filmmaker, in particular on The Valour and the Horror, a film about strategic bombing during World War 2.-References:...
- 2006 recipient: Ken McGooganKen McGooganKen McGoogan is the Canadian author of eight books, including four biographies focusing on northern exploration and published internationally: Fatal Passage , Ancient Mariner , Lady Franklin's Revenge , and Race to the Polar Sea .Born in Montreal and raised in a francophone town, McGoogan has...
- 2005 recipient: Will FergusonWill FergusonWilliam Stener "Will" Ferguson is a Canadian writer and novelist best known for his humorous observations on Canadian history and culture....
- 2004 recipient: Jack GranatsteinJack GranatsteinJack Lawrence Granatstein, OC, FRSC is a Canadian historian who specializes in political and military history.-Education:Born in Toronto, Ontario, Granatstein received a graduation diploma from Le College militaire royal de Saint-Jean in 1959, his BA from the Royal Military College of Canada in...
- 2003 recipient: Charlotte GrayCharlotte Gray (author)Charlotte Gray, CM is a Canadian historian and author.Born in Sheffield, England and educated at Oxford University and the London School of Economics, Gray came to Canada in 1979. She worked for a number of years as a journalist, writing a regular column on national politics for Saturday Night and...
- 2002 recipient: Canadian Society for Civil EngineeringCanadian Society for Civil EngineeringThe Canadian Society for Civil Engineering was founded in 1887 as the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers, renamed in 1918 as the Engineering Institute of Canada , and re-established in June 1972 as member society of the EIC under the slightly different but current name...
- 2001 recipient: Canada: A People's HistoryCanada: A People's HistoryCanada: A People's History is a 17-episode, 32-hour documentary television series on the history of Canada. It first aired on CBC Television from October 2000 to November 2001. The production was an unusually large project for the national network, especially during budget cutbacks. The unexpected...
- 2000 recipient: Peter C. NewmanPeter C. NewmanPeter Charles Newman, CC, CD is a Canadian journalist and writer.Born in Vienna, Austria, Newman emigrated from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia to Canada in 1940 as a Jewish refugee. His father, Oscar, was a self-made wealthy factory owner. Newman was educated at Upper Canada College, where he was...