Night at the Canadian Museum Trivia Quiz

Answer: John Diefenbaker

Canada's Cold War Museum is the Diefenbunker, named for Canada's 13th Prime Minister John Diefenbaker who held the office of Prime Minister from 1957 to 1963. It was officially called Canadian Forces Station Carp while it was commissioned as an actual bunker, and mockingly called a 'Diefenbunker' by the Prime Minister's political opponents. When the bunker was reopened as a museum in 1998, it officially took the name Diefenbunker, Canada's Cold War Museum.

At the museum, visitors can take guided tours of the four-storey underground bunker. It features many of the original rooms along with Cold War-related exhibits and artifacts, such as gas masks and other protective gear.

Answer: False

The War Museum began in 1880 as a simple collection of military artifacts that were displayed in a few rooms at Cartier Square Drill Hall and was eventually run by Public Archives of Canada. This collection, and what was added to it over the years, officially became the Canadian War Museum in 1942. For many years, the museum collection was housed in a few very small spaces and the majority of the collection was actually in storage off site rather than on display. The modern Canadian War Museum, a big building with plenty of space, was opened in 2005.

While the First and Second World Wars are well represented in the museum's exhibits, the museum covers the Canadian experience in all wars and military violence in the country's history, including conflicts between European explorers and the First Nations, the War of 1812, the Boer War, the Cold War and peacekeeping missions.

Answer: Biodome

The Biodome used to be the Olympic velodrome, site of cycling and judo events at the 1976 Summer Olympics; it became the Biodome in 1992. The four ecosystem exhibits are all ecosystems of the Americas and include the Tropical Forest, the Laurentian Forest, the Saint Lawrence Marine Eco-system, and an Arctic/Antarctic polar region.

The Biodome can be easily confused with the Biosphere, also in Montreal, which since 2007 has been a museum dedicated to all aspects of the environment. The Biosphere is located at the former site of the American pavilion at Expo '67.

Answer: Canada Science and Technology Museum

The Science and Tech Museum was first opened in 1967. It is the complete opposite of the traditional 'look but don't touch' museum. Visitors, and especially children, are encouraged to touch and try, to push buttons, to pull levers. There are many interactive displays and activities to do at the museum. The Ontario Science Centre is a similar institute, but is located in Toronto and is not a National Museum of Canada.

On a personal note, when I was in elementary school the Science and Tech Museum was a very common field trip destination. The Crazy Kitchen was always everyone's favourite part. It's a model of a kitchen that, to the eye, looks perfectly normal but makes you feel dizzy and off-balance because it is in fact angled. The exhibit demonstrates spatial distortion; your body knows something is off about the room but your eyes think everything is fine.

Answer: Museum of Man

The museum began in 1856 in Montreal as a small collection of natural, historical and anthropological artifacts and later moved to Ottawa. In the early 20th century, it was known simply as the National Museum of Canada. In 1968, it was divided into the Museum of Nature and the Museum of Man, though both were crammed into one small building. In the late '80s the name was changed to Canadian Museum of Civilization and moved to a new, larger location on the Gatineau, QC side of the National Capital Region. Also housed within the museum are the Canadian Children's Museum, the Canadian Postal Museum and a large IMAX theatre.

The Museum of Civilization was dedicated to the people and culture of Canada's past, along with displays concerning the culture and ethnography of other areas of the Americas. The change to a history museum in 2017 is intended to focus more specifically on the social and political history of Canada.

Answer: New Brunswick

The Acadian people, descendants of French immigrants, lived in a settlement of New France located in the Maritimes region of Canada (as well as present-day Maine in the US), particularly in New Brunswick. When the British took over the region, the Acadian people were expelled; many were sent to France and many others settled in the US, creating Cajun (derived from Acadian) settlements in Louisiana. Many later returned to New Brunswick.

The Village Historique Acadien is located near the village of Caraquet and was developed in the 1970s. It officially opened in 1977. It includes such buildings as farmhouses, a printing house, a sawmill and a general store, among many others. The village paints a picture of Acadian life spanning centuries, up until the mid-20th century, and often stages cultural events and festivals. In addition to the buildings, the village also maintains a collection of Acadian artifacts and archival documents.

Answer: Canadian Museum of Nature

The Canadian Museum of Nature, a natural history museum, has occupied the Victoria Memorial Museum Building since 1912 when it was part of the National Museum of Canada. When the Canadian Museum of Civilization moved to a new location in 1989, the Museum of Nature was able to expand and occupy the entire Victoria Memorial building.

The Herbarium has been part of the museum since 1882. It contains a massive number of plant and algae specimens. In addition to the popular dinosaur and prehistoric creature exhibit, the museum also features displays and information on all kinds of other animals (birds, marine animals, insects, etc.) art related to nature, natural disasters and many other aspects of Canada's nature, such as the Arctic regions and the various bodies of water of the country.

Answer: Grosse Ile

Grosse Ile was where many European immigrants, largely Irish immigrants escaping the potato famine of the mid-19th century, initially landed on their journey to Canada. The people were not permitted to go any further without being cleared of disease. Many of them were not free from disease and were quarantined. There were also camps for healthy people at Grosse Ile, for housing before moving on. Many of the healthy immigrants fell sick at Grosse Ile, while others fell ill after leaving there, spreading sickness into other regions such as Montreal. It's thought that approximately half a million Irish immigrants arrived at Grosse Ile in the 1830s and '40s, with many thousands of those dying there.

Grosse Ile was deemed a National Historic Site of Canada in 1974, and specifically became an Irish Memorial in the 1990s. Today, visitors can tour the area, including the original disinfection buildings, decontamination showers, quarantine stations and chapels. There are also exhibits explaining the history of the island and the experience of the immigrants.

Answer: Kingston

The Kingston Penitentiary was named as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1990. It was first opened in 1835, making it in the 21st century one of the oldest prisons in continued use in the world. The Canadian government announced in 2012 that Kingston Pen would close as an operational prison.

Canada's Penitentiary Museum, or officially the Correctional Service of Canada Museum, is located right across from the prison, in what was once the warden's residence. It is dedicated to the history of Kingston Pen and other Canadian penitentiaries and also maintains many historical documents and records related to prisoners and criminal proceedings, making it the only such research centre in Canada - very handy for criminologists.

Answer: Upper Canada Village

Upper Canada Village was first open to the public in 1961. Upper Canada was the name of the region before Confederation. The village is largely functional; for example the bakery really bakes bread and the cheesemaker really makes cheese curds. Both items, and more, are available for sale at the old fashioned general store (which also includes modern tourist souvenirs).

Other buildings not yet mentioned include the Asselstine's Woollen Factory where they spin raw wool into yarn, the Gazette Printing Office and Willard's Hotel. Upper Canada Village was another popular choice for field trips when I was in school; the cheese factory, the dressmaker and the school house with the strict school teacher were always my favourite places to visit. The old fashioned candy at the general store was a favourite too!