Astonishing Canada Day Factoid

First written reference to C.A.N.A.D.A

DID YOU KNOW...

That the word "Canada" was originally an acronym?

Popular wisdom holds that the name of our county is derived from the word "kanata", the Huron word for "village".  However, in 2004, research by Professors Jon Goodman and Eli Rauschmann of Memorial University confirmed that, in fact, the word "kanata" was adopted by Hurons (and subsequently other Iroquois nations) only AFTER its introduction by the French as the name of their newest north American colony.

The actual origin of the word was chronicled by Father Yves-André Cloutier, a close friend of Jacques Cartier. In a 1536 letter to his sister in  Mont-Saint-Michel, France, Fr. Cloutier commented on the famous explorer's amusing (and, at the time, quite unusual) habit of making "to do' lists for himself. Over a glass of wine on the previous evening, Cartier had complained about the impossibility completing everything that had to be done in the few short weeks remaining before the party's return to France, brandishing his famous checklist of tasks for emphasis.  Reviewing the list, the priest exclaimed: "Au moins une de ces tâches se résout! (Translation: at least ONE of these tasks resolves itself!")

He pointed to #28 on the list, which read:  Colonie A Nommer,  Auprès Des Amériques (translation: "Come up with a name for this colony near the Americas"), and tapped his finger significantly on the first letter of every word.

And the rest, as they say, is History.

(By the way, the preceding story is completely bogus. CBC has cornered the market on REAL Canadian trivia, so we just thought we'd manufacture some of our own. Happy Canada Day!)