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The Unsinkable Ship

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In February 1912, prior to the maiden voyage of the Titanic, one Toronto newspaper had two advertisements side by side – one for the White Star Line’s RMS Titanic, and right next to it was for the Cunard’s RMS Carpathia. The Carpathia was the ship that ended up rescuing more than 700 survivors from the Titanic’s wreckage.

Although it may seem an odd choice for a blog featuring items related to Canadian history and culture, the Titanic does indeed hold a spot in the nation’s history. Ben MacLeod, of Tyne Valley, Prince Edward Island, knew as much, and spent about 2000 hours over 3 years and used over 125000 LEGO pieces to put together this monstrous model of the ill-fated vessel. The final piece spans just shy of 3 meters in length, half a meter in width, and three quarters of a meter tall, with a remarkable level of intricacy and detail including engine rooms, turbines, dining halls, and guest cabins.

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The Breaking of the Sword

“It is an inspired expression in stone, chiselled by a skilful Canadian hand, of Canada’s salute to her fallen sons.”

— King Edward VIII referring to the memorial during his 1936 speech

The Canadian National Vimy Memorial is one of only two Canadian National Historic sites located outside of Canada, and is situated at the most storied battlefield in Canadian military history. As such, it is a fitting subject for recognition as part of Canada’s history in LEGO. John Koob and Chris Gray of NALUG spent over 3000 hours to complete their model over a span of 5 years, incorporating over 150000 LEGO parts.

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