History has a tendency to surprise even the most astute observers and experts. Ludwig van Beethoven might have been working on a tenth symphony, based on the controversial weaving of sketches by musicologist Barry Cooper. Two University of Mississippi Medical Center colleagues, Ranjan Batra and Ken Sullivan, discovered their state had never officially notified the United States archivist that it had ratified the 13th amendment to abolish slavery. (This historical oversight was corrected in February 2013.) Meanwhile, Nova Scotia’s 155-year-old coat of arms was only recognized as a provincial flag in May 2013 due to some solid detective work by eleven-year-old Regan Parker on a school project.
These examples demonstrate that our historical knowledge occasionally needs some fine tuning. Which brings us to Nathan Tidridge’s impressive new book, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent: Father of the Canadian Crown. The author identifies Edward as “one of the most honoured...
Michael Taube is a columnist for the National Post, Loonie Politics, and Troy Media. Previously, he was a speech writer for Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
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