Perspective, 70 years in the making
Yesterday it snowed. People bitched. There was an accident every 3 minutes in the GTA.
*facepalm, Toronto, seriously...*
Time to get real. Here is photographic proof that we've had it way worse. In 1944, 48 cm (21 inches) of snow fell in one day. 21 people died, 13 of them due to heart attacks from trying to clear the snow.
This is Bay St. looking north to Old City Hall. It should be noted that these streets were cleared by hand - no plows. As an aside, remember when this town had Laura Secord shops? Oh, good times...
And this is Bay St. at Adelaide. "Not coming to work... can't find the door." <- legitimate excuse.
Queen St. East at Mutual (I don't even recognize this intersection from this photo - it has changed so much). The winds were strong enough that day to flip a streetcar.
We take plows and salters for granted. Back in 1944, citizens had to shovel the snow onto train cars by hand to be dumped down by the lake. Some of these manly dudes aren't even wearing toques! The Toronto Star at the time reported: "The strain of moving the drifts is terrific on the heart. It is better to get some young fellow to do it even if it costs a few cents."
So... Toronto. Maybe we could stop complaining now?
*facepalm, Toronto, seriously...*
Time to get real. Here is photographic proof that we've had it way worse. In 1944, 48 cm (21 inches) of snow fell in one day. 21 people died, 13 of them due to heart attacks from trying to clear the snow.
This is Bay St. looking north to Old City Hall. It should be noted that these streets were cleared by hand - no plows. As an aside, remember when this town had Laura Secord shops? Oh, good times...
And this is Bay St. at Adelaide. "Not coming to work... can't find the door." <- legitimate excuse.
Queen St. East at Mutual (I don't even recognize this intersection from this photo - it has changed so much). The winds were strong enough that day to flip a streetcar.
We take plows and salters for granted. Back in 1944, citizens had to shovel the snow onto train cars by hand to be dumped down by the lake. Some of these manly dudes aren't even wearing toques! The Toronto Star at the time reported: "The strain of moving the drifts is terrific on the heart. It is better to get some young fellow to do it even if it costs a few cents."
So... Toronto. Maybe we could stop complaining now?