Charles Best / en Royal Canadian Mint commemorates insulin discovery at Ā鶹ֱ²„app with two-dollar coin /news/royal-canadian-mint-commemorates-insulin-discovery-u-t-two-dollar-coin <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Royal Canadian Mint commemorates insulin discovery at Ā鶹ֱ²„app with two-dollar coin</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2021%20%242%20Circ%20with%20colour%20-%20100th%20Ann%20of%20the%20Discovery%20of%20Insulin%20Rev%203Q-crop-main.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gDVuIoQ8 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2021%20%242%20Circ%20with%20colour%20-%20100th%20Ann%20of%20the%20Discovery%20of%20Insulin%20Rev%203Q-crop-main.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=EbI-mnme 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2021%20%242%20Circ%20with%20colour%20-%20100th%20Ann%20of%20the%20Discovery%20of%20Insulin%20Rev%203Q-crop-main.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=cH3cqFQ4 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2021%20%242%20Circ%20with%20colour%20-%20100th%20Ann%20of%20the%20Discovery%20of%20Insulin%20Rev%203Q-crop-main.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gDVuIoQ8" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>wangyana</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-07-13T15:13:39-04:00" title="Tuesday, July 13, 2021 - 15:13" class="datetime">Tue, 07/13/2021 - 15:13</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(Photo courtesy of the Royal Canadian Mint)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/yanan-wang" hreflang="en">Yanan Wang</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/insulin-100" hreflang="en">Insulin 100</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/charles-best" hreflang="en">Charles Best</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/diabetes" hreflang="en">Diabetes</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/frederick-banting" hreflang="en">Frederick Banting</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/insulin" hreflang="en">Insulin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p style="margin-bottom:11px">The Royal Canadian Mint has released a new two-dollar coin commemorating the discovery of insulin 100 years ago by scientists at the University of Toronto.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">The coin features a monomer, a building block of the insulin molecule, as well as red blood cells, glucose, insulin cells and the scientific instruments ā€“ vial, mortar and pestle, Erlenmeyer flask ā€“ used in the early formulation of insulin.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">ā€œThe Nobel Prize-winning Canadian discovery of insulin in 1921 is one of the 20<sup>th</sup> centuryā€™s most celebrated medical discoveries, which has saved millions of lives in Canada and around the world,ā€ Chrystia Freeland, Canadaā€™s deputy prime minister and minister of finance,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/royal-canadian-mint-2-circulation-coin-marks-the-100th-anniversary-of-the-discovery-of-insulin-880598796.html">said in a statement</a>.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Scientists <b>Frederick Banting</b>, <b>Charles Best</b>, <b>J.J.R. Macleod</b> and <b>James Collip </b>worked together to isolate and purify insulin in a Ā鶹ֱ²„app laboratory. Isolation of the hormone transformed medical outcomes and dramatically improved the quality of life for diabetes patients, who were previously debilitated by the disease.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Ā鶹ֱ²„app is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the discovery this year with a slate of events. The university hosted an <a href="/news/towards-cure-insulin100-scientific-conference-draws-world-s-leading-diabetes-researchers">Insulin100 Scientific Symposium</a> that brought together the worldā€™s leading diabetes researchers and the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library mounted <a href="https://fisherdigitus.library.utoronto.ca/exhibits/show/insulin100/landing">an online exhibition</a> that highlights its collection of original documents relating to the history of insulin research.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">Ā鶹ֱ²„app staff and faculty also contributed to the creation of <a href="/news/commemorative-stamp-marks-100th-anniversary-u-t-s-discovery-insulin">a commemorative stamp</a> and a <a href="/news/heritage-minute-showcases-life-saving-impact-u-t-s-insulin-discovery">Heritage Minute</a> paying tribute to the anniversary.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">The Royal Canadian Mint has issued two million coins with the insulin design in colour and another million without colour. The coins were designed by Jesse Koreck, an artist from Waterloo, Ont.</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">ā€œThis commemorative circulation coin is a heartfelt and enduring ā€˜thank youā€™ to the talented researchers behind a Canadian breakthrough that has saved millions of lives over the last 100 years, and continues to do so today,ā€ Royal Canadian Mint President and CEO Marie Lemay said in a statement.</p> <h3><a href="https://insulin100.utoronto.ca">Read more about the discovery of insulin at Ā鶹ֱ²„app&nbsp;</a></h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="media_embed" height="422px" width="750px"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="422px" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qy50j7I_HhQ" title="YouTube video player" width="750px"></iframe></div> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-bottom:11px">&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 13 Jul 2021 19:13:39 +0000 wangyana 169823 at PBS Newshour commemorates Ā鶹ֱ²„appā€™s Charles Best, of insulin fame /news/pbs-newshour-commemorates-u-t-s-charles-best-insulin-fame <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">PBS Newshour commemorates Ā鶹ֱ²„appā€™s Charles Best, of insulin fame</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-2638358-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=INihNulP 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/GettyImages-2638358-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=kFQ33ycA 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/GettyImages-2638358-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=_0x_z6pI 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-2638358-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=INihNulP" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>wangyana</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-03-05T15:35:24-05:00" title="Friday, March 5, 2021 - 15:35" class="datetime">Fri, 03/05/2021 - 15:35</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/insulin-100" hreflang="en">Insulin 100</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/temerty-faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Temerty Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/banting-best" hreflang="en">Banting &amp; Best</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/biochemistry" hreflang="en">Biochemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/charles-best" hreflang="en">Charles Best</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/frederick-banting" hreflang="en">Frederick Banting</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/insulin" hreflang="en">Insulin</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The life of University of Torontoā€™s <strong>Charles Best,</strong> who helped discover insulin, was recently commemorated in a&nbsp;<em><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/how-a-medical-student-helped-discover-lifesaving-insulin">PBS Newshour column</a></em> in honour of Bestā€™s birthday last month.</p> <p>The piece recounts the story of how a winning coin toss gave Best the opportunity to work with Ontario surgeon <strong>Frederick Banting</strong> in a Ā鶹ֱ²„app laboratory. Best was only 21 years old and still a&nbsp;student at Ā鶹ֱ²„app at the time.</p> <p>ā€œThe entire hot, sticky summer of 1921, Banting and Best toiled in a tiny, smelly laboratory, gathering their data,ā€ <em>PBS Newshour </em>writes.</p> <p>With the help of two other scientists, Ā鶹ֱ²„app graduate <strong>James Collip </strong>and <strong>J.J.R. Macleod</strong>, a Ā鶹ֱ²„app professor of biochemistry, Banting and Best isolated the pancreatic hormone, now known as insulin, that paved the way to lifesaving treatments for diabetes patients around the world, the column says.</p> <p>It goes on to detail how, in 1922, a 14-year-old boy with end-stage juvenile diabetes became the first human to be treated with ā€“ and eventually saved by ā€“ insulin. While only Banting and Macleod were awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Medicine&nbsp;for the breakthrough,&nbsp;the column notes that Banting and Macleod shared their prize money with Best and Collip.</p> <p>Insulin became ā€œone of the most successful drugs of the 20th century,ā€ <em>PBS Newshour </em>says.</p> <h3><a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/how-a-medical-student-helped-discover-lifesaving-insulin">Read more about Charles Best in <em>PBS Newshour</em></a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 05 Mar 2021 20:35:24 +0000 wangyana 168632 at From heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies: 12 objects that tell the story of Ā鶹ֱ²„app during the Great War /news/heartbreaking-letters-triumphant-trophies-12-objects-tell-story-u-t-during-great-war <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">From heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies: 12 objects that tell the story of Ā鶹ֱ²„app during the Great War </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Varsity-supplement-main--1140-x-760.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=fbxNItfs 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Varsity-supplement-main--1140-x-760.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=EDMHVQrz 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Varsity-supplement-main--1140-x-760.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=yr6pqvyI 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Varsity-supplement-main--1140-x-760.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=fbxNItfs" alt="Photo of The Varsity supplement"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Romi Levine</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2018-11-06T11:27:19-05:00" title="Tuesday, November 6, 2018 - 11:27" class="datetime">Tue, 11/06/2018 - 11:27</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">An illustrated cover of a volume of the Varsity's wartime supplement (image courtesy of Ā鶹ֱ²„app Archives) </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/romi-levine" hreflang="en">Romi Levine</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/charles-best" hreflang="en">Charles Best</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/first-world-war" hreflang="en">First World War</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/frederick-banting" hreflang="en">Frederick Banting</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/remembrance-day" hreflang="en">Remembrance Day</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/varsity" hreflang="en">The Varsity</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/thomas-fisher-rare-book-library" hreflang="en">Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-libraries" hreflang="en">Ā鶹ֱ²„app Libraries</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-college" hreflang="en">University College</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Although the battlefields were far away, the First World War left deep scars in Canada, and particularly at the University of Toronto.&nbsp;A total of 5,691 students, alumni, faculty and staff are recorded to have enlisted in the armed forces, of whom 608 were killed or died on active service.</p> <p>Though veterans of the Great War are no longer with us, their legacy lives on 100 years after the armistice through writings, artifacts and influential contributions to their fields of expertise.</p> <p>Here are the stories behind 12 objects ā€“ from heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies ā€“ that&nbsp;paint a picture of how the Ā鶹ֱ²„app community experienced the First World War.&nbsp;</p> <p>All items are housed on the downtown Toronto campus in the Ā鶹ֱ²„app archives, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, and at Soldiersā€™ Tower.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>In Flanders Fields</strong></h3> <p><img alt="Flanders Fields in Punch" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9556 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/FF-in-punch---750-x-500.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <em>In Flanders Fields first appeared in Punch magazine in 1915 (photo by Romi Levine)</em></p> <p>Lieutenant-Colonel <strong>John McCrae</strong> ā€“ a Ā鶹ֱ²„app medical school alumnus and University College student ā€“ penned the now-iconic poem<em> In Flanders Fields</em> while treating wounded soldiers as a medical officer in 1915 during the second Battle of Ypres.</p> <p><img alt="Flanders Fields illustrated" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9557 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/FF-illustrated---292-x-356.jpg" style="width: 292px; height: 356px; float: left; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image">The poem was first published in the popular British magazine <em>Punch </em>that same year, printed on a small corner of a page ā€“ and without attribution. Though it took up very little real estate in the magazine, it had a lasting impression on those who read it.</p> <p>ā€œIt resonated with the people of the time. It was part lamenting for the losses but at the same time talking about the good cause,ā€ says Ā鶹ֱ²„app Librarian <strong>Graham Bradshaw</strong>.</p> <p>According to Bradshaw, many soldiers serving in the First World War wrote literary accounts of their experiences.</p> <p>ā€œThis is the first war where you really get a lot of people who were serving who ended up writing about it,ā€ he says. ā€œYou see this huge outpouring of letters and memoirs and poetry and fiction.ā€</p> <p><em>In Flanders Fields</em> gained fame during the First World War and has since become an important part of Remembrance Day ceremonies across the country along with the poppies depicted in the poem in the field among soldiersā€™ graves.</p> <p>McCrae didnā€™t make it out of the war ā€“ he died of pneumonia in 1918.</p> <p>Ā鶹ֱ²„app holds many reproductions of <em>In Flanders Fields&nbsp;</em>ā€“ including one of 265 copies of an intricately illustrated book of poetry by American printer W.E. Rudge (pictured above left) and an engraving created by a Ā鶹ֱ²„app engineering instructor that can now be seen at Soldiersā€™ Tower (pictured below).</p> <p><img alt="Flanders Fields engraving" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9558 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/FF-engraving---750-x-500.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <h3>&nbsp;</h3> <h3><strong>Scars of shrapnel</strong></h3> <p><img alt="Banting letter " class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9559 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Banting-letter-750-x-465.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 465px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <em>A letter by Frederick Banting to his mother written with his non-dominant hand due to injury (courtesy of Ā鶹ֱ²„app Archives)&nbsp;</em></p> <p>Of those who survived the war, a number of veterans went on to accomplish incredible things. <strong>Frederick Banting</strong> was one of them. Banting joined the army in 1916 after being denied twice due to bad eyesight. He was finally admitted because of a desperate need for doctors overseas and his graduation was fast-tracked.</p> <p>During the Battle of the Canal Du Nord in 1918, Banting was injured in his right arm by a piece of shrapnel.&nbsp;</p> <p>ā€œIt severed an artery but he continued to be a part of the battleā€¦ and actually helped take care of other wounded men,ā€ says <strong>Loryl MacDonald</strong>, acting associate librarian, rare books and special collections and director of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. Banting was awarded a Military Cross in 1919 for this heroic act.</p> <p>The day after he was injured, Banting <a href="https://magazine.utoronto.ca/campus/history/changed-by-war-letter-from-the-front-alice-taylor/">wrote to his mother</a>, telling her what happened and urging her not to worry. ā€œEveryone is as kind as can be,ā€ Banting wrote. He even drew a diagram of the shrapnel.</p> <p>Because his dominant arm was injured, he had to write the letter with his left hand ā€“ so his handwriting appears shaky and uneven.</p> <p>After the war, Banting and researcher <strong>Charles Best</strong> discovered insulin at a Ā鶹ֱ²„app lab ā€“ earning them a Nobel Prize in Medicine and changing the course of history for those living with diabetes.</p> <p><img alt="Innis book" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9560 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Innis-book-750-x-500.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <em>Shrapnel ripped through this book while in the pocket of Harold Innis (photo by Romi Levine)</em></p> <p>Another notable veteran is <strong>Harold Innis</strong> ā€“ who graduated from McMaster University before the war, and went on to become a Ā鶹ֱ²„app professor and famed media and communications theorist.</p> <p>Innis&nbsp;served in the Canadian army as a signaller ā€“ watching and reporting back where artillery shells landed. While doing&nbsp;reconnaissance during Canadian preparations for the assault on&nbsp;Vimy Ridge in 1917, he was hit in the thigh with shrapnel. The wound was bad, but could have been worse, save for the Field Message Book he kept in his pocket.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>Farmerettes</strong></h3> <p><img alt="Farm service badge" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9561 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Farm-service-342-x-359.jpg" style="width: 200px; height: 210px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image">Hundreds of women from Ā鶹ֱ²„app spent their summer in Ontario farms helping the war effort. ā€œ<a href="https://magazine.utoronto.ca/cover-story/changed-by-war-farmerettes-help-at-home-alice-taylor">Farmerettes</a>ā€ planted, weeded, and harvested vegetables and fruits to feed troops at home and abroad.</p> <p>Farm Service Corps Badges (pictured left) were given to these agricultural volunteers. This one in particular was awarded to <strong>Marie Peterkin Williamson</strong>, a University College student who spent her summer away from Ā鶹ֱ²„app picking fruit in the Niagara region.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3>&nbsp;</h3> <h3><strong>Special edition</strong></h3> <p><img alt="Varsity war supplements" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9562 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" src="/sites/default/files/Varsity-War-Supplements-750-x-500.jpg" style="width: 709px; height: 453px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <em>Two volumes of the Varsity Magazine Supplement (courtesy of Ā鶹ֱ²„app Archives)</em></p> <p>The Studentsā€™ Administrative Council, wanting to do its part for troops fighting abroad, published the <em>Varsity Magazine Supplement</em> ā€“ special editions of <em>the Varsity </em>that included photographs of enlisted men, poetry, and accounts of wartime activity.</p> <p>ā€œThe students wanted to have a means of recognizing and documenting the students' war efforts,ā€ says MacDonald. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>The supplements were sold separately as a means of raising funds, with proceeds donated to Canadian hospitals participating in the war effort.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>Wartime memento</strong></h3> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9563 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" height="500" src="/sites/default/files/Thain-gun-750-x-500.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="750" loading="lazy"><br> <em>One of two German machine guns captured by Thain MacDowell (photo by Romi Levine)</em></p> <p>A German machine gun stands in the Memorial Room in Soldiersā€™ Tower. It was captured during an act of bravery ā€“ and luck ā€“ by Major <strong>Thain MacDowell</strong>, Ā鶹ֱ²„appā€™s sole recipient during the First World War of the Victoria Cross, a prestigious award for bravery given out to British Armed Forces and members of Commonwealth countries.</p> <p>MacDowell, a Victoria College alumnus, earned his cross at Vimy Ridge in 1917.</p> <p>Approaching an enemy dugout, MacDowell confronted the German troops inside, convincing them there were substantial numbers of Canadian troops waiting above, when in fact, he was there with only two soldiers.</p> <p>Two German officers and 75 soldiers surrendered and were taken behind Canadian lines ā€“ an impressive act that earned MacDowell Britainā€™s highest military honour. Replicas of his medal and others he received can be found at Soldiersā€™ Tower.</p> <h4><a href="https://magazine.utoronto.ca/summer-2008/memorable-university-stories-mementoes/">Read more about Thain MacDowell and&nbsp;Harold Innis in <em>University of Toronto Magazine</em></a></h4> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>Ā鶹ֱ²„app on the front lines</strong></h3> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9564 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/map-750-x-500.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"><br> <em>A battle map of Passchendaele (photo by Romi Levine)</em></p> <p>For some veterans, the First World War created bonds that lasted long after the war ended.</p> <p>The 67<sup>th</sup> Battery Canadian Field Artillery of the Canadian Expeditionary Force was a military unit formed in 1916, made up of mostly Ā鶹ֱ²„app students and graduates. After the war, the group formed an association, reuniting regularly for social events and keeping in touch with a newsletter called <em>Battery Banter</em>.</p> <h4><a href="https://magazine.utoronto.ca/all-about-alumni/vimy-ridge-passchendaele-veterans/">Read more about the 67<sup>th</sup> Battery</a></h4> <p>The 67<sup>th</sup> Battery veterans owned a clubhouse in the Kawartha Lakes region where they kept many of their wartime artifacts. Many of those items were later donated to Ā鶹ֱ²„app by family members of the association and the current owners of the clubhouse, Celia Siegerman Denov and Robert N. Bell.</p> <p>One of the items once housed in the clubhouse is a battle map of Passchendaele (pictured above) ā€“ a brutal offensive in Belgium&nbsp;against the German army that left 15,600 people dead, including 40 soldiers from Ā鶹ֱ²„app.</p> <p><img alt="Rugby photo" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9566 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Rugby-750-x-500.jpg" style="width: 750px; height: 500px; margin: 10px;" typeof="foaf:Image"></p> <p>The map can be seen at Soldiersā€™ Tower along with a framed photo of Ā鶹ֱ²„appā€™s junior rugby team (pictured above) ā€“ winners of the Mulock Cup in 1915. All members of the team joined the army in 1916. After the war, the photograph was amended by one of the student athletes ā€“ <strong>H.R. Burton</strong> ā€“ with crosses next to those who died in the war. Of the 18 students in the photo, seven are noted to have been killed in action. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h3><strong>A final letter</strong></h3> <p><img alt="Harold Wrong letter " class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__9567 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/Wrong-letter%20350%20x%20500.jpg" style="width: 350px; height: 500px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image">ā€œAll well with me.ā€ The letter was short and sweet ā€“ written by <strong>Harold Wrong</strong>, a University College student who graduated from Ā鶹ֱ²„app in 1913.</p> <p>Wrong was the son of prominent Ā鶹ֱ²„app history Professor <strong>George Wrong </strong>and the grandson of <strong>Edward Blake</strong>, the second premier of Ontario and a Ā鶹ֱ²„app chancellor.</p> <p>The letter he wrote on June 30, 1916 was addressed to his brother Edward and included a pressed flower. At the time, Harold Wrong was serving as an officer at the Somme in Thiepval, France.</p> <p>The following day was the first of the British offensive along the Somme and it was deadly.</p> <p>ā€œHarold was last seen going over and he had a wound in his arm and he wasn't seen again,ā€ says MacDonald.</p> <p>Wrong is commemorated at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 06 Nov 2018 16:27:19 +0000 Romi Levine 146527 at Google Doodle celebrates Ā鶹ֱ²„app's Sir Frederick Banting and the discovery of insulin /news/google-doodle-celebrates-u-t-s-sir-frederick-banting-and-discovery-insulin <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Google Doodle celebrates Ā鶹ֱ²„app's Sir Frederick Banting and the discovery of insulin</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/banting-google_0.jpg?h=aac2632b&amp;itok=8_Y8XT93 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/banting-google_0.jpg?h=aac2632b&amp;itok=zs5K7XMP 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/banting-google_0.jpg?h=aac2632b&amp;itok=8565yokl 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/banting-google_0.jpg?h=aac2632b&amp;itok=8_Y8XT93" alt="google doodle"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2016-11-14T15:38:28-05:00" title="Monday, November 14, 2016 - 15:38" class="datetime">Mon, 11/14/2016 - 15:38</time> </span> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/insulin" hreflang="en">Insulin</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sir-frederick-banting" hreflang="en">Sir Frederick Banting</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/charles-best" hreflang="en">Charles Best</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/banting-and-best-centre-innovation-and-entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Banting and Best Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research" hreflang="en">Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/innovation" hreflang="en">Innovation</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Today's Google homepage Doodle celebrates the legacy of one of Ā鶹ֱ²„appā€™s most renowned&nbsp;researchers Sir <strong>Frederick Banting</strong>.</p> <p>The Nov. 14 Doodle commemorates World Diabetes Day and what would have been Banting's 125th birthday. Banting&nbsp;was a physician who along with <strong>Charles Best</strong> discovered insulin at the University of Toronto in 1921, forever changing the way people live with diabetes. Banting was also a Canadian soldier in the First World War.</p> <p><em>Ā鶹ֱ²„app Magazine</em>&nbsp;published a story in 2014, detailing Bantingā€™s experience in the war and the discovery of insulin when he returned home.&nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="http://magazine.utoronto.ca/feature/changed-by-war-letter-from-the-front-alice-taylor/">Read the<em> Ā鶹ֱ²„app Magazine </em>story</a></h3> <h3><a href="/news/why-did-u-t-name-its-entrepreneurship-hub-after-banting-and-best">Read about Ā鶹ֱ²„app's entrepreneurship hub named after Banting and Best</a></h3> <h3><a href="/news/celebrating-90-years-insulin">Read about&nbsp;insulin discovery at Ā鶹ֱ²„app</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 14 Nov 2016 20:38:28 +0000 ullahnor 102414 at