On This Day in Canada's Political History: Rumours of a German Air Attack on Ottawa Terrify Citizens and Political Leaders (1915)

  • National Newswatch

One of the great things about preparing daily posts for Art's History is the fascinating tidbits of Canadian political history you stumble on performing research. And this is what happened to me recently when searching for an item to mark February 14.Until I found the wonderful website, Today in Ottawa's History, I had never heard of the night in 1915 the citizens of Ottawa – from Sir Robert Borden and Sir Wilfrid Laurier on down – feared German planes were on their way to bomb Canada's capital. And if that wasn't exciting enough, I learned that UFO watchers, years after the incident, argued that space vehicles from the heavens were the true culprits, not the German air force.And some still believe Canadian history is boring.