Episode 4: Gospel, Slavery and the Surprising Shared Black History of the U.S. and the Canadian Maritimes.
Release Date: 10/21/2019
Episode 15: War of 1812 Factoids Americans Would Love to Know
North Americana
PBS storyteller Robert Reid shares his funny factual dive into the war that few people can explain on either side of the border. And why all this matters today.
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Episode 14: New France Cuisine Across North America
North Americana
Beyond poutine, two stories in this episode set the table for the varied culinary legacy of New France in North America. From Montreal bagels to Cajun gumbo.
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Episode 13: A King, a President & a Hotdog Save the Free World
North Americana
The little-known story of how a King, a US president, and a hotdog saved the free world. And how our host Liz Beatty is connected to all this!
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Episode 12: Mushing From Fairbanks to Whitehorse - The Yukon Quest
North Americana
An insider take on this cross-border odyssey from National Geographic photographer and writer Katie Orlinsky. We get the goods straight from mushers who take on this most gruelling of dog sled races.
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Episode 11: Canadian Black Baseball’s Quest for Cooperstown
North Americana
National Geographic Editor, Heather Greenwood Davis, reveals how a black baseball team in Ontario, pre-Jackie Robinson, were among the best in the world. And how their descendants are still fighting for their due recognition.
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Episode 10: The Hawaiian Roots of BC’s Salt Spring Island
North Americana
Long before steamships and airplanes, Hawaiians were planting roots in British Columbia’s Salt Spring Island. And they still are.
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Episode 9: Martin Short, Eugene Levy and the Moment Unknown Canadian Comics Would Change US Comedy
North Americana
From Eugene Levy, Martin Short and Toronto's 1960s version of Godspell to the Emmy-sweeping Schitt’s Creek — we return to the precise moment when a group of unknown Canadian comics were launched and American comedy would never be the same.
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Episode 8: How Did Siberian Reindeer Get to Canada’s Arctic
North Americana
Lonely Planet Editor, Alex Howard, shares this crazy 1930s quest — Siberian reindeer shipped to Alaska, then driven over 1500 miles to Canada’s Mackenzie Delta. And they’re still there today!
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Episode 7: Montreal and NYC’s Hip Hasidic Neighbourhoods
North Americana
A deep dive into these hip duelling traditional Jewish neighbourhoods from National Geographic contributor Nina Caplan.
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Episode 6: Butter Tarts Explained by a US Foodie
North Americana
Fat, sugar and gluten come together in a way that beguiles American foodie, Carolyn Heller. She digs in to explore why butter tarts are so deeply Canadian.
info_outlineAfrican American roots reaching back to before the American Revolution, the underground railroad and slavery, and gospel traditions almost 200 years old. Think you have a hunch where North Americana is going this episode? You might be surprised.
Twenty minutes drive due east of downtown Halifax, on Canada’s Atlantic Coast, over the MacDonald Bridge through Dartmouth and beyond, we find North Preston and some of Nova Scotia’s oldest music traditions. Visitors might expect to hear the lilt of a celtic fiddle, but this is something entirely different.
In this episode, we explore the rich and often surprising stories of shared Black history north and south of the Canada/US border.
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See images, get links to insider travel tips and resources for everything in Episode 4 on our show page.