Scientist of the Day - Stan Rogers

Stan Rogers, a Canadian singer/songwriter, was born Nov. 29, 1949. Although Rogers grew up in Ontario, he always identified with the Maritime Provinces, where his parents came from and where he spent his summers.  Two of his compositions seem pertinent to the spirit of these anniversaries. “Northwest Passage,” his best-known song, evokes the age of the 19th-century explorers who attempted to forge a path across the frozen north, men such as Alexander Mackenzie and the ill-fated John Franklin. Here is a recording of the song.  If we added a music track to our online exhibition, Ice: A Victorian Romance, this would no doubt be the song of choice. At the turn of the 21st century, a huge number of Canadians, it seems, felt strongly that “Northwest Passage” should replace “O Canada” as the country's national anthem.  I do not know what the mood is today.  The a capella rendering is powerful, and it is fun to hear it when you know something about the historical attempts to find a Northwest Passage.

Discarded make-and-break engine in a field, St. Brendan’s Island, Newfoundland (photo by T. Rand Collins on throughavintagelens.com)