1

Jim Carrey

Image: Avel Chuklanov

Jim Carrey, the man with the "rubber face" himself, is a famously Canadian actor known for his comedic roles in Ace Ventura , The Mask , Dumb and Dumber , and for his more dramatic roles in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Truman Show , among many other movies.

Jim was born in Newmarket, Ontario , to Kathleen and Percy Carrey. He was raised Catholic and has three older siblings: John, Patricia, and Rita. The family’s original surname was Carré.

2

Avril Lavigne

Image: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦

Early 2000s skate-punk rock teenage star Avril Lavigne recorded Let Go , the best-selling album of the 21st century by a Canadian artist, in 2002 and was named the "Pop-Punk Queen" by the media at the time.

She was born in Belleville, Ontario , and, as the story goes, her parents recognized her vocal abilities when she was two years old and sang "Jesus Loves Me" on the way home from church.

3

Michael J. Fox

Image: Roger Ce

One of the most beloved Canadians of all time is Michael J. Fox, the actor who portrayed Marty McFly in the Back to the Future movies. He began his career as a child actor on the NBC sitcom Family Ties and starred in many movies in the '80s and '90s, beyond his famous role as the time-traveling teenager.

Fox was born in Edmonton, Alberta , and in 1998, he disclosed his diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Since then, the actor has become an advocate for finding a cure and founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000 to help fund research. Worsening symptoms have since forced him to reduce his acting work.

4

Celine Dion

Image: Edward Cisneros

The Queen of Power Ballads, noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, was born into a large family in Charlemagne, Quebec . Despite starting her career singing in French, Celine Dion became internationally famous thanks to her best-selling albums Falling Into You and Let’s Talk About Love . Her song "My Heart Will Go On," the theme from the 1997 film Titanic , is probably her most famous work.

She was the youngest of 14 children and as a baby, Dion slept in a drawer instead of a crib to save money. With over 200 million records sold worldwide, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, the best-selling French-language artist, and one of the best-selling musical artists of all time.

5

Dan Aykroyd

Image: Lance Grandahl

Dan Aykroyd, known as one of the Blues Brothers and a member of the original Ghostbusters , is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, and former SNL cast member. Despite being best known for his comedic roles, he was nominated in 1990 for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Boolie Werthan in Driving Miss Daisy.

Aykroyd was born in Ottawa, Ontario , to Samuel Cuthbert Peter Hugh Aykroyd, a civil engineer, and Lorraine Hélène Marie, a secretary. His mother was of French-Canadian descent, and his father was of English, Scottish, Irish, French, and Dutch ancestry.

6

Chris Hadfield

Image: Niketh Vellanki

It is always inspiring to see someone who is truly in love with their job and shares that same passion with the rest of us. And, while one could argue that being an astronaut is an easy job to fall in love with, very few astronauts, if any, have been able to convey what Canadian retired astronaut Chris Hadfield does.

Hadfield was born in Sarnia, Ontario . As the first Canadian to perform extravehicular activity in outer space, he has flown on two Space Shuttle missions and also served as commander of the International Space Station (ISS). During this mission, he documented life onboard the space station by posting on various social media platforms. He appeared on television news and talk shows and gained popularity by performing David Bowie’s "Space Oddity" in space.

7

Alanis Morissette

Image: Jason Buscema

A 1990s phenomenon, Alanis Morissette stormed the charts with her 1995 album Jagged Little Pill , which sold more than 33 million copies worldwide and made her a star. She has released several albums since and has sold more than 75 million records.

Morissette was born in Ottawa, Ontario , to Georgia Mary Ann and Alan Richard Morissette. She has a twin brother, Wade (12 minutes older), who is also a musician.

8

Keanu Reeves

Image: Matthew Ball

A genuine on-screen tough guy and off-screen nice guy, Keanu Reeves is best known for his roles as Neo in the Matrix franchise and as John Wick in the films of the same name, among many other roles.

While Keanu was not born in Canada — he was born in Beirut —he is on this list because he was raised in Toronto and made his acting debut in the Canadian television series Hangin' In (1984). An avid motorcyclist, Reeves is the co-founder of the custom motorcycle manufacturer ARCH Motorcycle.

9

Neil Young

Image: Ahmed Rizkhaan

Legendary rocker Neil Young started his career in Winnipeg in the 1960s before joining Buffalo Springfield in Los Angeles. He has released critically acclaimed albums like After the Gold Rush and Harvest , participated in the supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and has been an active promoter of environmental causes in both his native Canada and the U.S.

Born in Toronto, Neil Young is one of the few people to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: in 1995 as a solo artist and in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield.

10

James Cameron

Image: Michal Mrozek

Most people would think that being a film director known for Terminator 2 , Titanic , and Avatar , among many other blockbusters, would be accomplishment enough. But not for James Cameron, who also decided to become the first person to make a solo descent to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of Earth's ocean.

Cameron was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario , and spent summers on his grandfather's farm. He attended Stamford Collegiate in Niagara Falls. Three of Cameron's films are among the top four highest-grossing films of all time: Avatar , Avatar: The Way of Water , and Titanic hold the positions of highest, third-highest, and fourth-highest-grossing films, respectively. Not bad, right?

1

Giggle water

Image: Tristan Gassert

Sounds fun, doesn’t it? "Giggle water" was slang for champagne, but later came to mean any kind of alcoholic drink that made you feel good.

The term popped up around 1910 and hung around well into the ’20s. Lighthearted and cheeky, it captured the mood of a tipsy good time. It was all laughs—until the next morning.

2

Blind pig

Image: Annie Spratt

A "blind pig" was code for an underground bar, or speakeasy, where patrons paid to see an "exotic animal" and conveniently received a cocktail with the show. This ruse was an early attempt to skirt the law. The term dates back to the 1800s and had a cousin in crime: the "blind tiger." No matter the name, nobody was there to admire animals—they came for the booze.

3

Juice joint

Image: John Hernandez

At first glance, this might sound like a fruit stand. But during the 1920s, a "juice joint" was slang for a speakeasy—especially the more modest ones. However humble, they had it all: music, dancing, and definitely drinks, legal or not.

The name originally referred to soda stands, but it didn’t take long before it meant something much stronger. If you were thirsty during the dry years, this was a must-stop.

4

Jake walk

Image: Ve al perfil de Andreas M Andreas M

Here’s a sobering one. "Jake" was shorthand for Jamaican ginger extract, a legal tonic with high alcohol content. But manufacturers altered it to skirt regulations—and the results were tragic. Drinkers developed a distinct limp from nerve damage, called the "Jake walk" or "Jake leg." Thousands were affected, especially in the South. It became both a medical crisis and a dark symbol of the risks people took to sneak a drink.

5

Ombibulous

Image: Kelsey Chance

Writer H.L. Mencken had a way with words—and a taste for booze. In 1920, he dubbed himself "ombibulous," meaning he happily drank anything alcoholic, no matter what. He was also known for calling bootleggers "booticians," always with a wink. A strong critic of Prohibition, Mencken turned his drinking habits into witty declarations.

6

Needle beer

Image: Wil Stewart

You know the drill: desperate times, desperate measures. Some barkeeps took regular beer, injected it with alcohol via a syringe through the cork, and served it up as the real deal. This DIY hack became known as "needle beer." It was risky and often poorly mixed, but in an era when options were slim, creativity was all people had. Probably not the safest pint you ever drank, though.

7

Brick of wine

Image: Kym Ellis

Yes, really! You could buy a block of grape concentrate, add water, and wait—voilà, wine! These "bricks" came with an ironic warning not to store them in a cool, dark place (wink, wink), or they might "accidentally" ferment. For wine lovers who craved a glass during the dry years, this was a sly workaround. Just add water, patience, and a sense of humor, of course!

8

Bathtub gin

Image: Bjarne Vijfvinkel

Not a flavor—a method. "Bathtub gin" referred to homemade hooch often mixed in, you guessed it, a bathtub. Tall bottles didn’t fit under sink taps, so a larger space was needed. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: how creative could they get?

The quality varied wildly, and safety wasn’t exactly guaranteed. However, it became the generic term for all sorts of homebrewed booze.

9

Teetotaler

Image: Jessica Smith

This word originated before Prohibition but got plenty of use during it. A "teetotaler" is someone who avoids alcohol entirely. The term comes from the emphatic "T" in "total abstinence." It gained popularity thanks to temperance movements in the 1800s, long before the ban was official. While others were sneaking into blind pigs, teetotalers were proudly saying, "Thanks, but no thanks."

10

Dry

Image: engin akyurt

If you were "dry," you were all in on Prohibition. Drys supported the ban, and dry counties banned alcohol completely. Agents who enforced the law were often called "dry agents." The term became both a political and cultural identifier. You were either dry or...

11

Wet

Image: CHUTTERSNAP

...you were wet. A "wet" person supported legal alcohol sales, plain and simple. Wet cities and counties allowed booze to flow, and many Americans never bought into the dry movement. The wet/dry divide wasn’t just about drinks—it represented a much larger cultural clash. And as we know now, the wets eventually won.

12

Whale

Image: Todd Cravens

Not a sea creature, but someone who could drink like a fish. A "whale" was a heavy drinker, often the life of the party and the last one standing. Whether at a juice joint or speakeasy, whales had reputations to uphold. The term lives on today in gambling circles, too—but back then, it was all about your booze tolerance.

1

The MapQuest printout ritual

For many travelers, the trip really began here: sitting at the computer just minutes before leaving and printing turn-by-turn directions from MapQuest. The printed pages listed every step of the route, including the distance between each turn. This method was probably the one that marked the transition from traditional paper navigation to modern GPS systems.

2

Free maps at gas stations

Back in the 1920s, advertising executive William Akin came up with an idea to promote the new Gulf Refining Company gas stations. At the time, drivers still had to buy gasoline in five-gallon containers because service stations were uncommon. Akin proposed distributing free local maps in each area where these Gulf stations were located.

The idea spread quickly, and other gas companies soon adopted the same strategy. Over time, gas stations became natural stops for travelers, and many stations eventually began selling maps instead of giving them away.

3

The American Automobile Association Trip Triks

No way you forgot this one! If you were a member of the American Automobile Association, you had access to Trip Triks: spiral-bound booklets customized for each traveler’s route. AAA staff highlighted the exact path on the map, marking gas stations, hotels, and attractions along the way.

4

Lost? Find a phone booth

Lost in the big city? Step into a phone booth. Back then, many phone booths had maps inside showing nearby streets and landmarks. If you were lost, all you had to do was step inside, and within a few minutes, the problem was solved. The good news was that big cities had a phone booth on almost every major corner and intersection, so if the one you stopped by was already taken, you only had to walk a few steps to find another.

5

The thick book that lived in every car

The city street atlas. One of the best companions for drivers, if not the very best. These thick books showed detailed maps of entire cities, page by page. If you spotted a street sign but had no idea where you were, you could look up that street in the atlas index. It would point you to the exact page and grid where the street appeared, helping you figure out your next move. Do you remember flipping through a street atlas to find your way across a city?

6

Asking locals for directions

Following directions back then required a bit of blind faith. You might hear something like, "Drive a few miles and turn left when you see the church," or "After the green restaurant, take the second road on the right." In rural areas, where road signs were scarce, a local’s guidance was often the best map you could get. Sometimes those directions were the only way to find a place that didn’t appear on any map. Have you ever followed directions like these and hoped for the best?

7

The co-pilot seat

This trick required teamwork. If you weren’t traveling alone, one passenger was usually designated as the "navigator." Their role? Reading the map, watching for road signs, and warning the driver about upcoming turns. A good navigator also had to learn the driver’s rhythm: when to speak up, when to stay quiet, and how quickly directions needed to be given. The best driver–navigator pairs worked together almost like Batman and Robin.

8

The Rand McNally Road Atlas

The Rand McNally Road Atlas is one of the most iconic travel tools in American road trip history. The atlas includes detailed maps of every state, showing highways, towns, and points of interest across the United States. For decades, it was a common sight in glove compartments and truck cabins, guiding travelers from city to city. Unlike digital navigation, the atlas allowed drivers to see the entire route and explore alternative roads along the way. Even today, many travelers still keep one as a backup option when cell service or GPS fails.

9

Following highway numbers

During the era of long road trips, drivers didn’t worry much about street names. Instead, they followed highway numbers. If you got on the right road, like Route 66 or U.S. Route 1, you could relax and stay on it for miles and miles, sometimes across several states. As long as the number on the signs stayed the same, you knew you were still on the right path. This approach later helped inspire the Interstate Highway System, which made traveling across the country even easier.

10

The church, the bridge, the water tower

Here's one of the classic road trip tricks: remembering landmarks along the road. This method required both memory and self-trust. Instead of coordinates or exact addresses, travelers remembered particular spots. They learned to look for things that stood out, like churches, bridges, water towers, or unusual buildings. When you reached the right one, you knew when it was time to turn. What landmarks did you rely on the most?