Canadian scientist Frederick Banting first discovered insulin and its therapeutic properties in 1921 along with John Macleod. The pair won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for their discovery two years later. Banting and Macleod patented their insulin extract but sold the rights to the University of Toronto for $1, and the money was used to fund new research.

Canada is made up of 10 provinces and three territories. Canada’s 10 provinces get their authority from the Constitution Act of 1867, and exercise constitutional powers in their own right. The three territories — The Northwest Territories, Nunavut, the Yukon — are administered by the federal government.

The Western Hockey League folded in 1926, and since then, the Stanley Cup has been awarded to the champion of the National Hockey League. The first all-NHL season ended with the Ottawa Senators lifting the Stanley Cup in 1927, defeating the Boston Bruins in a five-game series.

James Cameron, the man who famously said he was “the king of the world” during his Oscar acceptance speech, was the honorary king of Canada after winning the Academy Award for Best Director for 1997’s “Titanic.” Cameron was born in Ontario, but moved to Brea, California, at the age of 17. He also won the most Oscars any Canadian won in a single night, taking home three trophies that year.

The Canadian dollar coin is famously called a loonie, but the coin has only been around since 1987. Intended as a cost-saving measure, the loonie replaced the paper version of the Canadian dollar. The coin features the odd coupling of a loon (an aquatic bird) on one side, and Queen Elizabeth II on the other. In 1995, Canada also introduced a two dollar coin: the toonie.

In the mid-19th century, Queen Victoria was asked to settle a rivalry between a number of cities vying to become the Canadian capital, including Montreal, Toronto, and Quebec City. Her choice surprised some — when selected in 1857, Ottawa was primarily a small logging settlement. But its location midway between Toronto and Montreal on the border of the colony's French- and English-speaking populations made it a convenient choice that favored neither.

As a member of the Commonwealth, the titular head of the Canadian government is still the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. However, the elected head of the government in Canada is the Prime Minister. Sir John Alexander Macdonald became the country’s first Prime Minister when he took office in 1867 for the first of two non-consecutive terms.

Hockey hall of famer Tim Horton played for four Stanley Cup-winning teams, but his legacy was further cemented when he founded his eponymous restaurant chain in 1964. Though the chain began by selling burgers, they are best known today for coffee and doughnuts. It is Canada’s largest fast-food chain, responsible for over 75% of the baked goods and coffee market in the country.

When the Dominion of Canada was first established, it flew the Union Jack, but it wasn’t until 1965 that the current red-and-white flag with a central maple leaf was adopted. With the prevalence of maple trees in the country, the characteristic maple leaf emerged as a symbol of Canadian identity in the 19th century, and it gained further prominence during World War I when members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force wore maple leaf badges.

The 1867 Constitution Act created the Dominion of Canada as a self-governing nation of the British Empire on July 1, 1867. The act recognized the use of two languages in Canada: English and French. But it wasn’t until 100 years later, in 1967, when the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism recommended that English and French be declared the official languages of Canada.