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OTTAWA — Frozen rabbits, bachelors, brooms, aluminum foil and gardenias: what do all of these have in common?

Each was discussed in wonderfully-descriptive daily reports from the then-equivalent of Statistics Canada 80 years ago, between the world wars and nearing the end of the Great Depression.

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From digitized collections at Library and Archives Canada, we look at some weird snippets of history from Dominion Bureau of Statistics broadcasts on CBC radio in 1937.

Shiny objects

“Apart from the cellophane and the many varieties of paper that wrapped seasonal presents, there was one covering that made gay the appearance of many a gift. That was metal foil.” It has “a gleaming sheen which gives it the look of precious metal.”

The stat: More than 50,000 pounds of tin foil imported yearly, well over 100,000 pounds of aluminum foil imported from the U.S. and Great Britain. “This would blanket a very large area.” (Jan. 3)