Heritage Minutes (1991)

Overview

Heritage Minutes—officially billed as Historica Minutes: History by the Minute—are sixty-second short films spotlighting pivotal moments in Canada’s past. These bite-sized vignettes have become a staple on Canadian TV, in movie theaters, and on DVD. The concept debuted on March 31, 1991, through a flashy, one-off history quiz hosted by Rex Murphy. Thirteen original segments aired between programs on CBC and CTV, championed by the CRB Foundation, Canada Post, Power Broadcasting, and the NFB. Visionary Patrick Watson shaped and narrated the series, with Robert Guy Scully producing. By 2009, Historica had merged with The Dominion Institute. Since the CRTC deems them an ongoing dramatic series, each minute counts toward stations’ Canadian-content quotas.