Canoes to giant ore carriers: Great Lakes shipping the subject of Nov. 17 talk

This painting depicts War of 1812 naval hero Oliver Hazard Perry being rowed to the USS Lawrence.

At the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center on Nov. 17 at 7 p.m., George Ryan, retired president of the Lake Carriers' Association, and Rob Catalano, former deputy director of the Steamship William G. Mather Maritime Museum, will take you time-travelling through the history of our Great Lake.

Entitled 500 Years in 50 Minutes: Brief History of Great Lakes Shipping, they will use images, stories and models courtesy of the Great Lakes Historical Society to regale you with fascinating facts about how shipping has evolved since Native American times. Sail through the War of 1812, drop anchor in the 20th century and discover what’s in store for the future!

For the small fee of $7/adult in advance or $10/adult at the door, you will learn the answers to the following questions and more!

• What animal was a reason for the beginning of Great Lakes commerce?
• What was the name of the European who first discovered/navigated Lake Erie and why was it the last lake to be navigated by Europeans?
• What country may have sent the first explorers into what we know as Great Lakes states?
• What was the destination of the first French explorers in the 1600s?
• Who first said “Don’t Give up the Ship”? (No, it wasn’t Perry.)
• What national flags flew over Pittsburgh and Mackinaw Island?
• When were the major storms that sunk the most ships in the Great Lakes?
• How could the Navy teach pilots in Lake Michigan to fly off aircraft carriers when carriers were too large to enter the Great Lakes? And what President trained off one of them?
• What passenger ship calamities in the Great Lakes area rivaled the Titanic in loss of life?
• Did Queen Elizabeth II travel on a ship in the Great Lakes area?