Nation builders, titans of industry and great thinkers; brilliant writers, movie stars and sports heroes; dirty scoundrels, pirates and hooligans--from the famous and infamous to the nearly forgotten, the great and not-so-great alike have marked Canada's history in weird and wonderful ways: * Before Guy Laliberte was the billionaire genius behind Cirque du Soleil, he was a fire breather on the streets of Quebec City. * William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canada's longest-serving prime minister and firm believer in the occult, always made sure to consult the spirit of his dead dog before deciding important matters of state. * Samuel Bronfman built a liquor empire by smuggling booze into the United States out of Montreal during Prohibition; one of his loyal customers was crime kingpin Al Capone. * Mary Pickford was ''America's Sweetheart,'' the most beloved movie actress of the silent film era; the only thing is, she was born in Toronto! * Moe Norman, from Kitchener, Ontario, had one of the ugliest golf swings ever on the pro tour, but neither his strange technique nor autism prevented him from winning more than 50 tournaments in his career. * Bernie Ebbers, a former milkman from Edmonton, engineered one of the world's largest corporate swindles where investors lost $100 billion.

Born in Simcoe, Ontario, to a family of food processors, A. H. JACKSON has always been fascinated by the skies above our heads. He flew his first plane at 14 and left home at 17 to continue his atmospheric exploration. Jackson believes that, in the twine of life, there are two special genes unique to humankind—hope and humour—and thinks we should all turn to the funny side of life in the face of adversity. He must have quite the sense of humour, then, since he’s been struck by lightning five times! Alan has co-authored a mystery—Pretty Maids all in a Row—and has several adventure books for young adults in the wings.

Alan Jackson's profile page