A gigantic map of all the cool plaques in the world. A project of 99% Invisible.
Explore the nearly 25,000 worldwide plaques on the Big Map big map screenshot
The most recent plaques:

Crawford Lake Indian Village Site

The first prehistoric village in the eastern woodland area of North America to be accurately dated, this archaeological site has revealed much about Iroquoian agriculture. A study of sediment...

The first prehistoric village in the eastern woodland area of North America to be accurately dated, this archaeological site has revealed much about Iroquoian agriculture. A study of...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

The Canadian Role in the Defence of Hong Kong

In late 1941, 1,975 Canadians arrived in Hong Kong to reinforce the garrison. They fought with courage and determination against overwhelming odds after the Japanese attacked on December 8. Many...

In late 1941, 1,975 Canadians arrived in Hong Kong to reinforce the garrison. They fought with courage and determination against overwhelming odds after the Japanese attacked on December 8. Many...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

Colonel Arthur Rankin 1816-1893

Born in Montreal, Rankin moved to this province about 1830 and qualified as a deputy provincial surveyor in 1836. The next year he was commissioned as an ensign in the Queen's Light Infantry and...

Born in Montreal, Rankin moved to this province about 1830 and qualified as a deputy provincial surveyor in 1836. The next year he was commissioned as an ensign in the Queen's Light Infantry and...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

CFCL Radio

The first French-language radio station in Ontario, CFCL-Timmins, began broadcasting in December 1951. The event was greeted with enthusiasm by Franco-Ontarians who until then had heard limited...

The first French-language radio station in Ontario, CFCL-Timmins, began broadcasting in December 1951. The event was greeted with enthusiasm by Franco-Ontarians who until then had heard limited...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

The Church of the Immaculate Conception

This monumental Gothic church, erected on a commanding site overlooking Formosa, was built to serve a thriving German Roman Catholic parish. Begun in 1875, it was constructed around and over an...

This monumental Gothic church, erected on a commanding site overlooking Formosa, was built to serve a thriving German Roman Catholic parish. Begun in 1875, it was constructed around and over an...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

Charles Rankin 1797-1886

This pioneer surveyor was the pathfinder who opened much of this region to settlement. Born in Enniskillen, Ireland, Rankin came to Upper Canada with his family at an early age. He was appointed a...

This pioneer surveyor was the pathfinder who opened much of this region to settlement. Born in Enniskillen, Ireland, Rankin came to Upper Canada with his family at an early age. He was appointed a...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

Château Laurier

Designed by the architectural firm of Ross and MacFarlane this hotel was built between 1908 and 1912 and enlarged in the 1920s. It was the first in a chain of Château style hotels constructed by...

Designed by the architectural firm of Ross and MacFarlane this hotel was built between 1908 and 1912 and enlarged in the 1920s. It was the first in a chain of Château style hotels constructed...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

Captain Samuel Anderson 1736-1836

This property formed part of the extensive lands granted to Capt. Samuel Anderson, U.E.L., one of the first persons to settle on the site of Cornwall. Born in New England of Irish parents, he...

This property formed part of the extensive lands granted to Capt. Samuel Anderson, U.E.L., one of the first persons to settle on the site of Cornwall. Born in New England of Irish parents,...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

Captain A. Roy Brown, D.S.C. 1893-1944

Victor in aerial combat over Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the First World War's leading fighter pilot and German national hero, Arthur Roy Brown was born at Carleton Place. In 1915 he qualified...

Victor in aerial combat over Baron Manfred von Richthofen, the First World War's leading fighter pilot and German national hero, Arthur Roy Brown was born at Carleton Place. In 1915 he...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

"Cariboo" Cameron 1820-1888

Born in this township, John Angus "Cariboo" Cameron married Margaret Sophia Groves in 1860. Accompanied by his wife and daughter, he went to British Columbia in 1862 to prospect in the Cariboo...

Born in this township, John Angus "Cariboo" Cameron married Margaret Sophia Groves in 1860. Accompanied by his wife and daughter, he went to British Columbia in 1862 to prospect in the Cariboo...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

Colonel Matthew Elliott 1739-1814

Near this site stood the house erected in 1784 by Matthew Elliott. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to the American Colonies in 1761, and during the Revolution served with the British forces as a...

Near this site stood the house erected in 1784 by Matthew Elliott. Born in Ireland, he emigrated to the American Colonies in 1761, and during the Revolution served with the British forces as...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

The College of Iona

Established by the Reverend Alexander Macdonell, father of Roman Catholic education in Upper Canada and later Bishop of Kingston, the College of Iona was opened in 1826 in a log building near this...

Established by the Reverend Alexander Macdonell, father of Roman Catholic education in Upper Canada and later Bishop of Kingston, the College of Iona was opened in 1826 in a log building near...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

Court-House and Gaol 1817-1866

Here stood the court-house and gaol of the Niagara District. Erected in 1817, they were considered to be among the finest public buildings in the province. Robert Gourlay, the radical reformer,...

Here stood the court-house and gaol of the Niagara District. Erected in 1817, they were considered to be among the finest public buildings in the province. Robert Gourlay, the radical...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

The Capture of Detroit

To counter the American invasion of the Detroit frontier, Major General Isaac Brock mustered a force of about 50 regulars and 250 militia here in Port Dover. They embarked on 8 August 1812 and,...

To counter the American invasion of the Detroit frontier, Major General Isaac Brock mustered a force of about 50 regulars and 250 militia here in Port Dover. They embarked on 8 August 1812...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

Canada's First Commune

In 1829 Henry Jones of Devon, England, a retired purser in the Royal Navy, brought a group of more than 50 emigrants from the United Kingdom to this area where he established a settlement on a 400...

In 1829 Henry Jones of Devon, England, a retired purser in the Royal Navy, brought a group of more than 50 emigrants from the United Kingdom to this area where he established a settlement on a 400...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

Cobalt Mining Camp

About 820 m southwest of here, on August 7, 1903, two lumbermen seeking timber for railroad ties made the initial discovery of the Cobalt silver camp. Named for its discoverers, the...

About 820 m southwest of here, on August 7, 1903, two lumbermen seeking timber for railroad ties made the initial discovery of the Cobalt silver camp. Named for its discoverers, the...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

Canadian Car & Foundry

"Can Car" was the main plant of Canada's largest manufacturer during the Second World War. Here, workers built 1,451 of the reliable Hawker Hurricanes that won renown in the battle of Britain and...

"Can Car" was the main plant of Canada's largest manufacturer during the Second World War. Here, workers built 1,451 of the reliable Hawker Hurricanes that won renown in the battle of Britain and...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

Captain John W. Meyers 1745-1821

Meyers gained fame as a loyalist spy during the American Revolution. He recruited soldiers, gathered intelligence, and carried dispatches through enemy lines for the British army in his native New...

Meyers gained fame as a loyalist spy during the American Revolution. He recruited soldiers, gathered intelligence, and carried dispatches through enemy lines for the British army in his native New...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

Central Presbyterian Church

Erected to serve a thriving congregation established in 1841, Central Presbyterian Church was built in 1907-08 after an earlier building was destroyed by fire. It is reputedly the only church...

Erected to serve a thriving congregation established in 1841, Central Presbyterian Church was built in 1907-08 after an earlier building was destroyed by fire. It is reputedly the only...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown

Cornwall Canal

The Cornwall Canal was one of eight canals that connected western Canada with the ocean by way of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. Constructed in 1834-1842 to overcome the rapids of the...

The Cornwall Canal was one of eight canals that connected western Canada with the ocean by way of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. Constructed in 1834-1842 to overcome the rapids of the...

  • toronto
  • ontario
  • alan brown