Wikipedia:Today's featured article/November 21, 2025
The Canoe River train crash occurred November 21, 1950, near Valemount in eastern British Columbia, Canada. A westbound troop train and the eastbound Canadian National Railway Continental Limited collided head-on, and 21 people were killed. Of these, 17 were Canadian soldiers en route to the Korean War. (memorial to them pictured) The investigation found that the order sent to the troop train was missing crucial words, causing the troop train to proceed rather than halt on a siding, which caused the collision. A telegraph operator, John Atherton, was charged with manslaughter; the prosecution alleged he was negligent. His family hired his Member of Parliament, John Diefenbaker, as defence counsel. Diefenbaker obtained Atherton's acquittal, which became an asset during his political rise to become prime minister of Canada. (Full article...)