Western nations have dominated much of the world for nearly five centuries. During this era, European nations—and later, the United States—gained power and spread the influence of Western civilization over much of the globe. China and Japan were forcibly opened to European and American trade. Africa, India, and much of Asia were overwhelmed and carved up by Western powers. The Russian Empire fell to the communists and then lost the Cold War to the West.

In 2017, author Tom Nichols published a book titled The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why It Matters. Nichols makes the case that we are experiencing “the growth of an irrational conviction among Americans that everyone is as smart as everyone else” (p. 7).

In the history of every successful nation, company, or team, there is at some point a person who provides groundbreaking leadership, making the difference between success and failure and between ordinary and great. This was truly the case in the history of Canada’s earliest development.

It is easy to take the moon for granted. However, life on earth would not be the same without it—in fact, life might not be possible at all!