This week’s Canadian Heritage Moment takes us across the pond to London in early World War I, where where a young Canadian soldier was heading home and having to leave his beloved black bear behind. Lt. Harry Colebourne had bought the bear in Ontario and named it Winnie, after his hometown of Winnipeg. He had to leave it behind, though, and the black bear made a new home at the London Zoo.

A few years later, A.A. Milne had a young son who took a liking to the bear, and Milne wrote some stories about a bear based on Winnie at the zoo. The bear in the stories would be named, “Winnie the Pooh.”

Heritage Minutes are 60-second short films that are shown in between some TV shows in Canada — and they’re amazing. We’re planning to bring you a “Heritage Minute” every Wednesday on COTW.

Enjoy.