How it unfolded
Sponsored by the Scotch whisky industry, this new event sent the Canadian champion on the road to face the Scottish champion across a five-match series. Played over three days from 9 March 1959, moving between Edinburgh, Perth and Falkirk, Canada's berth went to the Richardson team from Regina's Civil Service Curling Club, the youngest-ever Brier champions that year. This family foursome — skip Ernie Richardson, third Garnet, second Arnold, lead Wes — beat Willie Young's Scotland, based near Falkirk, in all five matches. The difference wasn't any single shot but method. The Canadians used a sliding delivery, pushing off the hack and gliding with the stone, and cleared the house with takeouts without hesitation whenever a draw was blocked. Scotland, by contrast, was still throwing from a fixed stance with a foot planted, and its game leaned heavily on draws. The Richardsons went on to win this event again in 1960, 1962 and 1963, with Mel Perry replacing Wes in 1963.
Why it still matters
This series is the starting point of the world championship. The event later expanded its field, passing through the Air Canada Silver Broom stage before becoming today's Men's World Curling Championship, and Canada took 13 of the first 20 editions. At the same time, the sliding delivery and takeout-first game the Richardsons demonstrated became the standard the whole world copied over the next 20 years. The narrative that curling was invented in Scotland and perfected in Canada was settled on this tour.