Michael Bliss (born 1941) is a Canadian historian and outspoken public figure.
Bliss entered the University of Toronto in 1958, and has been there ever since. He received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. there and since 1969 has been a professor in the department of history. One time a student asked him how long he had been at the U of T. "All my life," he said a bit mournfully.
His doctoral dissertation, which was supervised by Ramsay Cook, was a social history of Canadian business, an analysis of the "thoughts and dreams" of businessmen in Canada during the National Policy years. It was published under the title A Living Profit.
He has worked in a number of areas including the history of Canadian business. His most acclaimed work has been concerning the history of medicine in Canada, and in North America. Bliss has also published works on Canadian political history and has become a noted commentator on Canadian politics in the media appearing regularly in newspapers, magazines, and on television. His criticism of social history has made him a controversial figure in the scholarly community.
Works
- Confederation, 1867 : The Creation of the Dominion of Canada - 1975
- A Canadian Millionaire: The Life and Business Times for Sir Joseph Flavelle - 1978
- The Discovery of Insulin - 1982
- Banting: A Biography - 1984
- Northern Enterprise: Five Centuries of Canadian Business - 1987
- Plague: A Story of Smallpox in Montreal - 1991 (nominated for Governor General's Award)
- Right Honourable Men - 1994
- William Osler: a Life in Medicine - 1999 (nominated for Governor General's Award)
