TODAY – SEP 24, 2010 – IN CANADIAN HISTORY

On This Day

September 24

	Today's Canadian Headline....
1927	BIRTH OF THE LEAFS Toronto Ontario – Conn Smythe changes the name of the NHL’s Toronto St Patricks hockey team to the Maple Leafs.
1988	Also On This Day... Seoul, Korea – Canada’s Ben Johnson breaks his own world record to win the 100 meter gold medal in 9.79 seconds at the 24th Olympiad in Seoul. Johnson is forced by the lOC to return the medal and is disqualified from the Games after a positive steroid drug test two days later.
1948	And in Today's Canadian Birthdays... Phil Hartman 1948-1998 actor, comedian, comedy writer, cartoon voice, was born on this day at Brantford, Ontario in 1948; shot by his mentally troubled wife May 28, 1998 in Encino, California. Hartman acted as Captain Coral on Pee Wee’s Playhouse, and was a regular on Saturday Night Live 1986-94, playing the Weekend Update anchor, Prez Clinton, Frank Sinatra. He has also done voice as Darkwing Duck’s Paddywhack, The Smurfs, Dennis the Menace, The Simpsons (attorney Lionel Hutz) and recently played NewsRadio’s Anchorman Bill McNeil. Here is a Phil Hartman filmography. Also Thomas Shoyama 1917- economist, public servant, was born on this day at Kamloops. BC in 1917. Interned with other Japanese Canadians in World War II, Shoyama began his career in the Tommy Douglas government in Saskatchewan, and left for Ottawa in 1964 to work as a senior economist with the Economic Council of Canada. In the 1970s and 1980s he served as Deputy Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, Deputy Minister of Finance and Chairman of Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.
In Other Events….
1992	Toronto Ontario – Blue Jays’ Dave Winfield became the first 40 year old and the oldest major league player to knock in 100 RBIs. Winfield drove in four runs with a homer and a two-run double in and 8-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
1992	United Nations, New York – External Affairs Minister Barbara McDougall says Canada will cut UN peacekeeping grant if others don’t pay share; may pull out of Cyprus; 4,300 Canadian soldiers currently committed.
1991	Ottawa Ontario – Brian Mulroney 1939- presents 59 page ‘Shaping Canada’s Future Together’; blueprint for distinct society; elected Senate; will be taken across Canada by 30 member committee.
1990	Beauséjour, New Brunswick – Jean Chretien 1934- to run in federal by-election in Beauséjour, vacated by retiring MP Fernand Robichaud; represented St-Maurice 1963-1986.
1988	Seoul, South Korea – Canadian Ben Johnson sets world record in the 100 metre sprint at the Summer Olympic Games in 9.79 seconds against arch-rival, American Carl Lewis; later stripped of gold medal after testing positive for banned anabolic steroids.
1985	Montreal Quebec – Expo Andre Dawson get 6 RBIs in one inning (5th); ninth major leaguer to reach this mark.
1984	Moncton, New Brunswick – Queen Elizabeth II 1926- starts two-week Canadian tour with Prince Philip; visits New Brunswick, Ontario and Manitoba; tour delayed by the election.
1977	Vancouver BC – Ken Hinton of CFL British Columbia Lions returns a punt 130 yards.
1977	Ottawa Ontario – Canadian dollar drops to 89.88¢; Bank of Canada arranges US $1.5 billion standby credit; for first time since 1939.
1973	Ottawa Ontario – Canada officially recognizes new Pinochet military government in Chile.
1972	Moscow Russia – Canadian NHL All Stars defeat Soviet team 3-2 in second game in the USSR; USSR still leads series 3-2 with one tie.
1969	Toronto Ontario – Ontario bans use of pesticide DDT, effective January 1, 1970.
1967	St-Tite, Quebec – Opening of the first Festival western de St-Tite.
1965	Chatham England – Royal Canadian Navy commissions HMCS Ojibwa, first of three Oberon class submarines.
1965	United Nations, New York – Bruce F. Macdonald 1917- appointed to command United Nations India-Pakistan Observation Mission.
1962	Ottawa Ontario – John George Diefenbaker 1895-1979 opens Garden of the Provinces in Ottawa.
1959	Regina Saskatchewan – Ross Thatcher elected leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal Party, four years after quitting the NDP; later becomes Premier.
1958	Ottawa Ontario – Defense Minister George Pearkes decides to cancel the Canadian fire control and missile systems of the Avro Arrow program; a major step in the road to final cancellation Feb. 20, 1959.
1957	Montreal Quebec – Molson family acquires Montreal Canadiens hockey club.
1956	Ottawa Ontario – External Affairs requests withdrawal of G.F. Popov, second secretary of the Soviet embassy in Ottawa, for attempting to bribe an RCAF civilian employee.
1956	Washington DC – Canada signs atomic energy agreement with Britain and the United States in Washington.
1952	Toronto Ontario – Thieves make off with six boxes of gold bullion worth $300,000 from an unguarded building at Malton Airport. The gold, awaiting shipment to Montreal, is never found; likely flown to New York in a private plane and smuggled to Hong Kong.
1950	Toronto Ontario – Canadian military mission arrives in Tokyo; first Canadian unit dispatched to Korean conflict.
1945	Toronto Ontario – Edward Plunkett ‘E. P.’ Taylor 1901-1989 incorporates Canada’s largest holding company, Argus Corporation; a private investment company to handle his Canadian Breweries and other holdings.
1942	Contact Creek, Yukon – Alaska Highway opened at Contact Creek, 305 miles north of Fort Nelson, BC.
1941	London England – Canada joins eight other allied governments in pledging allegiance to the Atlantic Charter, an eight-point declaration issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
1939	Quebec Quebec – Maurice Duplessis 1890-1959 calls Quebec election for Oct. 25, asks for ‘a vote for autonomy against conscription’.
1935	Edmonton Alberta – Alberta Social Credit Premier William Aberhart announces an issue of 10 year $25 Prosperity Bonds to be sold to Albertans; to help province clear its $150 million debt.
1905	Toronto Ontario – Henry Fleming the first to band a bird in Canada.
1901	Whitehorse Yukon – Telegraph connection completed between Yukon and southern Canada.
1897	Queenston Ontario – Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company and the Niagara Falls International Bridge Company open new double track steel arch bridge; upper floor leased to the Grand Trunk Railway.
1875	Lake Winnipeg Manitoba – Saulteaux, Swampy Cree and others sign Treaty #5 in Northern Manitoba; also adherents in 1908-10, total 160,930 sq km.
1859	Ottawa Ontario – Capital of the Province of Canada moves from Quebec City to Ottawa; previously in rotation at Toronto, Kingston and Montreal.
1844	Montreal Quebec – Start of first international cricket match; Canada defeats the US the following day.
1841	Montreal Quebec – Richard Jackson 1777-1845 appointed administrator of Province of Canada, serves until Jan. 12, 1842 as Commander-in-Chief of British North America.
1827	BC – HBC arms Talkotin Indians to help them drive off stronger Chilkotins.
1788	Nootka BC – First shipment of Canadian furs sent to China.
1766	London England – Guy Carleton named Lieutenant Governor of Quebec.
1761	London England – Henry Ellis d1806 appointed Governor of Nova Scotia; until Nov. 21, 1763; never comes to province to assume office.
1688	Mackinaw Michigan – Louis-Armand de Lom d’Arce de Lahonton 1666-c1716 sets out from Michilimackinac to explore west; will reach Mississippi River via Wisconsin River.
1685	Quebec – Playing cards used as money in New France when payship fails to arrive.
1683	Paris France – Jews expelled from all French possessions in America, including New France.
1669	Mackinaw Michigan – René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de LaSalle 1643-1687 meets Louis Jolliet and Father Marquette at St. Ignace.
1647	Quebec Quebec – Building of Notre-Dame church in Quebec.
1646	Chambly Quebec – Isaac Jogues 1607-1646 taken prisoner by Iroquois, who blame them for smallpox and famine outbreak; abandoned by Huron guard at Fort Richelieu.

<!– “There can be no dedication to Canada’s future without a knowledge of its past.”
John George Diefenbaker 1895-1979
1964 –>

Today in Canadian History is written, compiled, edited and produced by Ottawa