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View from the rear balcony of the Christ Church Cathedral in Ottawa during the funeral of John Diefenbaker on Aug. 19, 1979.
📸University of Saskatchewan JGD-7170
Today in 1925, Oscar Peterson was born in Montreal.
Called the Maharaja of the Keyboard by Duke Ellington, he released more than 200 recordings during his career of more than 60 years.
He also won eight Grammys and is considered one of the best jazz pianists of the 20th century
Today in 1896, Catherine de Hueck Doherty was born in Russia.
She came to Canada in 1947 & became a pioneer in the struggle for interracial justice.
In her life, she wrote over 30 books & she is currently under consideration for canonization by the Catholic Church.
Today in 1917, the Battle of Hill 70 began.
The battle lasted until Aug. 25, 1917, and was an important Canadian victory.
In the overall battle, fought under Sir Arthur Currie, 9,000 Canadians were killed or wounded.
A total of six Canadians received the Victoria Cross in this battle.
📸Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-001718 (modified from the original). Provided by The Vimy Foundation.
Margaret Trudeau performs with John Candy in a skit about a Mountie and a lady in distress on Aug. 15, 1980.
The skit was for a show called Big City Comedy, which would air as a series on CTV beginning on Sept. 15, 1980.
📸David Cooper
Happy National Acadian Day!
It was at the first National Convention of the Acadians in 1881 that this date was chosen to celebrate Acadian culture.
It was ratified by the Vatican on Jan. 19, 1938 & Parliament made it an official day on June 19, 2003.
Today in 2003, a massive power outage hit Ontario & parts of the Northeastern & Midwestern United States. The power remained out for seven hours. About 55 million people lost power.
The outage was caused by a software bug in a control room alarm system in Ohio.
Today in 1906, Chief Joe Capilano leads several chiefs in their 15-minute audience with King Edward VII. He presented a petition to resolve matters related to land claims in Saskatchewan and to remove the ban on potlatches.
Learn more 👇
Today in 1934, John Labatt is kidnapped by four men while he drives from his holiday home along Lake Huron back into Toronto.
His kidnapping would become a media circus.
He was eventually released without a ransom being paid.
Learn more 👇
https://canadaehx.com/2023/02/14/the-kidnapping-of-john-labatt/
Today in 1941, the Government of Canada approved the creation of the Canadian Women's Army Corps. Several thousand women enlist.
On March 13, 1942, the army integrates the Canadian Women's Army Corps, allowing women to adopt military ranks.
📸MIKAN 3207287
Today in 1972, the Team Canada training camp opened. The players would get ready to face the Soviets in only a few weeks time.
Most of the focus of the camp was on scoring goals, and less on defence.
The camp would run for three weeks.
Learn more 👇
https://canadaehx.com/2022/09/07/the-summit-series-training-camp-begins/
Stuntman Dar Robinson hangs from the CN Tower after launching himself off of it on Aug. 12, 1980. This was part of a performance for a US TV program. It was also the second time he had done this, having parachuted off the CN Tower in 1979.
📸Jim Wilkes
Happy birthday to Cindy Klassen, born today in 1979 in Winnipeg!
In her speed-skating career, she won a gold, two silver and three bronze at the Winter Olympics.
She is the only Canadian Olympian to win five medals in a single Games.
Bruno Gerussi practices moving logs for a new TV show he was filming on Aug. 11, 1971.
That show debuted on Oct. 1, 1972 and would run to Dec. 12, 1990 with over 350 episodes.
It was The Beachcombers, and it became an iconic part of Canadian culture.
📸Doug Griffin
I asked AI to generate the Canadian government, but if everyone elected doggies instead.
So, here you go.
#VoteDoggos4Parliament
Ranking the 250 Greatest Canadians: 73 - Marshal McLuhan
Known for his phrase "The medium is the message", he predicted the Internet 30 years before it arrived and coined the term "global village". His work is a cornerstone of media theory.
Today in 1755, the Expulsion of the Acadians began.
Also known as The Great Upheaval, it lasted until July 11, 1764.
Of the 14,100 Acadians in the Maritimes, 11,500 were deported & 5,000 died of disease, starvation and shipwrecks.
Learn more 👇
https://canadaehx.com/2022/09/20/the-expulsion-of-the-acadians/
Today in 1954, the groundbreaking ceremony for the St. Lawrence Seaway was held. In the USA, New York Gov. Thomas Dewey ignited a dynamite charge.
At the same time in Canada, PM Louis St. Laurent moved dirt with Ontario Premier Leslie Frost
Learn more 👇
Today in 1841, Oronhyatekha was born at the Six Nations Reserve.
The first known Indigenous person to attend Oxford & earn a medical degree in Canada, he was also a champion for the rights of women, children and minorities.
Learn more 👇
Today in 1914, the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry was formed when the charter was signed by Minister of Militia Sam Hughes.
The regiment was formed by Captain Andrew Hamilton Gault & named for Princess Patricia of Connaught.
Learn more 👇
https://canadaehx.com/2021/05/09/the-princess-patricias-canadian-light-infantry/