Highlights of the day

  • 1839 Lord Durham’s hands in his Report
  • 1958 James Gladstone, an Alberta Blood, takes his seat as Canada’s first aboriginal Senator.

List of Facts for January 31

  • 1747 Military - Arthur Noble British commander at Grand Pré surprised by Villiers; loses 500 men. Grand Pré, Nova Scotia
  • 1825 Law - James Reid appointed Chief Justice of the Court of King’s Bench. Montréal, Québec
  • 1839 Constitution - Lord Durham hands his Report on the Affairs of British North America to British Prime Minister Lord Melbourne. The former Governor of the colony blames the power of the Family Compact and Chateau Clique for the 1837 rebellions, and recommends uniting the Canadas under one responsible government, with English the only official language, so as to assimilate the French Canadians. London, England
  • 1851 Energy - Hamilton Gas Light Company installs First street lamps. Hamilton, Ontario
  • 1851 Religion - Teresa McDonnell becomes Sister Ste. Thérèse of the Grey Nuns. St. Boniface, Manitoba
  • 1863 Military - Organization of the 5th Battalion, Volunteer Militia Rifles (Black Watch of Canada).
  • 1863 Law - John Beverley Robinson dies at Beverley House; former Ontario Chief Justice. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1901 Hockey - Winnipeg Victorias sweep Montréal Shamrocks in 2 games for the Stanley Cup. Montréal, Québec
  • 1905 Mining - C.P. Hill incorporates the Hillcrest Coal and Coke Company. Alberta
  • 1907 Retail - Timothy Eaton, founder of the T. Eaton Company of Canada, dies; an innovative retailer, he and his brother James Eaton opened their first store at 178 Yonge Street in Toronto in 1869; maintained fixed prices and cash sales, with satisfaction guaranteed. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1911 Family - First Saskatchewan Homemakers’ Clubs Convention is held in Regina. Regina, Saskatchewan
  • 1912 Urban - Strathcona, Alberta City Council meets for the last time before integration with Edmonton. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1917 Politics - H.W. Laird appointed to the Senate; former mayor of Regina, Saskatchewan. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1920 Hockey - Joe Malone of the Québec Bulldogs scores 7 goals in the Bulldogs 10-7 win against Toronto; led the NHL for most goals in a single game. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1923 Military -Cabinet cancels RNCVR, a branch of the Royal Navy, creates Royal Canadian Navy Reserve (RCNR) and Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR). Ottawa Ontario
  • 1923 Hockey - Montreal Canadiens beat Hamilton Bulldogs 5-4, in first penalty-free game played in NHL history. Montréal, Québec
  • 1934 Mining - U.S. Treasury increases its buying price for gold by $15, to $35 per ounce; good news for Canadian mines. Washington, DC
  • 1951 Disaster - Duplessis Bridge over the St. Maurice River collapses, killing four people. Trois-Rivières, Québec
  • 1955 Strike - Ford of Canada autoworkers walk off the job at Windsor, Oakville and Etobicoke; start of 109-day strike. Oakville, Ontario
  • 1957 Holiday - Government makes Thanksgiving Day a statutory holiday, as Parliament proclaims: A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed … to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1957 See: Thanksgiving
  • 1958 Aboriginal - James Gladstone, an Alberta Blood, takes his seat as Canada’s first aboriginal Senator; appointed by John Diefenbaker. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1965 Saskatchewan proclaims this day as a statutary holiday, Province Day. Regina, Saskatchewan
  • 1966 Justice - Québec Court of Appeals reverses Jacques Hébert’s contempt of court conviction; found guilty in 1965 for statements in book on Coffin murder. Québec
  • 1967 Fire destroys the CPR station in Macleod. Fort Macleod, Alberta
  • 1969 Crime - Saskatoon nursing assistant Gail Miller raped and murdered in a back lane; city police rounded up a young man named Albert (Shorty) Cadrain and question him about the murder; two weeks later, after hearing about a $2,000 reward, Cadrain implicated his friend David Milgaard, who is later charged and convicted in January 1970. After 8,355 days in prison, Milgaard is released after a Supreme Court of Canada review of the case. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (Timeline)
  • 1969 See: David Milgaard Timeline
  • 1973 Aboriginal - Nisg’aa Case - Supreme Court of Canada rules that Nisg’aa Indians have no aboriginal rights over land in the Nass River Valley, BC. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1980 Taxation - Ontario to rebate up to $700 in sales tax for purchasers of 1979 model cars; effort to help slumping car sales. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1981 Speed Skating - Gaëtan Boucher skates the 1000m in a world record time of 1:13.39; native of Charlesbourg, Québec will go on to win gold in the 1000m and 1500m, and a bronze in the 500m at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics. Davos, Switzerland
  • 1982 External Affairs - Pierre Trudeau urges end to Polish martial law on the Let Poland be Poland TV broadcast; supporting the Polish Solidarity movement. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1986 Foreign Exchange - Canadian Dollar hits an all-time low of 70.2 U.S. cents on international money markets. Chicago, Illinois
  • 1990 Retail - George Cohon partners with Moscow Municipal Government, opens First McDonald’s fast-food restaurant in Pushkin Square, the world’s biggest McDonald’s; head of Canadian franchise subsidiary. Moscow, Russia
  • 2001 Hockey - George Gillett Jr. buys 80% of the Montreal Canadiens and 100% of the Centre Molson in Montreal for S$275 million; name changed to Centre Bell. Montréal, Québec
  • 2005 Environment - Canada announces steps to maintain a year-round human presence on Sable Island; in 2005 Marq de Villiers and Sheila Hirtle write the book, Sable Island: The Strange Origins and Curious History of a Dune Adrift in the Atlantic. Sable Island, Nova Scotia
  • 2006 Military - Canada signs Afghanistan Compact, an agreement between the United Nations (UN), the Government of Afghanistan and the international community; Canada commits to five years of support through NATO. London, England