Highlights of the day

  • 1921 Launch of the 40 m long fishing schooner Bluenose, built to win the Halifax Herald International Fisherman’s Trophy

List of Facts for March 26

  • 1616 Exploration - William Baffin leaves on 5th voyage on ‘Discovery’; will pass Greenland coast and sail north another 480 km. Bristol, England
  • 1663 Religion - Bishop François de Laval gets royal grant to found a seminary at Québec. Québec, Québec
  • 1670 Religion - Sulpician priests François Dollier de Casson and René de Galinée launch their canoes and paddle west, hugging the north shore and camping each night on the beach; after 250 kilometers of paddling they reach the mouth of the Saint Clair River to Lake Huron, and finally arrive at the Jesuit mission at Sault Ste Marie, returning to Montreal via the Ottawa River. Port Dover, Ontario
  • 1789 Education - Founding of Pictou Academy. Pictou, Nova Scotia
  • 1821 Fur Trade - George Simpson appointed Governor of the Southern Department of the new amalgamated Hudson’s Bay Company, based at Moose Factory; senior officer in place of Williams after Norwester partners protest. William Williams appointed Governor of Northern Department, based at York Factory; opposed as senior officer by North West Company partners; the new Coalition Deed Poll of the Hudson’s Bay Co. & North West Company was negotiated by Edward Bear Ellice of Hudson’s Bay Company and Simon McGillivray of North West Company. London, England
  • 1845 Crime - Thomas Aylwin & Dominick Daly fight a harmless duel without injuring each other; one of Canada’s last duels. Montréal, Québec
  • 1870 Red River Rebellion - News of the execution of Thomas Scott at Red River reaches Ontario; angers anti-Catholic Orangemen, who see the Metis action as religiously motivated. Ontario
  • 1873 Settlement - Barrington Price granted a 356-acre pre-emption in the Keremeos Creek valley near its confluence with the Similkameen, and in July buys another half-section in the Similkameen valley. BC
  • 1874 Rail - First session of third Parliament meets until May 26; passes Act for construction of Canadian Pacific Railway; offering $12,000 and $20,000 acres of land for every mile of mainline completed. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1885 North West Rebellion - Gabriel Dumont ambushes force of 98 NWMP officers and volunteers, led by Inspector Leif Crozier, at Duck Lake; forces police to retreat to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan with 10 killed and 14 wounded; start of the Northwest Rebellion (Second Riel Rebellion). Duck Lake, Saskatchewan
  • 1908 Auto - Prince Edward Island Assembly passes a law to ban all automobiles from its roads. Charlottetown, PEI
  • 1915 Hockey - The PCHA Vancouver Millionaires sweep the Ottawa Senators in 3 games for the Stanley Cup. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1917 Hockey - The Pacific Coast Hockey Association champions Seattle Metropolitans beat the NHL Montréal Canadiens 3 games to 1 for the Stanley Cup; First US-based team to win is owned by the Patrick brothers. Montréal, Québec
  • 1921 Fishery - Smith & Rhuland launch 40 m long schooner Bluenose, built at a cost of $35,000; designed by William J. Roue of Halifax, both for fishing and racing. In 1921, under Captain Angus Walters, she wins the Halifax Herald International Fisherman’s Trophy, emblematic of the fastest ship in the North Atlantic fishing fleet; wins 5 times, never afterward defeated for this trophy; also returned from her First trip to the Grand Banks as highliner of the Lunenburg fleet, having caught more than any other ship. The government put her likeness on the ten cent piece in 1937; she stopped racing in 1938. Bluenose was sold in 1942 to Havana interests; she was wrecked on a reef off Haiti in 1946. [Photo: MacAskall Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
  • 1923 Hockey - NHL Ottawa Senators beat PCHA Vancouver Millionaires 3 games to 1 for the Stanley Cup. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1926 Hockey - Georges Vézina dies; NHL Hall of Fame goalie, Montréal Canadiens; the Canadiens will donate a best goaltender trophy to the NHL in his honour. Montréal, Québec
  • 1931 Music - Ernest MacMillan opens the Eaton Auditorium concert hall located on the top floor of Eaton’s College Street store in Toronto; Macmillan at the organ directs a concert recital by soprano Florence Austral and flutist John Amadio. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1940 Women - Dorise W. Nielsen of the United Progressive Party is elected to represent North Battleford; Saskatchewan’s First woman MP. North Battleford, Saskatchewan
  • 1940 Federal Election - William Lyon Mackenzie King wins a second consecutive majority in the 19th federal general election 181 seats to 40 for the Conservatives under R. Manion; Social Credit 10; CCF 8; Independents 6; wins with 51% of popular vote.
  • 1941 Second World War - Second World War - Disaster - RCN armed yacht HMCS Otter destroyed by an accidental explosion and fire, off Halifax; two Officers and 17 men are lost. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1945 Second World War - Canadian Army part of five Allied armies now on the attack east of the Rhine. Germany
  • 1945 Second World War - Commonwealth Air Training Program (CATP) ends after graduating 131,500 fliers and aircrew.
  • 1956 State Visit - Louis St. Laurent meets with US President Dwight Eisenhower and Mexican President Adolpho Ruiz Cortines for talks. Washington, DC
  • 1959 Media - Parliamentary Press Gallery President James McCook says radio and TV broadcasters can now apply for membership. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1964 Military - Paul Hellyer Defence Minister announces plans to integrate army, navy, and air force into one service. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1971 Alberta Election - Peter Lougheed leads his Alberta Progressive Conservative party to a defeat of the Social Credit government. Alberta
  • 1973 Music - Don Messer dies at age 63; the fiddler and bandleader started a national radio show in 1944, and hosted Don Messer’s Jubilee from 1959-73; Don Messer and the Islanders recorded over 30 albums. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1974 Justice - Henry Morgentaler acquittal overturned by Québec Appeal Court in spite of ‘not guilty’ jury decision; decision later upheld by Supreme Court of Canada. Montréal, Québec
  • 1975 Labour - Ottawa raises minimum wage for federal employees from $2.20 to $2.60 per hour. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1975 Alberta Election - Peter Lougheed’s Progressive Conservatives wins a second consecutive majority in the provincial election. Alberta
  • 1976 Baseball - American League approves the purchase of the Toronto Blue Jays franchise by Labatt Brewing for $7 million. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1979 Brian Peckford sworn in as Progressive Conservative Premier of Newfoundland, succeeding Frank Moores. St. John’s, Newfoundland
  • 1984 Justice - Bora Laskin dies; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1985 Energy - Brian Mulroney announces that his government is ending the National Energy Program; move to market value for crude; equal treatment for oil patch. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1985 Environment - External Affairs - Canada agrees to the reduced Garrison Water-Diversion Plan. Manitoba
  • 1987 Women - Ontario Liberal MP Sheila Copps gives birth to a daughter; First Member of Parliament to give birth. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1990 Constitution - Brian Mulroney sends New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna’s ‘companion resolution’ to Meech Lake Accord to an all-party Commons committee; begins public hearings. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1990 Cinema - The film Driving Miss Daisy wins the Oscar for Best Picture at the 62nd Academy Awards; starts Ottawa native Dan Ackroyd, and Jessica Tandy, wife of Canadian actor Hume Cronyn. Hollywood, California
  • 1992 Media - Barbara Frum dies of leukemia at age 54; broadcast journalist, host of CBC Radio’s As It Happens and CBC-TV’s The Journal. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1993 Music - Grammy Award-winning rock singer Alannah Myles cancels her 25-city Canadian tour due to an undisclosed illness. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1995 Labour - Ottawa passes legislation ordering 30,000 striking railway employees back to work, ending nation-wide week of chaos for travellers, commuters and shippers. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1996 Space - Canada’s Anik E-1 communications satellite suffers electronic fault in Space; loses 50% of its capacity in the malfunction. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1996 Hockey - Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins scores 5 goals against St. Louis Blues.
  • 2002 Justice - Supreme Court of British Columbia rules that works of the imagination are not child pornography. Victoria, BC
  • 2003 Epidemic - Ontario declares a public health emergency as a result of SARS. Toronto, Ontario
  • 2004 Environment - Government of Canada brings in the One-Tonne Challenge to encourage canadians to conserve energy. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2004 Justice - Supreme Court of Canada upholds legitimacy of pre-nuptial agreements, saying they can’t be considered unfair at the time of signing. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2004 Music - CBC Radio One’s 50 Tracks names Ian and Sylvia’s Four Strong Winds the greatest Canadian song of all time. Toronto, Ontario