Highlights of the day

  • 1818 Rush-Bagot Treaty extends US Boundary from NW corner of Lake of the Woods to the Great Divide.
  • 1945 German U-Boat U-190 torpedoes and sinks Royal Canadian Navy minesweeper HMCS Esquimalt; 44 lost.

List of Facts for April 16

  • 1542 Jean-François de Roberval sets sail with three ships and 200 settlers, including some convicts, to found a colony on the St. Lawrence. Appointed France’s First viceroy in Canada, Sieur de Roberval will explore upriver as far as Montreal, and search for the legendary kingdom of the Saguenay; the expedition will prove a failure and after a hard winter at Cap Rouge, the survivors return home in 1543. La Rochelle, France
  • 1739 François de La Vérendrye sets out to find a river flowing westward from Lake Winnipeg. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1764 James Simonds, James White, Jonathan Leavitt, and about 30 tradesmen and families arrive from Massachusetts arrive at Portland Point near the mouth of the Saint John River; build first permanent English settlement in New Brunswick. Saint John, New Brunswick
  • 1818 Richard Rush, Acting Secretary of State of the United States, and Charles Bagot, British minister in Washington, exchange signed notes agreeing to extend the Boundary between American British territories on North America from the northwest corner of the Lake of the Woods directly north or south to the 49th parallel and west to the Great Divide. Oregon, west of the Rockies and lying between 42 degrees and 54 degrees N, to be joint occupancy. Fort George-Fort Astoria to be surrendered to American interests upon demand; the Rush-Bagot Agreement provides for an unarmed US-Canada border, and no naval vessels on the Great Lakes. Washington, DC
  • 1825 Thomas Cochrane appointed First resident Governor of Newfoundland, when the territory became an official British colony; serves from Oct. 8, 1825 to 1827. Newfoundland
  • 1847 Bishop Norbert Provencher’s diocese, covering all of Western Canada, is separated from the diocese of Québec. St. Boniface, Manitoba
  • 1853 Toronto Locomotive Works builds the Toronto; first steam locomotive built in Canada. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1853 Prince Edward Island Assembly passes the Land Purchase Act; empowers the province to buy out property of consenting landlords, for re-sale to to the tenants. PEI
  • 1856 James Douglas declares all gold found in BC to be the property of the Crown, as up to 25,000 American prospectors enter the colony. Victoria, BC
  • 1866 Forty Nine passes Fort Shepherd heading up Columbia Rivr on its First foray into British Columbia this year. BC
  • 1874 Louis Riel expelled from the House of Commons as a fugitive, since there is a warrant for his arrest in Ontario for the shooting of Thomas Scott in Red River; 1870 after the failure of the Red River Rebellion, he fled to the US; 1873 returned to Canada and won election to the House of Commons; 1874 went to Ottawa and signed the register of the House but was expelled; was re-elected in the election called to replace him, but never again attempted to take his seat. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1874 William Johnston founds an agricultural college at Guelph; becomes the Ontario Agricultural College, today’s Guelph University. Guelph, Ontario
  • 1886 Malcolm Cameron Alberta MP charges that Indian Department employees are buying young Indian women. Alberta
  • 1887 Rebuilt and enlarged Welland Canal opened for navigation. Thorold, Ontario
  • 1891 New Brunswick abolishes the Legislative Council, or provincial Upper House. Fredericton, New Brunswick
  • 1895 Prime Minister John Thompson narrowly fails to bring Newfoundland into Confederation; the Conference began on Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage
  • 1895 Chatham incorporated as a city. Chatham, Ontario
  • 1897 Construction of the Mater Miseracordia hospital begins in Rossland, BC..
  • 1903 Canada raises tariff on German imports to retaliate for a similar move by Germany. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1903 Villages of Andover and Perth incorporate together as a district, for providing electric light, power and heat. New Brunswick
  • 1906 Organization of the Police Mutual Benefit Association of Vancouver. BC
  • 1907 CPR’s British Columbia Lake and River Service launches Okanagan (1078 tons) at Okanagan Landing. Sold for scrap in 1938.
  • 1907 McGill University medical building destroyed by fire. Montreal, Quebec
  • 1917 Government takes tariff duties off wheat, flour, and semolina. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1918 First World War - Canadian ace Billy Barker, VC, takes Edward, Prince of Wales (the future Edward VIII) up for a flight in his fighter plane; the Prince was visiting 139 Squadron on the Italian Front. The King will later forbid the Prince from ever entering another aircraft. Italy
  • 1939 Hockey - Boston Bruins beat Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1, giving them 4 games to 1 for Stanley Cup; first NHL playoff expanded to the best-of-seven games format. Bruins rookie Roy Conacher the first player in NHL history to get 3 straight game winning goals in one playoff series, when he scores the winner. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1941 Mackenzie King meets Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House to discuss how Canada can earn more $US for American purchases. Washington, DC
  • 1945 Second World War - Canadian Army takes Groningen after four-day battle. Groningen, Netherlands
  • 1945 Second World War - German U-Boat U-190 torpedoes and sinks Royal Canadian Navy Bangor Class minesweeper HMCS Esquimalt 8 km off Chebucto Head, near the entrance to Halifax harbour; forty-four of her ship’s company are lost in the last major naval loss of the War. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1949 Hockey - Toronto Maple Leafs skate to 5-1 win over Detroit Red Wings in game four of the finals, sweeping the Wings in four games for the the Stanley Cup; Leafs the first NHL team to win 3 straight Stanley Cups. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1953 Hockey - Gerry McNeil records his fourth career playoff shutout, and Elmer Lach scores at 1:22 of overtime to give Montreal Canadiens a 1-0 win over BostonBruins, in Game 5 of the Finals at the Forum, giving the Canadiens the 1953 Stanley Cup Championship. Montreal, Quebec
  • 1954 Hockey - Tony Leswick’s goal at 4:29 of overtime gives the Detroit Red Wings a 2-1 victory over the visiting Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of the finals; gives them 4 games to 3 for the Stanley Cup. Detroit, Michigan
  • 1957 Hockey - Montreal Canadiens beat Boston Bruins 5-1 in game five of the finals, giving them 4 games to 1 for the Stanley Cup. Montreal, Quebec
  • 1959 IWA loggers in western Newfoundland seek government relief. Corner Brook, Newfoundland
  • 1961 Hockey - Chicago Black Hawks beat Detroit Red Wings 4 games to 2 for the Stanley Cup. Chicago, Illinois
  • 1980 Rene Levesque accepts the interprovincial amending formula which renounces Québec’s historic veto right in exchange for financial compensation for those provinces who refuse the right to retreat from federal equalization programs. Vancouver, BC
  • 1981 All Premiers except Ontario and New Brunswick agree to patriate Constitution at once with no changes. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1984 Hockey - Edmonton Oilers 5. Calgary Flames 3
  • 1984 Founding of the Canadian Institute for International Peace and Security; will make annual reports to Parliament; funded by Ottawa. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1989 Toronto Blue Jays Kelly Gruber First Toronto pro baseball player to hit the cycle - a single, double, triple and home run - in a 15-6 victory over Kansas City Royals. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1990 Over 72,000 fans gather to honour recently-freed African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela at a concert in London’s Wembley Stadium; Canadians Neil Young and Daniel Lanois perform, Lanois conducting one of the two superbands. London, England
  • 1990 Hockey - Winnipeg Jets 1, Edmonton Oilers 3; Won Division Semi-Finals 4 games to 3.
  • 1991 Canadian Manufacturers Association (CMA) says Canadians will save $6.5 billion a year if 500 or so interprovincial trade barriers removed. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1992 David Milgaard released from prison after serving over 22 years for First-degree murder of a Saskatoon nurse; Supreme Court of Canada had quashed his conviction, but Saskatchewan decided not to retry or compensate him. Stony Mountain, Manitoba
  • 1992 Hockey - Mike Gartner scores his 500th career goal; first in the NHL to tally his 500th goal, 500th assist, 1,000th point and play his 1,000th game in the same season. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1992 Hockey - Brett Hull the second player in NHL history to score 70+ goals in 3 consecutive seasons.
  • 1995 Canada signs deal with the European Union, ending a bitter 6-week dispute over fishing rights in the North Atlantic; end of so-called Turbot War; both sides say agreement will protect threatened fish stocks. Brussels, Belgium
  • 1998 Energy - Syncrude Project sends its billionth barrel down the pipeline, five years ahead of schedule. Fort McMurray, Alberta
  • 1999 Hockey - Wayne Gretzky announces he will retire from hockey at the end of the season; the 38 year old had played for 21 seasons and held or shared 61 NHL records. New York, New York
  • 2001 British Columbia Election - Gordon Campbell’s BC Liberals take 76 of the province’s 79 seats, come to power as voters end 10 years of NDP rule; Premier Ujjal Dasanjh loses his own seat and steps down as New Democratic Party leader. BC
  • 2001 Hockey - Ray Bourque sets a new NHL record by appearing in the playoffs for the 21st year of his career.
  • 2002 Media - Launch of the New York Sun newspaper, partially owned by Conrad Black. New York, New York
  • 2004 Canadian Member of Parliament John Cannis (Scarborough Centre Liberal Party) calls for deportation of Abdurahman Khadr.
  • 2004 Fadi Ihsan Fadel freed; Canadian hostage in Iraq.
  • 2004 Auction firm where Svend Robinson stole a ring says it will not press charges against him. Vancouver, BC