Highlights of the day

  • 1864 Chilcotin people working for BC road crew go to war against builders and settlers, killing 19 people.
  • 1987 Brian Mulroney and 10 provincial premiers agree on constitutional reform package called the Meech Lake Accord.

List of Facts for April 30

  • 1630 William Alexander, Earl of Stirling grants barony in Nova Scotia, from Yarmouth to Lunenburg, to Claude de La Tour and Charles de La Tour. Edinburgh, Scotland
  • 1658 Marguerite Bourgeoys opens Ville Marie’s First school for French and Indian children, in a stone stable measuring 12 m by 6m borrowed from the Company of Montréal. Montréal, Quebec
  • 1745 William Pepperell anchors main body of the attacking British fleet at Flat Point Cove in Gabarus Bay off Louisbourg; the fortress is defended by 560 regular French soldiers and 1,400 militiamen. Louisbourg, Nova Scotia
  • 1765 Sunbury County created as the northern-most county of Nova Scotia; encompasses most of present-day New Brunswick. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1789 Parrtown and Carleton became Saint John, the First incorporated city in Canada. Saint John, New Brunswick
  • 1803 Napoleon Bonaparte sells Louisiana to the US for $27 million; 4¢/acre for 800,000 sq. miles of central North America; territories between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains First claimed by explorers from New France. Paris, France
  • 1827 Scottish botanist David Douglas is the first European to climb a peak in the Canadian Rocky Mountains; the Douglas Fir is named after him. BC
  • 1831 Oblate Father Léon Fouquet, OMI, born in Agentré, Mayenne, France.
  • 1864 Chilcotin War - Klattasine, Tallot and other members of the Tsilhqot’in people working as packers for Alfred Waddington’s road crew, attacked more workers and settlers, killing 19 in total. Waddington later testified that fears about the outbreak of smallpox was the cause of the unrest; others suggested it arose from the sale of firearms to the Chilcotin at a time when they were suffering from lack of food. Judge Matthew Begbie later concluded that the people were concerned over title to land rather than “plunder or revenge”; there were also grievances about desecration of graves and interference with valuable spring waters. See Canadian Mysteries Timeine)
  • 1873 Fredericton City Council approves James Tibbetts’ application to erect a sawmill on The Green below Christ Church Cathedral; outraged citizens force the council to cancel the project. Fredericton, New Brunswick
  • 1892 Keg of gunpowder costs $6 at the Hudson’s Bay Company store in Fort Qu’Appelle; a pair of high-top boots costs $3.55. Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan
  • 1892 St. Anne’s College at Church Point gets university charter. Church Point, Nova Scotia
  • 1906 U.S. steel magnate Andrew Carnegie attends the official opening of the first Ottawa Public Library building. “The building cost approximately $200,000, and had been made possible by the $100,000 endowment from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.” Ottawa, Ontario (OPL)
  • 1913 CPR launches steamer Nasookin (1869 tons) at Nelson, BC. Leased to Province in 1931 as a car ferry across Kootenay Lake. Bought and re-built by Province in 1933, retired in 1947.
  • 1923 Musquash hydro-electric dam ruptures with a crashing that surpassed the loudest thunder; washes out downstream roads, bridges, houses and barns. Musquash, New Brunswick
  • 1926 Princeton-British Columbia Colliery Company, Limited, falls into receivership.
  • 1932 RCMP absorbs provincial police force of New Brunswick due to near bankruptcy of the province. Fredericton, New Brunswick
  • 1941 Second World War - German U-boat torpedoes Canadian passenger ship Nerissa off Ireland; 73 Canadian Army personnel lost. Atlantic Ocean
  • 1942 Finance - Toronto Stock Exchange’s TSE Index hits wartime low of 84.8 on news of German victories. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1950 Energy - Construction starts on $95 million Interprovincial Pipeline to carry oil from Alberta to the Lakehead. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1957 Granby Consolidated Mining and Smelting Co. shuts down its Copper Mountain operation at Princeton, BC.
  • 1957 West Canadian Collieries ceases operations at the Greenhill mine. Blairmore, Alberta
  • 1960 Military - Lt. Gen. H.D. Graham leaves the Canadian armed forces; last officer with a First World War ribbon to retire. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1965 Music - Bob Dylan starts a British tour backed by The Band, from Toronto, Ontario; the tour is filmed for the documentary Don’t Look Back. London, England
  • 1966 Final broadcast of the Doyle News aired. St. John’s, Newfoundland
  • 1966 National Capital Commission starts marina-recreation complex on Quebec side of the Ottawa River across from Rideau Falls. Gatineau, Quebec
  • 1967 Canadian folksingers Ian and Sylvia perform their hit Four Strong Winds and other songs at Carnegie Hall, New York; the pair will perform together until May, 1975. New York, New York
  • 1970 First computer-controlled CP Rail unit coal train reaches Roberts Bank from mines in Alberta. Vancouver, BC
  • 1971 Canadian government allows the anti-terrorist Public Order (Temporary Measures) Act to lapse at midnight; FLQ still illegal under Criminal Code. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1971 Hydro Québec outlines plans to build $6 billion hydro-electric power project in James Bay region; largest such development ever undertaken in the western hemisphere. Montréal, Québec
  • 1974 Ralph Steinhauer appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Alberta by Pierre Trudeau; former chief of the Saddle Lake Cree Indian band the First aboriginal Canadian named to a viceregal position; holds the position until 1979. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1975 Energy - Commons passes the Petroleum Administration Act, allowing the federal government to set the domestic price of oil and natural gas without the agreement of energy-producing provinces. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1976 Royal Canadian Mint opens its branch in Winnipeg; to use nickel from Thompson and other northern Manitoba mines. St. Boniface, Manitoba
  • 1980 Hockey player Gordie Howe from Floral, Saskatchewan finally retires from the game at age 52.
  • 1981 John Lauchlan & James Blench; both natives of Seebe, Alberta, reach summit of 7,454.5m Mt. Gangapurna in the Himalayas by a new south face route. Nepal
  • 1982 Energy - Alberta Alsands oil project collapses despite offers of aid from Ottawa and Alberta. Fort McMurray, Alberta
  • 1983 Joe Clark faces off in a Massey Hall leadership debate with Brian Mulroney and other contenders; Clark had resigned in January, and called a leadership convention for June. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1984 Strong winds across Exhibition Stadium from Lake Ontario cause a 30 minute delay, then cancellation of a Toronto Blue Jays game with the Texas Rangers. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1987 Constitution - Brian Mulroney and 10 provincial premiers agree on constitutional draft called the Meech Lake Accord, to enable Québec to join the constitutional fold by meeting its five conditions, including recognizing Québec as a distinct society; needs to be ratified by Parliament and all provincial legislatures by June 23, 1990 to become law. Old Chelsea, Québec
  • 1987 Hockey - NY Islander Mike Bossy, a native of Montréal, plays his final NHL game due to recurring back problems. Uniondale, New York
  • 1988 Montreal native Céline Dion wins the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland with her performance of the ballad Don’t Leave Without Me (Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi); show watched by over 600 million TV viewers. Dublin, Ireland
  • 1990 Group of 500 evacuated Mohawks from the 9,000 member Akwesasne reserve decide not to return home until dispute on gambling resolved. Cornwall, Ontario