Highlights of the day

1577 & 1578 - Martin Frobisher sets off on two voyages to Labrador and Nunavut.

  • 1873 American wolfers massacre an Assiniboine band in the Cypress Hills in Southern Alberta.
  • 1997 Premiers Pat Binns and Frank McKenna open the 13 km long Confederation Bridge linking PEI and New Brunswick.

List of Facts for May 31

  • 1577 Martin Frobisher sets sail from Harwich on the Gabriel (20 tons), Michael (25 tons) and Ayde (a 10 ton pinnace) to look for the Northwest Passage; will reach Labrador coast July 28, 1577, then Frobisher Bay. Harwich, England
  • 1578 Martin Frobisher sails with fleet of 15 ships to build a settlement at Frobisher Bay and mine the ‘gold’ ore found a year earlier; will discover Hudson Strait; the 2,000 tons of ‘gold’ ore he mines will prove to be worthless pyrites, and used to pave the streets of London. Harwich, England
  • 1790 Alverez Quimper explores the Strait of Juan de Fuca; claims area for Spain on August 1, 1790. BC
  • 1793 Upper Canada Assembly passes Act making it possible for public servants to perform marriages. Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
  • 1794 Upper Canada Assembly passes Alien Act, to guard against anti-British sentiment. Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
  • 1831 James Ross discovers Bellot Strait dividing Somerset Island from mainland of Boothia Peninsula; the northernmost point of the North American continent. Bellot Strait, Nunavut
  • 1838 Patriote leader Louis-Joseph Papineau reunited with his wife and children in Saratoga. Saratoga, New York
  • 1851 Clipper ship Marco Polo leaves Saint John for Liverpool, and will set a record for the passage at 15 days; launched April 19, 1851 by James Smith at Marsh Creek, Courtenay Bay; named for its full-length figurehead of the famous Venetian traveller; built square-rigged with the body of a cargo ship above the water line and the configuration of a much-faster clipper ship below; 1852 The Fastest Ship in the World sets a new speed record circumnavigating the globe from Liverpool to Australia and around in only five months and 21 days. Saint John, New Brunswick
  • 1862 Bank of British Columbia created by Royal Charter; incorporated in London, England; acquired by the Canadian Bank of Commerce in 1900. Victoria, BC
  • 1866 Fenian raids - John O’Neill leads about 800 Fenian raiders across the Niagara River at Buffalo to threaten Canadian garrisons, occupy Fort Erie, capture the Buffalo & Lake Huron Railroad and cut telegraph lines. The Fenians were dedicated to freeing Ireland from the English, by force if necessary. Fort Erie, Ontario
  • 1868 Thomas Spence declares the Republic of Manitoba with himself as President; his Republic stretches from Assiniboia in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the west, and down to the US border. Some local citizens pledge loyalty with an oath of allegiance, but when the President tries to collect taxes, several people in Portage object, and boot him out of town. Portage La Prairie, Manitoba
  • 1873 American wolfers massacre an Assiniboine band in the Cypress Hills. Fort Walsh, Alberta
  • 1877 Brantford incorporated as a city. Brantford, Ontario
  • 1877 Canadian medical degrees became acceptable to Britain. London, England
  • 1880 The Moncton Daily Times reports a crazy man in the vicinity of High Street roaming about entirely naked with the exception of a sheep skin girdle in which is fixed a knife. He is said to live in the woods. Moncton, New Brunswick
  • 1891 CP opens Columbia and Kootenay Railway between Sproat’s Landing and Nelson, BC.
  • 1902 Boer War - Treaty of Vereeniging ends Boer War; cost Canada almost $3 million; 7,368 Canadians served with British forces. Vereeniging, South Africa
  • 1907 Clifford Robinson becomes premier of New Brunswick, replacing William Pugsley
  • 1915 Kettle Valley Railway between Penticton, BC and Spences Bridge formally opened and passenger service begins.
  • 1923 Crest of floods in the east and west Crowsnest Pass. Headgates of the LNID diversion canal destroyed. BC/Alberta
  • 1928 Nova Scotia abolishes its Legislative Council; Québec now the only province with an upper house. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1929 CNP Coal announces that the mines at Coal Creek, BC will be closed. BC
  • 1943 Ernest Manning succeeds William Aberhart as Social Credit Premier of Alberta after Aberhart’s death; serves to December 12, 1968. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1946 Ottawa orders all Japanese-Canadians deported to Japan. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1954 CBWT-TV Winnipeg goes on the air for the CBC; first prairie television station. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1954 Emergency Powers Act expires; gave Cabinet wide control over Canadian economy; later replaced by War Measures Act. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1962 Queen’s Park announces plans for building Trent University at Peterborough; Ontario’s 14th university slated to open September, 1964. Peterborough, Ontario
  • 1964 Canadian Press sends its first resident correspondent to Soviet Union. Moscow, Russia
  • 1967 Opening of Sir John Carling Building, new Department of Agriculture headquarters. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1967 Queen Elizabeth II gives twelve white swans to the City of Ottawa as her Confederation gift; flown from England to Canada. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1968 Pierre Grondin heads 27 member surgical team at the Montréal Heart Institute in performing Canada’s first heart transplant, and the world’s 18th, on Albert Murphy, a 58-year-old retired butcher from Chomedy, Québec; will die 46 hours after start of operation. Montréal, Québec
  • 1969 Music - John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band record their single, Give Peace A Chance, in a suite in the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montréal. Montréal, Québec
  • 1969 Pierre Trudeau officially opens the National Arts Centre on Confederation Square. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1969 Music - These Eyes, by Winnipeg group The Guess Who, peaks at #6 on the Billboard pop singles chart. New York, New York
  • 1970 2,500 employees in 54 Québec private hospitals strike for higher wages. Québec
  • 1971 Sandra Oxner appointed First female judge of Nova Scotia Magistrate’s Court. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1972 Pierre Trudeau announces new awards for bravery and merit for civilians and members of the Canadian Armed Forces; plus new “Member” level of the Order of Canada is created. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1972 CP ceases tug and barge service on Okanagan Lake, BC.
  • 1972 Peak of spring floods in Princeton, BC
  • 1975 Raynell Andreychuck the First woman appointed President of the National Council of the YMCA. Orillia, Ontario
  • 1976 Ottawa averts national strike by 2,200 air controllers over use of French in Québec air traffic control. Québec
  • 1977 Canadian Wheat Board sells China 3 million tonnes (110 million bushels) of wheat; valued at $330 million. Beijing, China
  • 1980 Terry Fox reaches Day 30 in his Marathon of Hope. Antigonish, Nova Scotia
  • 1981 Parks Canada declares Carbonear Island a National Historic Site. Fort Carbonear was an early British post, and was attacked by the French in 1696 and 1705. Carbonear Island, Newfoundland
  • 1985 Tornadoes hit central Ontario communities of Barrie, Ontario, Grand Valley, Ontario, Orangeville, Ontario, and Tottenham, Ontario, killing 12, injuring hundreds and damaging or destroying at least 1,000 buildings; damage estimated at more than $150 million; these and other tornadoes in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York state kill a total of 88 people and injure over 1,000. Ontario
  • 1987 Hockey - Edmonton Oilers beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1, winning the Stanley Cup Finals 4 games to 3. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1988 House of Commons passes one bill giving all federal employees the right to a smoke-free workplace, and another banning virtually all tobacco advertising, effective January 1, 1989. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1990 Aboriginal - Supreme Court of Canada says judges should give native rights a more “generous” and “liberal” interpretation. Assembly of First Nations Chief George Erasmus says First Nations pleased with Supreme Court of Canada ruling requiring governments to bargain on native rights and land claims, and not ignore treaty obligations. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1990 Brian Mulroney invites Premiers to Ottawa for June 3, 1990 to try and save the Meech Lake Accord; refuses full First Ministers Conference; says Senate reform main obstacle. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1990 Canadian rocker Corey Hart marries Erika Gagnon, a Montréal graphic designer and photographer, who designed some of his album covers. Rome, Italy
  • 1990 Alberta Premier Don Getty announces that Alberta will privatize 50% of $3 billion giant, Alberta Government Telephones (AGT); Albertans given first right to buy shares. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1990 Québec Superior Court convicts two Columbians and a New Yorker of attempting to smuggle and traffic $200 million of cocaine through New Brunswick in April 1988; given 10-25 year sentences. Montréal, Québec
  • 1991 Aboriginal - Chief George Martin of Kahnesatake Mohawk Reserve fails to block members from voting 526-21 for direct election of a new band council. Oka (Kanesetake), Québec
  • 1991 Music - Glass Tiger cuts short a concert after some people in the audience keep throwing coins at the band, and lead singer Alan Frew is hit in the head with a loonie. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
  • 1994 J.E.N. Wiebe is sworn in as Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan. Regina, Saskatchewan
  • 1995 The RCMP announce a $1 million reward in Air India flight 182 case and restarts its investigation. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1997 Premiers Pat Binns and Frank McKenna cut the ribbon opening the 13 km long Confederation Bridge between Borden-Carlton, PEI and Jourimain Island, New Brunswick; the ceremony features the Snowbirds flying above, Mounties on horseback and the Bluenose sailing below, plus traditional music and dancing festivities; the bridge is 11 metres wide and has a 3.75-metre-wide lane for traffic in each direction with a 1.75 metre wide shoulder on each side; the crossing takes 10 minutres by car; predestrians are not allowed. One group wanted to call the bridge, “The Span of Green Cables.” PEI
  • 2000 Ontario government orders public inquiry into the E. coli drinking water contamination that killed seven and sickened 2,300 at Walkerton, Ontario.
  • 2000 Hockey - State funeral for Maurice (Rocket) Richard at Notre-Dame Basilica attracts thousands of fans, former teammates and politicians. Montréal, Québec
  • 2001 Finance - Sheila Fraser appointed Auditor General of Canada; first woman to hold the position; retires May 2011. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2002 UtiliCorp Networks becomes Aquila Networks Canada. UtiliCorp United of Kansas City, MO, now Aquila, Inc. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2003 Politics - Nova Scotia MP Peter MacKay elected leader of the federal Progressive Conservative party; will lead the move to unite with the Canadian Alliance. Toronto, Ontario
  • 2004 Religion - Archbishop Andrew Hutchison elected national leader of the Anglican Church of Canada. Montreal, Québec
  • 2004 Canadian Sylvain Grenier and his tag team partner Rob Conway win World Tag Team Championships on WWE RAW (WWE).
  • 2005 Miss Universe Canada Natalie Glebova of Toronto crowned Miss Universe in Bangkok, Thailand.
  • 2006 Health - Smoking ban comes into effect in Ontario and Quebec in all unventilated workplaces and public places.
  • 2007 Media - Quebecor acquires Osprey Media’s chain of newspapers for $517-million. Toronto, Ontario
  • 2007 Aboriginal - Ipperwash inquiry commissioner Sidney Linden issues report; finds the government of former Ontario premier Mike Harris, Ottawa and the OPP bear some responsibility for events that led to aboriginal protester Dudley George’s death; calls for Ottawa and Ontario to return disputed land to the Stoney Point First Nation, with compensation, and establish a permanent, independent and impartial agency to settle land and treaty claims. Toronto, Ontario