June 2

Highlights of the day

1398 Henry Sinclair Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney May Have Visited Nova Scotia.
1866 Canadian Militia mauled by 700 Fenians at the Battle of Ridgeway, Fort Erie.
1917 Billy Bishop seriously damages German aerodrome; destroys three Hun planes; wins VC.

List of Facts for June 2

1398 Henry Sinclair, Earl of Orkney may have landed in Nova Scotia; an account by Zeno may describe burning pitch deposits at Stellarton, Nova Scotia behind Mt. Adams. Cape Caruso, Nova Scotia
1615 First Récollet missionaries arrive from Rouen, France (Fathers Denis Jamet, Jean Dolbeau and Joseph Le Caron, with Brother Pacifique Duplessis); build First monastery and chapel. Québec, Québec
1671 Daniel de Courcelle leaves Montréal on peace mission to the Iroquois on Lake Ontario. Montréal, Québec
1755 French & Indian War - Robert Monckton lands over 2,000 troops at mouth of Missaguash River in Acadia; attacks Vergor at Fort Beauséjour. Fort Beauséjour, Nova Scotia
1763 Pontiac’s Rebellion - Chippewa warriors capture Fort Michilimackinac by diverting the garrison’s attention with a game of lacrosse, then chasing a ball into the fort. Mackinaw City, Michigan
1776 American Revolutionary War - John Thomas dies of smallpox which is ravaging the invading American army; succeeded by John Sullivan. Chambly, Québec
1794 Third session of first Parliament of Upper Canada meets until July 9, 1794; sets up Court of King’s Bench; passes Act restraining domestic animals. Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
1800 John Clinch administers the First smallpox vaccination in North America. Trinity, Newfoundland
1800 Fourth session of second Parliament of Upper Canada meets until July 4, 1800; introduction of British criminal law into the Canadas. Toronto, Ontario
1847 John A. Macdonald enters cabinet for the First time as Receiver-General. Montreal, Quebec
1847 Opening of third session of second Parliament of Canada; meets until July 28, 1855; control of Post Office; duties lowered on American imports; British imports raised to uniform 7.5%. Montréal, Québec
1855 James Anderson & James Stewart leave Fort Resolution to confirm John Rae’s report on the Franklin Expedition; find articles from Franklin’s ships at Back River, more relics at Montreal River. Fort Resolution, NWT
1866 Fenian Raids - John O’Neill leads 700 Fenians, calling themselves the Irish Republican Army, against raw Canadian militia - the 2nd Battalion Queen’s Own Rifles (Toronto); the Caledonia and York County Companies; and the 13th Battalion Volunteer Infantry (Hamilton), led by part time Militia Colonel Alfred Booker, a Hamilton auctioneer. Most of the Canadians are university students, factory workers and farm boys, clearly no match for O’Neill’s battle-hardened Civil War veterans. At 7:00 am Booker orders the militia to advance on Fenian skirmishers, who repeatedly fire and withdraw, trying to trap the Canadians, forcing them to advance through open fields toward the hidden main body behind the ridge. After ninety minutes the tide changes. One account says that some of Booker’s militia spied American scouts on horseback, and thinking they were facing a cavalry unit, started to fall back and retreat. Another source suggests that that the green clad Queen’s Own troops mistook a company of 13th Battalion infantry for British regulars coming to their relief, and began to pull back from the ridge. That may have triggered a panic among other troops who mistook the QOR withdrawal for a retreat. Others relate that Booker simply ordered a withdrawal when he saw the young troops panicking. Apparently O’Neill then ordered a bayonet charge when he saw the militia in chaos. in any event, the Canadian militia’s disorganized retreat clearly saved them from a worse fate - engaging the main Fenian body over the ridge - which would have seen them slaughtered. The battle suddenly ended when Fenians scouts reported that regular British and Canadian units were indeed coming up to relieve the militia. O’Neill quickly ordered them to move back to Fort Erie, burning Ridgeway as they went. Ridgeway, Ontario
1866 Fenian Raids - Battle of Fort Erie - At 4:00 pm, the remaining 500 or so Fenians (many had deserted) enter the outskirts of Fort Erie, where they are met by 71 Canadians of the Welland Canal Field Battery and Dunnville Naval Brigade, led by Lt. Colonel John Stoughton Dennis, a Toronto land surveyor and friend of John A. Macdonald. Heavily outnumbered, they are saved by Fenian fears about the arrival of regulars, which let most of the Canadians retreat. Later that evening, the bulk of the Fenians are back in the United States, where O’Neill and his troops give up their arms to waiting U.S. authorities. They left the bodies of seven Fenians on the battle field at Ridgeway. Fort Erie, Ontario
1885 North West Rebellion - Big Bear finally surrenders, bringing the hostilities of Riel’s second rebellion to a close. Saskatchewan
1886 Parliament passes an Act establishing the Dominion Experimental Farm. Ottawa, Ontario
1887 Liberal leader Edward Blake resigns as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament; replaced by Wilfrid Laurier on June 7, 1887. Ottawa, Ontario
1889 CPR opens Short Line Railroad through Maine to connect Montréal, Québec with Saint John. Saint John, New Brunswick
1892 First C&K passenger train arrives at Nelson, BC.
1897 CPR takes possession of the Turkey Track BC
1912 CPR acquires the Galts’ Alberta Railway and Irrigation Company. Lethbridge, Alberta
1913 High Level Bridge in Edmonton opens. Edmonton, Alberta
1913 Trade agreement with British West Indies comes into effect; about 50 Canadian products get 20% tariff reduction.
1916 First World War - Alberta’s 49th Battalion and other Canadian Army units fight in the Battle of Mount Sorrel; to June 13, 1916. Mont Sorrel, France
1917 First World War - Air ace Billy Bishop seriously damages a German aerodrome and airfield and destroys three German planes far behind enemy lines, an action that wins him the Victoria Cross; most successful Canadian airman in the Royal Flying Corps, with 72 kills, and second only to Manfred von Richtofen, with 80. Germany
1921 Saskatchewan Election - Sixteen Liberal candidates are elected by acclamation when nominations close for Saskatchewan’s fifth general election. Saskatchewan
1922 East Kootenay Power and Light Company starts transmitting power from its Bull River generating station near Bull River, BC, to Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass communities.
1925 Saskatchewan Election - Charles Dunning leads Liberals to re-election victory in Saskatchewan provincial election; sixth consecutive Liberal majority. Saskatchewan
1929 Severe tornado hits Guelph, knocking out some city services for almost three years. Guelph, Ontario
1939 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visit Edmonton; Portage Avenue is renamed Kingsway Avenue in their honour. Edmonton, Alberta
1950 Huge forest fire starts with a small wildfire in the northeast corner of British Columbia. burns until Edmonton Journal)
1952 TV broadcasting starts in Canada when Radio-Canada’s Channel 2 shows a television test pattern. Montréal, Québec
1953 (The Liturgy)
1953 Korean War - Canadian Army troops in Korea celebrate coronation of Queen Elizabeth II by firing red, white, and blue smoke shells at the enemy. Korea
1965 Government sets retirement age for Senators at 75. Ottawa, Ontario
1968 Pianist and composer André Mathieu dies at age 39; composed the welcoming song and official theme music of the 1976 Montréal Olympics. Montréal, Québec
1968 Government announces export controls on silver to cut speculation; Canadians must get permission to export the metal. Ottawa, Ontario
1969 Opening of the National Arts Centre inaugural festival with a performance by the National Ballet of Canada; others participating in the two week festival are contralto Maureen Forrester, singer Gordon Lightfoot and the Montréal Symphony Orchestra. Ottawa, Ontario
1970 Canada gives $1 million in emergency relief assistance to Peruvian earthquake victims; sends aircraft to ferry services, tents, and flour. Peru
1977 Québec raises provincial minimum wage from $3.00 to $3.15 per hour; highest in Canada. Québec, Québec
1980 Mob of 2,000 fans riot at Ontario Place, wrecking cars and fighting with police, after being locked out of a concert by Teenage Head. Toronto, Ontario
1983 Air Canada Flight 797 makes an emergency landing in Cincinnati, Ohio; a fire breaks out, killing 23 of 41 passengers onboard, including singer Stan Rogers.
1984 NBC-TV special Welcome To The Fun Zone stars Canadians Howie Mandel and John Candy. New York, New York
1986 The 10 premiers agree that Ottawa can carry on free trade-talks with the US without direct participation by the provinces. Ottawa, Ontario
1987 Brian Mulroney hosts all-night negotiations to iron out the remaining Meech Lake Accord wrinkles; first ministers agree unanimously to present the Accord to their legislatures. Ottawa, Ontario
1991 RCMP unfurls its official flag. Ottawa, Ontario
1992 k. d. lang publicly proclaims she is a lesbian in an interview with the Advocate; talks about her lifestyle and her unrequited love for a married woman; Alberta country singer. Nashville, Tennessee
1997 Federal Election - Jean Chrétien wins re-election for the Liberals; out of 301 seats, the Liberal Party takes 155 (38.8% of the popular vote), to 60 Reform Party (18%), 44 Bloc Québecois (11.1%), 21 NDP (12.4%), 20 PC (19.7%) and 1 Independent; major bloc voting and the regionalization of parties sees the Liberals strong in Ontario and West Quebec, and Reform in Western Canada. Preston Manning’s Reform Party will form the Official Opposition in the so-called Pizza Parliament, after the Bloc falls to 44 seats from 54, the NDP win 21 seats (up from 9) and the Conservatives 20 (up from 2).
1997 Ontario Securities Commission halts trading in the shares of Calgary mining company Bre-X; after allegations surface of fraud in Indonesian drilling samples. Toronto, Ontario
2002 Prime Minister Jean Chrétien appoints John Manley as Finance Minister, replacing Paul Martin, who claims he was fired; Chrétien says that Martin quit. Ottawa, Ontario