June 5

Highlights of the day

1813 War of 1812 - John Harvey makes surprise night attack on American force at Stoney Creek
1876 Supreme Court of Canada holds first sitting; presiding is William Richards, first chief justice.
1935 Vancouver Relief Camp Workers Start On to Ottawa Trek.

List of Facts for June 5

1613 Samuel de Champlain loses his astrolabe near Lac des Chats on the Ottawa River; one such instrument, supposedly found on June 7, 1867, sold to American collectors and acquired by the Canadian Museum of Civilization, is not old enough to be Champlain’s. Cobden, Ontario
1673 Count Frontenac requires coureurs des bois to give notice if they leave settlement to trade for more than two days; royal decree to control independent traders makes them divert trade south. Quebec, Quebec
1741 Vitus Bering sails from Kamchatka Peninsula to explore North America. Russia
1798 Second session of second Parliament of Upper Canada meets until July 5, 1798; sets up county system; makes valid marriages performed by non-Anglicans. Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
1813 War of 1812 - John Harvey makes surprise attack with 700 British regulars of the 8th Regiment and 49th Regiment and some Canadian militia against 2,000 strong American force under Brigadiers William Winder and John Chandler at Battle of Stoney Creek; Americans withdraw toward Forty Mile Creek after midnight. Stoney Creek, Ontario
1817 Launching of steamship Frontenac; First steamer on the Great Lakes makes its inaugural trip west to the town of York. Kingston, Ontario
1838 Col. James Kirby inspects the 2nd Lincoln Regiment of Militia at Drummondville, Ontario after rumours of rebellion and unrest; reports that such rumours are false and that the utmost good order prevailed upon my presence. St. Catharines, Ontario
1854 Elgin-Marcy Treaty - James Bruce, Lord Elgin signs a Reciprocity Treaty for British North America with US negotiator William Marcy; opens U.S. to natural wood, fish, and farm produce only in return for freedom of operation on the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River and canals, and US access to the fishery along Canadian coastal waters; begins October 15, 1854; leads to great prosperity in the Canadas, until it is canceled by the Americans in March, 1866. Washington, DC
1859 Fenian Raids - Fenian Brotherhood organised in New York to secure Ireland’s independence from Great Britain; some Fenians advocate invading Canada, to use it as a base of operations against Britain. New York, New York
1876 Supreme Court of Canada holds its Ffirst sitting; presiding is William Richards, First chief justice, appointed October 1875. Ottawa, Ontario
1884 North West Rebellion - Gabriel Dumont, accompanied by Michel Dumas, Moise Ouelette, and James Isbister, visits Louis Riel in Montana, where he is teaching; after several days of discussion, he agrees to return to help the Métis protect their rights. Montana
1895 Regina MP Nicholas Flood Davin introduces a motion in the House of Commons giving women the vote; it is soundly defeated. Ottawa, Ontario
1897 Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier sails to England to attend Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee; he will return knighted as Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Québec, Québec
1905 Raymond Landry organizes the First meeting to set up a local branch of the Assumption Society. The Massachusetts-based Acadian Co-operative Society will eventually transfer headquarters to Moncton. Moncton, New Brunswick
1919 Mayor of Winnipeg forbids parades during the Winnipeg General Strike. Winnipeg, Manitoba
1920 Beaver Mines Women’s Institute formed. Beaver Mines, Alberta
1926 Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson spotted in Edmonton by detectives, after she disappeared in May, 1926 from her 5,000 seat gospel temple in Los Angeles, California. The Ingersoll, Ontario, born McPherson later reappeared, claiming she had been kidnapped and held hostage. Edmonton, Alberta
1934 Fire at Keels, Bonavista Bay, destroys 22 houses, 12 stores and seven barns, and leaves 100 people homeless. Keels, Newfoundland
1935 About one thousand unemployed and disillusioned men from all over the western provinces begin a mass march, usually called the On to Ottawa Trek, to confront R.B. Bennett over the government’s Relief Camp efforts; to July 1, 1935. Vancouver, BC
1935 See: Relief Camp Workers Start On to Ottawa Trek
1940 Second World War - War Cabinet declares 16 Nazi, Fascist and Communist organizations illegal under wartime emergency legislation; jails leaders. Ottawa, Ontario
1944 Second World War - D-DAY-1 - Soldiers of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, part of the British 6th Airborne Division’s 3rd brigade, make advance overnight landing before D-Day; C company lands in the most easterly drop-zone near Varville, France, blows up a bridge across the Divette River, destroying a German strong-point and then moves back 6 km to the village of Le Mesnil, France. Normandy, France
1950 The Guy Lombardo Orchestra has a #1 danceband hit with The Third Man Theme, from the movie of the same name. New York, New York
1959 CBC Radio broadcasts last episode of The Happy Gang, Canada’s longest running radio show; the musical troupe began its Monday to Friday lunchtime broadcasts in 1937. Toronto, Ontario
1961 John A. Macdonald’s home Earnscliffe declared a National Historic Site; residence of British High Commissioner. Ottawa, Ontario
1966 Québec Election - Daniel Johnson, Sr. leads Union Nationale to victory in Québec provincial election; will only serve two years of the mandate before his death. Québec
1966 Edwin Newman First native aboriginal appointed a magistrate. Ottawa, Ontario
1967 Royal Canadian Mint ordered to start converting dimes and quarters to pure nickel as soon as possible; to head off silver speculators and hoarding. Ottawa, Ontario
1967 National Hockey League awards new NHL franchises to the Minnesota North Stars, California Golden Seals and Los Angeles Kings; North Stars move to Dallas in the mid-1990s and the Golden Seals fold. Montreal, Quebec
1970 Federal and provincial Finance Ministers start two-day meeting; agree to limit inflation; more funds to poorer provinces. Winnipeg, Manitoba
1981 First teachers’ strike in New Brunswick. New Brunswick
1982 Vera Pezer curling rink inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame; foursome won the Canadian Ladies’ Curling Championship three years in a row, from 1971-1973. Saskatchewan
1984 Husky Oil starts $3.2 billion heavy oil upgrader backed by Ottawa, Alberta and Saskatchewan; largest energy project since 1978 slow in getting off the ground. Lloydminster, Saskatchewan
1987 Canadian pop star Bryan Adams joins former Beatles Ringo Starr and George Harrison on stage at Wembley Arena for the finale of the 2nd annual Prince’s Trust rock gala, before an audience of 8,000 that included Prince Charles and Princess Diana; with Elton John, Boy George, Eric Clapton and Ben E. King, they sing King’s hit, Stand By Me. London, England
1987 Government tables defence white paper calling for 15 year expenditure of $200 billion on defence, including ten nuclear submarines. Ottawa, Ontario
1989 Opening of SkyDome, with its retractable roof - Toronto Blue Jays lose 5-3 against the Milwaukee Brewers in their first game in the stadium; The first pitch is by Jimmy Key to Paul Molitor, a curve-ball strike (ball sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame). Toronto, Ontario
1989 The federal government announces sweeping cuts to VIA Rail. Ottawa, Ontario
1991 Hudson’s Bay Company to change 8 remaining Simpsons stores to The Bay, selling 5 others to Sears Canada; First Simpsons store founded in 1872 in Toronto. Toronto, Ontario
1992 Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization says cod stocks at lowest level ever; suggests cutting catch to 50,000 tonnes; half caught already. A month later, Fisheries Minister John Crosbie will order the $700 million northern cod fishery shut down for two years to conserve stocks. Ottawa, Ontario
2001 British Columbia Election - Gordon Campbell becomes premier of British Columbia, replacing Ujjal Dosanjh. BC
2002 Alexa McDonough announces her resignation as leader of the federal New Democratic Party. Ottawa, Ontario