July 23

Highlights of the day

1814 War of 1812 - Shawnee, Delaware, Seneca, Wyandot and Miami people make peace with Americans after death of Tecumseh.
1840 British Parliament passes the Act of Union, uniting Upper and Lower Canada.
1914 HMS Rainbow escorts Komagata Maru out of Vancouver; ship carried 376 East Indian passengers, mostly Sikhs.

List of Facts for July 23

1627 George Calvert, Lord Baltimore arrives in his Province of Avalon to inspect the progress of the colony he founded in 1620; after a visit two years later, he will decide the climate is too harsh, and acquires from King Charles I a large colonial grant with unprecedented powers, located north of the Potomac River, named Maryland for Charles’s wife, Queen Henrietta Maria. Ferryland, Newfoundland
1632 Immigration - Ship bearing 300 colonists bound for New France leaves the port of Dieppe. Dieppe, France
1757 French and Indian War - Colonel Parker, of The Jersey Blues, leaves Fort William Henry with a force of 350 men, 5 captains, 4 lieutenants, and an ensign in 22 barges, two of which are under sail, to meet the incoming French troops, an army consisting of the companies of La Reine, La Sarre, Languedoc, and Guyenne, almost 1,000 men of La Marine, a three hundred man unit known as Villiers’ Volunteers, 2,500 Canadians and 1,800 warriors from the western Indian nations of Odawa, Menomonee, Sauk (Winnabagos and Wichitas), Potawatomie and Fox. The barges are ambushed and sunk by the Indians, and most of the English captured for ransom. Ticonderoga, New York
1759 English cannon balls fired from across the river at Lévis, Québec destroy the Cathedral of Québec. Québec, Québec
1767 Crown holds Prince Edward Island land lottery to divide PEI among various claimants for military or other public service; lots chosen at random, all in one day. The Earl of Egmont had asked King George III to grant him Prince Edward Island forever; he planned to build armed castles and moats for himself and about 400 lesser lords. London, England
1776 Guy Carleton re-establishes civil jurisdiction in Québec. Montréal, Québec
1814 War of 1812 - Shawnee, Delaware, Seneca, Wyandot and Miami people make peace with Americans, enlist against British; after death of Tecumseh. Ohio
1837 Thomas Simpson and Peter Dease reach Return Reef. Return Reef, Alaska
1840 British Parliament passes the Act of Union of Upper Canada and Lower Canada; to take effect February 10, 1841, providing for the union of the two provinces under a single government; elected assembly with equal representation from Canada West and Canada East (later Ontario and Québec); also assumption of £1.2 million Upper Canada (Canada West) debt, establishment of a civil list, banning of the French language in the Assembly and in all government departments, and dissolution of French educational and civil law institutions. The Union will soon become unworkable, and the province ungovernable. London, England
1872 Invention - Black Canadian inventor Elijah McCoy obtains his first US patent, for “Improvement in Lubricators for Steam-Engines”. It was said that machinists and engineers who wanted genuine McCoy lubricators originated the term, The Real McCoy. Detroit, Michigan
1891 CP takes over operation of the Calgary and Edmonton Railway. Calgary, Alberta
1892 Prohibition - Manitoba votes for prohibition of alcoholic beverages; legislation not put into effect at that time. Winnipeg, Manitoba
1898 Lord Minto takes up his post as Governor General of Canada. Ottawa, Ontario
1900 Immigration - Government bans immigration of criminals or ‘paupers’ to Canada. Ottawa, Ontario
1904 British Columbia government completes railway bridge across Fraser River at Liverpool, BC (New Westminster) giving J. J. Hill’s New Westminster and Southern Railway access to Vancouver, BC. New Westminster, BC
1908 Bobby Kerr of Hamilton, Ontario wins the gold medal in the 220-yard sprint at the London Olympic Games. London, England
1910 CPR launches steamboat Kaleden (180 tons) at Okanagan Landing; retired in 1917. Kelowna, BC
1914 HMS Rainbow escorts the Komagata Maru out of Vancouver’s harbour; the ship’s 376 East Indian passengers, mostly Sikhs, (less 20 returnees and ship’s doctor) were refused permission to land after a Board of Enquiry ruling; the ship departs for Hong Kong, as thousands on the Vancouver docks cheer. Vancouver, BC
1914 First World War - 106th Winnipeg Light Infantry and the 79th Cameron Highlanders entrain for Valcartier, Québec en route to England. Winnipeg, Manitoba
1915 Queen’s Park puts Ottawa School Commission under trusteeship for flouting Regulation #17; banning use of French language instruction in Ontario schools past Grade 1. Ottawa, Ontario
1923 William Warren sworn in as Prime Minister of Newfoundland, succeeding Richard Squires. St. John’s, Newfoundland
1935 Prince Edward Island Election - William MacMillan leads Conservatives to victory in PEI provincial elections; wins all 30 provincial seats in PEI legislature; First Commonwealth parliament without any sitting opposition. PEI
1940 Second World War - Wartime Prices and Trade Board fixes price for all grades of wheat, flour & bread; prevents millers from passing on 15%/bushel wheat processing tax. Ottawa, Ontario
1941 Conscription - Second World War - Mackenzie King government passes Bill 80 by 141-45, sanctioning his promise not to bring in conscription for overseas service; conscription still becomes obligatory in Canada under the act. Ottawa, Ontario July 23, 1942 -
1943 Trans-Canada Air Lines inaugurates transatlantic service. Montréal, Québec July 23 - Second World War - Loyal Edmonton Regiment and the Calgary Highlanders join the Allied forces in Italy. Italy
1944 Second World War - Lt. Gen. Harry Crerar sets up 1st Canadian Army headquarters in France; Canadian army goes into action for the First time as a separate unit, taking over the front south of Caen; composed of General Guy Simonds’ 2nd Corps, including the 1st Polish Division and the 51st Highland Division, and the 1st British Corps, with its Dutch and Belgian brigades. Normandy, France
1955 Jacques Amyot wins the First annual Traversée Internationale du Lac-St-Jean; does it in 11.5 hours. Chicoutimi, Québec
1956 John Jearmey the First male swimmer to conquer Lake Ontario. Toronto, Ontario
1957 Crow’s Nest Pass Lumber Company dissolved. BC
1958 Government nationalizes CP Ferries. Ottawa, Ontario
1962 Strike - Saskatoon Agreement ends the Saskatchewan Doctors’ strike after 23 days, as the Saskatchewan government and provincial doctors sign a deal settling the Saskatchewan Medical Care Insurance Act dispute; 90% of doctors had closed their offices, providing only hospital-based emergency services. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
1963 Toronto rocker Neil Young holds his First recording session in Winnipeg. Winnipeg, Manitoba
1967 French President Charles de Gaulle debarks at Anse-au-Foulon; that night Québec Premier Daniel Johnson holds an official dinner to honour the French leader. Québec, Québec
1967 Pan-American Games open in Winnipeg; 28 nations competing in two-weeks of events; Canada wins 92 medals including 12 gold. Winnipeg, Manitoba
1971 Huang Hua takes up his post as First ambassador to Canada from China. Ottawa, Ontario
1971 Ross Thatcher dies; Premier of Saskatchewan from 1964-1971. Saskatchewan
1973 Ottawa and BC announce $325 million rail, port, and resource project in northwestern BC. Victoria, BC
1974 Record - Former Progressive Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker sworn in as an MP for a record 12th consecutive time; Dief will make it 13 in a row in 1979, but dies before the opening of Parliament. Ottawa, Ontario
1974 Bank of Canada raises prime lending rate to 9.25%. Ottawa, Ontario
1975 Record - George Reed of the CFL Saskatchewan Rough Riders sets pro football record with 127th career touchdown; against Calgary Stampeders. Regina, Saskatchewan
1975 Fishery - Ottawa bars Soviet Union’s Atlantic fleet from Canadian ports for overfishing quotas. Ottawa, Ontario
1982 Canada joins International Whaling Commission in voting to phase out commercial whaling by 1985-86. Cambridge, England
1983 Gimli Glider - Air Canada 767 runs out of fuel in midair and makes emergency glide landing at Gimli airstrip; due to metric confusion and fuel metering problems. Gimli, Manitoba
1987 Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump Interpretive Centre officially opened by the Duke and Duchess of York; First excavated in 1938, designated a provincial historic site in 1979 and a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981; named for young Peigan boy who was crushed by the buffalo because he wanted to watch the animals as they plunged over the cliff. Porcupine Hills, Alberta
1988 Record - Saskatchewan Rough Riders’ Dave Ridgway kicks CFL record 8 field goals against the Edmonton Eskimos. Regina, Saskatchewan
1991 Susan Nelles awarded $30,000 after being found wrongly accused of murdering 4 babies at Hospital for Sick Children; also $10,000 to family endowment fund. Toronto, Ontario
1991 US actor James Farentino of Dynasty arrested for cocaine possession. Vancouver, BC
1992 Defence Minister Marcel Masse announces 13 year $4.4 billion purchase of 50 new EH-101 high-tech military helicopters to replace the aging Sea Kings; the Jean Chrétien government will scrap the deal after they are elected in 1993, but later restore the contract. Ottawa, Ontario
1993 Carlos Costa the First disabled person, and the youngest man, to make the 52 km crossing of Lake Ontario; the 20 year old swimmer has both legs amputated above the knees. Toronto, Ontario
1993 Coneheads: The Movie opens in movie houses; starring Ottawa comic Dan Ackroyd. Ottawa, Ontario
1994 Robson-Castlegar Bridge dedicated. Castlegar, BC
1996 Poll - Survey shows that 29% of Canadian adults have already used the Internet. Toronto, Ontario
1996 Ontario Provincial Police officer Kenneth Deane is charged with criminal negligence causing death in the shooting of Ipperwash protester Dudley George on September 6, 1995; the first Canadian Aboriginal in modern times killed in a land dispute with the government. Toronto, Ontario
1996 See: Kettle and Stony Point Protestors Occupy Ipperwash Park
1996 Science - Canadian researchers find a hormone, GLP-2 that stimulates growth of the lining of the small intestine.
1999 Pan-American Games open in Winnipeg, with over 5,000 athletes from 42 countries participating until August 8, 1999; Canada will win 64 gold medals, 52 silver and 80 bronze, finishing second to the US. Winnipeg, Manitoba
2002 Pope John Paul II walks down the steps of his plane instead of using a lift, as he arrives in Toronto for World Youth Day. Toronto, Ontario
2003 Fire - Lost Creek fire erupts south of Hillcrest in Crowsnest Pass area of Alberta; not contained until mid-August, forcing evacuation of Hillcrest, Blairmore and surrounding homesteads. Hillcrest, Alberta