Highlights of the day

  • 1813 William Henry Harrison’s 4,500 troops cross Lake Erie and land near a deserted Fort Malden.
  • 1842 Responsible Govt. born as Baldwin & LaFontaine asked by Lord Elgin to form Cabinet.
  • 1904 Earl Grey appointed Governor General; in 1909, will donate Grey Cup to football champion.
  • 1907 Newfoundland and New Zealand achieve Dominion status within the Empire.

List of Facts for September 26

  • 1613 Samuel de Champlain tries to get support for colonization and exploration in France. France
  • 1634 Religion - Father Jean de Brébeuf baptizes the mother of an Indian chief. Québec
  • 1751 Immigration - A group of about 1,000 immigrants from Wurtemburg, Germany arrive in Halifax. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1766 Council of New France passes regulations licensing the sale of alcohol. Québec, Québec
  • 1813 War of 1812 - Oliver Perry’s US naval squadron ferries William Henry Harrison’s 4,500 troops across Lake Erie after the defeat of Commodore Robert Barclay’s British fleet; they land near a deserted Fort Malden, and start to move up the Thames River after Henry Procter; his supplies exhausted, he had already retreated with his regulars and Tecumseh’s Indian allies; on October 5, 1813, Proctor will be decisively defeated and Tecumseh slain at the Battle of the Thames; for the balance of the war, western Ontario submits to American military rule. Amherstburg, Ontario
  • 1819 Edward Parry anchors off Melville Island; First explorer to winter in the Arctic by choice. Melville Island, Nunavut
  • 1826 Incorporation of Bytown; becomes City of Ottawa in 1855. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1842 Responsible Government - Robert Baldwin & Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine asked by Lord Elgin to form the Province of Canada’s First liberal Executive Council; victory for Reformers; will promote responsible government and French rights. Montréal, Québec
  • 1851 Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine resigns as co-Premier of the Province of Canada; will be appointed Chief Justice of Lower Canada. Kingston, Ontario
  • 1884 St. Lawrence and Ottawa Railway leased to the Canadian Pacific Railway for 999 years. Montréal, Québec
  • 1890 Henri Faraud dies in St. Boniface; Oblate missionary worked extensively throughout the North-West. St. Boniface, Manitoba
  • 1896 Toronto Stock Exchange lists First mining stocks. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1898 Malcolm Cameron, Lieutenant-Governor of the Northwest Territories, dies in office. NWT
  • 1904 Earl Grey appointed Governor General of Canada; serves from December 10, 1904 to October 12, 1911. An MP and former administrator of Rhodesia, Grey was a strong believer in the Empire and promoted imperial loyalty in his speeches. In 1909, will donate the Grey Cup to the champion team in Canadian rugby football. London, England
  • 1907 Newfoundland and New Zealand achieve Dominion status within the Empire. London, England
  • 1911 Urban - Ratepayers in Edmonton and Strathcona, Alberta vote to amalgamate the two cities. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1918 First World War - General Sir Arthur Currie’s Canadian Army divisions lead final offensive against the Germans on the Western Front. France/Belgium
  • 1930 First Feast Day of the North American Martyrs: St. Jean de Brébeuf, St. Isaac Jogues, St. Antoine Daniel, St. Gabriel Lalemand, St. Charles Garnier, St. Noel Chabanel, St. Rene Goupil and St. Jean Laliande; members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) canonized in 1930.
  • 1939 Second World War - Britain asks Canada to train Commonwealth airmen; British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) agreement signed December 17, 1939. London, England
  • 1939 See: Canada Hosts British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
  • 1942 Fire consumes the works of the Princeton Tulameen Coal Company. Princeton, BC
  • 1950 Fire - Airborne sulphur particles from forest fires in Northern Alberta and BC cause the sun to turn blue over parts of Europe, and a blue moon appears in England. Britain
  • 1958 John Diefenbaker the First prime minister to visit the Yukon while in office. Yukon
  • 1960 John Diefenbaker asks the Soviet Union to resume disarmament negotiations; offers proposals for world peace; in address to UN General Assembly. United Nations, New York
  • 1963 Crime - FLQ terrorists hold up a branch of the Royal Bank in Montréal. Montréal, Québec
  • 1966 Terrorism - Two FLQ members go on hunger strike in New York. New York, New York
  • 1968 Jean-Jacques Bertrand sworn in as as Union Nationale Premier of Québec after Daniel Johnson, Sr. died during a visit to open Hydro Québec’s Manic 5 power dam. Manicouagan, Québec
  • 1969 Hydro-Québec names the Manic 5 power dam the Daniel Johnson Dam to mark the first anniversary of the death of Québec Premier Daniel Johnson, Sr.. Manicouagan, Québec
  • 1970 Anne Murray’s hit song Snowbird peaks at #8 on the Billboard pop singles chart. New York, New York
  • 1972 Summit Series - Canadian NHL All Stars fight back to tie hockey series, defeating the Soviet team 4-3 in the third game in the USSR; series now tied 3-3 with one tie. Moscow, Russia
  • 1974 Canada Post opens the National Postal Museum; now part of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1976 Record - Montreal Alouettes kicker Don Sweet notches his 17th and 18th consecutive field goals, setting a world record before 68,500 fans in the First CFL football game played in Olympic Stadium; Sweet will run the string to 21 before missing. Montreal, Quebec
  • 1981 Farming - Canada signs five-year agricultural agreement with USSR; scientific cooperation, crop data exchange; Canada-Soviet Commission on agricultural issues founded. Moscow, Russia
  • 1984 Media - Queen’s Park extends $500,000 line of credit to ailing publisher McClelland & Stewart. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1984 Walter Pidgeon dies at age 87; born September 23, 1897 in Saint John, New Brunswick; TV/movie actor, singer; a major star for MGM, his movie career lasted from 1925 to 1978, best known for his performances in Madame Curie, Forbidden Planet, Mrs. Miniver. California
  • 1987 Ethel Catherwood dies; high jumper aka the Saskatoon Lily, won a gold medal and set a world record at the 1928 Olympic Games. Los Angeles, California
  • 1988 Olympics - Track athlete Ben Johnson stripped of his 100 m sprint Olympic gold medal and world record following a positive drug test; forced by the IOC to return the medal and disqualified from the games. Seoul, Korea
  • 1990 Oka Crisis - Canadian Army personnel take 34 men, 16 women and six children into custody from their stronghold in a Kanesetake drug treatment centre; most taken to military base at Farnham, Québec; 78-day standoff ends. Oka, Québec
  • 1990 Danek Mozdzenski’s statue of Lester Pearson unveiled on Parliament Hill. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1991 Space - European Space Agency rocket launches Canada’s Anik-E1 communications satellite from Kourou, French Guyana, aboard an Ariane 44P rocket; comsat mass 2,977 kg. Kourou, Guiane
  • 1992 Poll - Angus Reid poll for Southam News released; says the Yes forces are rapidly losing ground in the referendum battle. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1993 Dave Munday takes his second plunge over Niagara Falls in a barrel; 53-year-old diesel mechanic from Caistor Centre, Ontario, the First person to make two trips over the Falls; previous trip in 1985. Niagara Falls, Ontario
  • 1994 Jacques Parizeau sworn in as 26th Premier of Québec; after defeating Daniel Johnson, Jr. in the provincial election; he will hold a sovereignty referendum in 1995, and resigns after being narrowly defeated. Québec, Québec
  • 1995 AT & T Canada and three Canadian banks pay $250 million to become new owners of long-distance carrier Unitel Communications; two biggest shareholders, Canadian Pacific Ltd. and Rogers Communications Inc., drop out of the bidding. Toronto, Ontario
  • 2000 Roy Romanow steps down as Saskatchewan Premier. Regina, Saskatchewan.
  • 2000 Statistics Canada releases figures showing that the population of Canada has reached 30,750,000 people, as of June 30, 2000.