Highlights of the day

  • 1931 Statute of Westminster makes the Dominions autonomous within the British Commonwealth.
  • 1941 Winnipeg Grenadiers in action against Japanese; 1st Cdn Army unit in Battle of Hong Kong.
  • 1948 Joey Smallwood signs agreement to let Newfoundland join Confederation as the 10th province.
  • 1957 Lester Pearson delivers his Nobel Peace Prize Lecture in Oslo, Norway.

List of Facts for December 11

  • 1713 Religion - Michel Beaudoin the First native born Quebecker to enter the Jesuit Order. Québec, Québec
  • 1753 French and Indian War - George Washington arrives in the Ohio Valley with Tanaghrisson and two other chiefs to help the Senecas and counter the French; a young Major from Virginia. Ohio
  • 1813 War of 1812 - Col John Murray and Capt William Hamilton Merritt, on the hunt for Willcocks and the American raiders, arrive at Niagara to find a scene of total destruction. Only 3 buildings are left standing. The town was a pile of glowing embers, and people were desperately seeking shelter in the freezing cold. Some had moved into Fort George and Butlers Barracks, which the Americans had been unable to destroy before they fled, but when day broke, Merritt and Murray found many frozen bodies of women and children who could not find shelter in the bitter cold of that awful December night. The British retaliate swiftly. Over the next three weeks, they carry out a campaign of fire and sword on the American side of the Niagara River, first capturing Fort Niagara and then razing every habitation between Lakes Ontario and Erie, including the village of Buffalo (Black Rock). The American government will officially repudiate McClure’s act and remove him from command. Britain will later torch Washington, DC, to retaliate for the destruction of Niagara and York (Toronto) during the year 1813. Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
  • 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion - Militiaman Thomas Runchey raises a corps of Africans out of the 400 black residents of Niagara; a company of 50 men is in arms by December 15, 1837, under the command of James Sears. A second African company is later raised in Niagara under Hugh Eccles, and the two will be joined to together to form the Coloured Corps with a combined strength of about 130 men. The unit will guard the frontier from Chippewa, Ontario to Drummondville, Québec during that winter. In the summer of 1838, Runchey runs off with the money due to his men and flees to the US. Niagara, Ontario
  • 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion - William Lyon Mackenzie flees Upper Canada for US, and reaches safety in Buffalo, where he starts recruiting new supporters. Buffalo, New York
  • 1860 Religion - Twelve aboriginal children from the Musqueam Reserve are baptised by Oblate Father Leon Fouquet. Vancouver, BC
  • 1871 State Visit - Russian Prince Alexis visits Montréal. Montréal, Québec
  • 1876 Manitoba Curling Club plays its First game. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1900 Founding of the Trail Board of Trade. Trail, BC
  • 1901 Communications - Percy Paget in St. John’s receives Italian engineer Guglielmo Marconi’s First transatlantic radio signal from Poldhu, Cornwall. St. John’s, Newfoundland
  • 1901 Communications - Guglielmo Marconi sends his First transatlantic radio signal from Cornwall to Newfoundland. [see December 12, 1901. Poldhu, England
  • 1909 Football - Hamilton Tigers beat Ottawa Rough Riders, 11-6 before 15,000 fans in a Canadian Football exhibition game in Van Cortlandt Park. Bronx, New York
  • 1909 Politics - Thomas Wilson Paterson sworn in as British Columbia’s 9th lieutenant-governor. Victoria BC
  • 1911 Ontario Election - James Whitney leads Conservatives to a third consecutive majority in provincial election. Ontario
  • 1911 Auto - Alberta brings in First Motor Vehicles Act; sets speed limit in towns and cities at 15 mph, and at 20 mph in less settled areas; outside urban areas, drivers required to slow down to 6 mph when approaching or passing pedestrians and horses, and to assist any horseman who required assistance; drivers required to take out a license, must be over 16 if a boy or over 18 if a young lady. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1916 Prohibition - Saskatchewan votes 95,000 to 23,000 in a plebiscite in favour of prohibition, and closing government liquor stores. Saskatchewan
  • 1931 Constitution - British Parliament passes the November 18, 1926 and legally making the Dominions autonomous communities within the British Empire, free to conduct their own domestic and foreign affairs; gives complete legislative equality to the Parliaments of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland and Newfoundland; marks the final independence of Canada from Britain. Canada asks that Britain retain the power of amendment to the British North America Act; so the BNA Act becomes Canadian, but there is still no amending formula for constitutional change. London, England
  • 1934 Hockey - Charlie Conacher unsuccessful against the New York Rangers when he takes the First Toronto Maple Leafs penalty shot. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1936 King George VI starts his reign, on the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII, who reigned for only 11 months, and left the throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Warfield Simpson; king until his death in 1952. London, England
  • 1937 Football - Toronto Argonauts beat Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 30-7 in 25th Grey Cup game. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1941 Second World War - Battle of Hong Kong - D Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers dispatched to the mainland to strengthen the Gin Drinkers’ Line against the Japanese invaders; sees some action, thus becoming the First Canadian Army unit to fight in the Far East; at midday, General Maltby orders the mainland troops to withdraw to the island; the Winnipeg Grenadiers cover the Royal Scots’ withdrawal down the Kowloon Peninsula. Hong Kong, China - Battle of Hong Kong Timeline
  • 1942 Politics - Conservative Party delegates to the leadership convention in Winnipeg change the name of their party to the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, to reflect the absorption of many members of the Progressive Party. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1942 Politics - John Bracken chosen as Progressive Conservative Party leader on the second ballot, replacing Arthur Meighen; wins 538 votes, to M. A. MacPherson (255), John Diefenbaker (79). Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1944 Camilien Houde re-elected Mayor of Montréal after his release from Camp Petawawa, where he had been interned for his opposition to the war. Montréal, Québec
  • 1948 Confederation - Joey Smallwood signs an agreement which will admit Newfoundland into Confederation as Canada’s 10th province. Formerly the oldest Dominion in the British Commonwealth, the province had gone bankrupt and was being run by a British colonial commission. On April 1, 1949, Smallwood is sworn in as the first Premier of Newfoundland. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1957 Diplomacy - Lester Pearson delivers his Nobel Peace Prize Lecture. Oslo, Norway
  • 1961 Espionage - An Assistant Military Attaché at the Soviet Embassy is expelled for receiving secret Canadian documents. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1962 Justice - Ronald Turpin, 29, and Arthur Lucas, 54, are executed for murder in the Don Jail; Turpin was convicted of shooting a Toronto police constable. Lucas was convicted of murdering an FBI informant working in Canada; Canada’s last judicial hanging; the death penalty will be repealed in 1976. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1964 Lorne Greene’s hit single, Ringo, stays at #1 on the Billboard charts; Canadian star of the Bonanza TV western. Los Angeles, California
  • 1967 Religion - Cardinal Léger leaves Montréal for missionary work in Zaire. Montréal, Québec
  • 1971 Environment - Blood, Sweat & Tears lead singer David Clayton Thomas is among the performers making public service announcements and press statements in support of the Save the Seals Campaign. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1975 British Columbia Election - Bill Bennett, the son of former Premier W. A. C. Bennett, wins the BC provincial election for Social Credit; defeats the NDP under Dave Barrett, in power since August 20, 1972. BC
  • 1981 Hockey - NHL Washington Capitals have their biggest margin of victory to date, 9, beating the Toronto Maple Leafs, 11-2. Washington, DC
  • 1981 Boxing - Trevor Berbick defeats three-time world champion Muhammad Ali in Nassau in 10-round unanimous decision; Canadian and Commonwealth heavyweight boxing champion. Nassau, Bahamas
  • 1983 Politics - Gary Filmon elected leader of the Manitoba Progressive Conservative Party. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1985 Hockey - Edmonton Oilers beat Chicago Black Hawks 12-9 in a record game - ties NHL record of 21 goals in a game; new NHL record of total points in a game - 62 (36 by Edmonton, 26 by Chicago). Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1990 Environment - Minister Robert de Cotret unveils $3 billion Green Plan; over 100 measures to protect land, water, soil, forests and wildlife; also Arctic strategy, programs to combat pollution. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1991 Retail - Miller Ayre announces closing of 60 store Ayres chain; blames the GST; the company is 142 years old. St. John’s, Newfoundland
  • 1992 Retail - Woodward’s files for court protection from creditors who are owed over $65 million; company consists of 26 department stores, 33 Woodwyn discount outlets, 20 travel agencies, four Abercrombie & Fitch specialty stores and three Commercial Interiors divisions in BC and Alberta; assets will be acquired in 1993 by the Hudson’s Bay Company which converts old Woodward’s stores into new Bay or Zellers outlets. Store established by Charles Woodward in 1892 selling dry goods, men’s clothing and footwear; moved from Main and Hastings Street over to Hastings and Abbott in 1903. Vancouver, BC
  • 1992 Hockey - US lawyer Gary Bettmann becomes First Commissioner of the National Hockey League. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • 1995 Unity - House of Commons passes resolution recognizing that Québec is a distinct society within Canada. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1995 Inuit people voting in a plebiscite choose Iqaluit as capital of the Nunavut Territory to come into effect April 1, 1999. Nunavut
  • 1996 Media - CBC/SRC President Perrin Beatty announces new cuts of $5.5 million and 378 employees. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1997 Environment - Kyoto Accord - Canada joins over 150 other countries in reaching agreement at Kyoto to control greenhouse gases and combat global warming in the 21st century. Kyoto, Japan
  • 1999 Justice - Verdict handed down in Just Desserts restaurant shooting case; two of the accused are found guilty and jailed, the third is acquitted. Toronto, Ontario
  • 2003 Jean Crétien announces his resignation as Liberal Party of Canada leader and Prime Minister; will be replaced by Paul Martin. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2003 Strike - Québec labour holds a day of province wide protest against Premier Jean Charest’s government; hundreds of buses are idled at the beginning of this day, leaving cummuters stranded. Québec
  • 2009 Jean-Robert Gauthier dies; born 1929; long time Liberal MP for Ottawa East.