Highlights of the day

A Girl’s Letter to Santa

  • 1869 Newfoundland Assembly, led by new Premier Charles Fox Bennett, votes against joining Confederation.
  • 1902 Peter Verigin arrives in Yorkton to lead the Doukhobors after 15 years in Siberian exile.
  • 1943 Canadian First Division surrounds Ortona, cuts off German retreat; week-long battle ensues.

List of Facts for December 22

  • 1807 Trade - US passes Embargo Act to stop all trade with foreign ports; to retaliate against Napoleon’s decrees and British blockade. Washington, DC
  • 1809 Trade - US passes Non-Intercourse Act; opens trade with all nations except Britain and France; to retaliate against Napoleon’s decrees and the British blockade; causes commercial depression in Canada. Washington, DC
  • 1821 Lierature - Thomas McCulloch publishes the First of his Letters of Mephibosheth Stepsure in serial form in the Acadian Recorder, chiding his fellow Pictonians to improve their farming practices and style of life; until March, 1823; reprinted in 1862 and then in 1960 as The Stepsure Letters. Pictou, Nova Scotia
  • 1837 George Arthur appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada; serves from March 23, 1838 to February 9, 1841. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1850 Religion - Henry Budd ordained as a deacon in St. Andrew’s Church, Fort Garry; First Aboriginal Anglican minister. Manitoba
  • 1856 Rail - Buffalo & Lake Huron Railroad opens from Fort Erie to Stratford, Ontario. Fort Erie, Ontario
  • 1859 Media - The Nor’Wester publishes First issue; First newspaper published on the Canadian Prairies. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1869 Constitution - Newfoundland Assembly, led by new Premier November 13, 1869. Newfoundland
  • 1877 Edcuation - l’Université Laval opens a branch campus in Montreal, later l’Université de Montréal. Montréal, Québec
  • 1897 Fishery - Bering Sea Claims Commission recommends US pay Canadian sealers $463,454; to compensate for seizure of vessels. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1902 Immigration - Doukhobor leader Peter “Lordly” Verigin arrives in Yorkton to assume leadership of the Doukhobors after spending nearly 16 years in exile in Siberia; announces that his people will become British subjects. Yorkton, Saskatchewan
  • 1920 Justice - Tom Bassoff hanged in Lethbridge for the murder of APP Constable F.W.E. Bailey in Bellevue, Alberta, on August 7, 1920. Lethbridge, Alberta
  • 1922 Official opening of the Mount Royal Hotel, with 1.046 rooms. Montréal, Québec
  • 1924 Hockey - Babe Dye of the NHL’s Toronto St. Patricks scores 5 goals as his team beats the Boston Bruins 10-2. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1932 Depression - Alberta Relief Commission prepares Christmas dinner for 3,000 homeless men in Calgary. Calgary, Alberta
  • 1941 Second World War - Battle of Hong Kong - Japanese capture Sugar Loaf Hill at 12 noon, but Canadians from C Company of the Royal Rifles recapture the hill; later taken out to Stanley Fort down the peninsula, for a rest; will hold out until their ammunition, food and water are exhausted. Hong Kong, China
  • 1943 Second World War - Battle of Ortona - Canadian First Division surrounds Ortona, cuts off German retreat; starts week-long battle with savage house to house fighting. Ortona, Italy
  • 1950 Korean War - Royal Canadian Navy’s HMCS Athabaskan relieved for repairs and general maintenance; had performed carrier screen duty, escorted shipping, carried out blockade patrols and provided anti-aircraft protection and general support for the forces evacuating Inchon. Korea
  • 1952 Library - Government announces plans to build the National Library of Canada; today part of Library and Archives Canada. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1959 Hockey - New York Rangers goalie Marcel Paille wears a customized face mask during a game. New York, New York
  • 1960 Holiday - First Aluminum Christmas trees go on sale in Canada.
  • 1960 Urban - Natal incorporated as a village. Natal, BC
  • 1963 Crime - Reginald Binette kills four parishioners of Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in Ottawa in robbery attempt; sentenced to life imprisonment May 1, 1964. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1964 Cinema - Canadian-born film producer Harry Saltzman and his partner Cubby Broccoli host the US premiere of their new James Bond movie, Goldfinger, starring Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Gert Frobe and Harold Sakata, at the DeMille and Coronet theaters; Shirley Bassey sings the title song. New York, New York
  • 1964 Road - Opening of the Eastern Townships Autoroute (Autoroute de l’Estrie). Québec
  • 1965 Youth - Report of organizing committee recommends setting up Company of Young Canadians as a Crown Corporation. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1967 Justice Minister Pierre Trudeau, in presenting his Omnibus Bill reforming the Criminal Code, tells the House of Commons that “There is no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation.” His bill calls for decriminalization of ‘homosexual acts’ performed in private, making it legal for women to get an abortioni if a committee of 3 doctors feels the pregnancy endangers the mental, emotional or physical well-being of the mother. The bill also calls for the legalization of lotteries, further controls on gun ownership, and breathalyzer tests on suspected drunk drivers if police have reasonable and probable cause. Ottawa, Ontario -
  • 1969 Religion - Women - Anglican Church of Canada ordains First woman deacon. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1969 Terrorism - FLQ terrorists explode bomb in a post office truck. Montréal, Québec
  • 1969 Health - Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Minister of Health John Munro discuss drug abuse with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1969 Gambling - Supreme Court of Canada rules 1968 Montréal lottery illegal; Province of Québec responds by setting up a provincial lottery corporation, Loto-Québec; First draw to take place March 14, 1970. Montréal, Québec
  • 1972 Music - Canadian folk singer Joni Mitchell receives a gold record for her album, For the Roses; includes the single, You Turn Me on, I’m a Radio. New York, New York
  • 1973 Pierre Berton quoted in Canadian Magazine as saying, A Canadian is somebody who knows how to make love in a canoe. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1974 Hockey - Sault Ste Marie, Ontario’s Phil Esposito of the Boston Bruins becomes the 6th NHLer to score 500 goals, in a 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Boston, Massachusetts
  • 1975 Bill Bennett sworn in as Premier of British Columbia, replacing David Barrett. Victoria, BC
  • 1976 Olive Diefenbaker dies; wife of former Prime Minister John Diefenbaker. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1977 Military - Ottawa starts building First six new naval frigates; part of $1.5 billion naval program. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1986 Language - Québec Court of Appeal declares that Article 58 of Bill 101 making French the sole language authorized on commercial signs is unconstitutional. Montréal, Québec
  • 1987 Hockey - Canada beats Finland 4-1 to win First-ever gold medal at the annual Izvestia hockey tournament. Moscow, Russia
  • 1992 Media - Communications Minister Perrin Beatty licenses 4 companies to provide digital Personal Communication Services (PSA) phone services; Telezone, Rogers Cantel, Mobility Canada (Bell) and Canada Popfone (MH). Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1995 Politics - Lucien Bouchard announces that he is a candidate for the leadership of the Parti Québecois. Quebec
  • 1995 Baseball - Toronto Blue Jays pitcher David Cone signs a $19.5 million 3 year contract with the New York Yankees. New York, New York
  • 1996 Hockey - Brett Hull becomes the 24th player in NHL history to score 500 goals when he notches a hat trick in the St. Louis Blues’ 7-4 victory over the Los Angeles Kings; joined Hall of Famer Bobby Hull as the only father-son combination to score 500 goals apiece. St. Louis, Missouri
  • 2000 Justice - Stockwell Day settles a lawsuit brought against him by Alberta lawyer Lorne Goddard; Goddard alleged that Day tarnished his reputation by publicly criticizing him, in writing a letter to a newspaper, for defending a man accused of possessing child pornography. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 2004 Alice Strike dies; born 1896; Canada’s last surviving female First World War veteran. Toronto, Ontario