Highlights of the day

  • 1791 Westminster passes the Constitutional Act; creates Upper and Lower Canada; gives them taxing powers.
  • 1851 Launch of the Marco Polo, the Fastest Ship in the World
  • 2005 Jane Creba, age 15, murdered by drug gangs in a Yonge Street shoot-out in broad daylight.

List of Facts for December 26

  • 1727 Religion - Louis de Mornay appointed Bishop of Québec on death of Mgr. de Saint-Vallier; he never came to Canada. France
  • 1791 Constitution - British PM William Pitt passes the Constitutional Act, dividing the Province of Québec along the Ottawa River, into Upper Canada and Lower Canada, each with a Lieutenant-Governor and a Legislature; Lower Canada keeps the French civil law (Code civil). The so-called Canada Act gives the colonies their First powers to pass duties for revenue, a form of responsible government, but the governors and council retain the right to control revenue from the sale of Crown Lands, letting them bypass the Assembly. London, England
  • 1823 Business - Founding of Chamber of Commerce of St. John’s. St. John’s, Newfoundland
  • 1848 Rail - First train runs between Longueuil and St-Hyacinthe, Québec. Longueuil, Québec
  • 1852 Shipping - New Brunswick-built ship Marco Polo arrives back from Melbourne, Australia in 140 days, a trip that usually took 240 days; declared the fastest ship in the world; 1883 wrecked when grounded in a gale off Cavendish, PEI. Liverpool, England
  • 1887 David Harrison sworn in as Premier of Manitoba; will resign on January 19, 1888 after his support evaporates. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1901 Communications - Guglielmo Marconi arrives in North Sydney from Newfoundland two weeks after he had received the First transatlantic radio signal at Signal Hill in St. John’s Newfoundland; the Anglo-American Telegraph Company, owner of the undersea cable and holder of a monopoly of telegraphy in the province, notified him that it would take legal action unless he immediately ceased his wireless experiments and removed his equipment from Newfoundland. He confers with Nova Scotia Premier George Murray, William Smith of the Canadian Post Office, Mayor Mckenzie of North Sydney, and the Honourable J.N. Armstrong, a prominent local politician and member of the Nova Scotia cabinet. They urge him to set up shop in Cape Breton, and send him on to Ottawa two days later. Sydney, Nova Scotia
  • 1908 Boxing - Jack Johnson knocks out Canada’s Tommy Burns to win the world heavyweight boxing crown; police stopped the fight in the 14th round; Johnson the First black heavyweight champion; Burns, a Hanover, Ontario, native who weighed only 175 pounds, won the title with a 20-round decision over Marvin Hart at Los Angeles in 1906. Sydney, Australia
  • 1914 First World War - 49th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, recruited from Edmonton and vicinity, is raised. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1917 Hockey - Toronto Maple Leafs’ Harry Cameron becomes the First defenseman to score four goals in a game as Toronto beats the Montréal Canadiens, 7-5. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1925 Hockey - New York Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates notch an NHL record 141 shots on goal as the Americans (with 73 shots) beat the Pirates (68 shots) 3-1; New York’s Jake Forbes makes 67 saves, Pittsburgh’s Ray Waters makes 70. New York, New York
  • 1934 Joseph Bernier dies, born on this day at L’Islet, Québec on January 1, 1852. Captain of the government steamship Arctic, Bernier led expeditions into Canada’s Arctic between 1904 and 1911; July 1909 unveiled a plaque on Melville Island which officially claimed the Arctic Islands for Canada. Lévis, Québec
  • 1935 Holidays - Boxing Day becomes a holiday for the cities and towns of Saskatchewan. Regina, Saskatchewan
  • 1942 Second World War - Canadian-escorted convoy ONS-154 loses 14 ships to German U-boats in mid-Atlantic; gets 32 to Britain by December 30, 1942. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1943 Second World War - General Andy McNaughton retires as commander of First Canadian Army; will become Minister of National Defence replacing James Ralston. London, England
  • 1960 Music - National Youth Orchestra meets for First time; concludes with New Year’s Eve concert at Massey Hall. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1968 Hockey - Boston Bruins bad boy Ted Green sets an NHL penalty record of 3 minors, 2 majors and 2 game misconducts in a game against the New York Rangers in Madison Square Gardens. New York, New York
  • 1970 Urban - Québec suburb of Ste-Foy incorporated. Ste-Foy, Québec
  • 1971 Crime - Air Canada jet on flight from Thunder Bay to Toronto hijacked to Cuba. Thunder Bay, Ontario
  • 1976 Fire - Nursing home fire kills 21 elderly residents. St. John’s, Newfoundland
  • 1986 Hockey - Montreal Canadiens Doug Jarvis, age 31, sets a National Hockey League record as he skates in his 916th consecutive game; started string in 1974; Jarvis holds the individual NHL record for most consecutive games played (964). Montreal, Quebec
  • 1990 Hockey - Doug Harvey dies; born December 19, 1924; played defence for the Montréal Canadiens; won the Norris Trophy as best NHL defenceman seven times. Montréal, Québec
  • 1991 Aviation - US airline Northwest Airlines buys 20 Dash 8 Series 100 aircraft from de Haviland for $190 million; division of Boeing Canada. Toronto, Ontario
  • 2005 Crime - Jane Creba, age 15, murdered by drug gangs in a Yonge Street shoot-out; six other people wounded; there were 78 murders in Toronto in 2005, including a record 52 by gunfire, twice as many as in 2004; 8 people will be arrested on June 13, 2006 in connection with the killing. Toronto, Ontario