Today in Canadian History
212 episodes — Page 1 of 5
June 7 – The Beothuk
June 6 – D-Day
June 3 – Newfoundland Referendum of 1948
June 2 – Stan Rogers Passes
May 31 – Ernest Manning
May 30 – Neal Beaumont is Born
May 27 - Algonquin Park is Established
May 26 – The Avrocar or “Flying Saucer”
May 25 – Battle of Eccles Hill
May 24 – Tommy Chong is Born
May 19 – Parks Canada’s Anniversary.
May 18 – Fire in Montreal
May 17 – The Vickers Vedette
May 13 – Roch Carrier is Born
May 12 – Farley Mowat is Born
May 11 – The West End Gang
May 10 – The Legacy of Batoche
May 9 – The Chocolate Bar War
May 6 – North America’s first Pesticide Ban
May 4 – Law and Order in the Klondike
May 3 – Stampede Wrestling
April 29 – The Frank Slide
April 28 – Expo 67 Opens
April 27 – The Sacking of York
April 20 – The Rainmaker
April 19 – Black Loyalists During the American Revolution
April 15 – Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp is Liberated
April 14th – “Surplus Children”
April 13 – Grey Owl Passes
April 12 – The March of New Brunswick’s 104th
New Brunswick's 104th Foot Regiment arrived in Kingston on this date back in 1813. Their march from Fredericton covered over 1100km. To learn more we spoke to Historian and author of "The Road to Canada: The Grand Communications Route from Saint John to Quebec", Gary Campbell.
April 11 – Byng and Vimy Ridge
April 11, 1917 marked the third day of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. We spoke with Dr. Patrick Brennan of the University of Calgary about the leadership of lieutenant-general Julian Byng.
April 7 – The First Stamps
A Canadian postmaster issued a provisional stamp on this date back in 1851 - two weeks before the first Canadian stamps were issued to the public. To learn more we spoke with George Pepall, the President of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada.
April 6 – Vancouver Incorporated as a City
Vancouver was incorporated as a city back in 1886. We spoke with civic historian John Atkin.
April 5 – The Ripple Rock Explosion
Over the years over 100 vessels and 100 people were victims of Ripple Rock. The underwater "mountain" that was Ripple Rock was blown-up on this day back in 1958.
April 4 – E. H. Norman Takes His Own Life
Canadian diplomat and accused Soviet spy E. H. Norman jumped to his death from the roof of the Swedish Embassy in Cairo, Egypt on this day back in 1957. To learn more about Canada in the time of the Cold War we spoke with Dr. Bryan Palmer author of "Canada's 1960's: The Ironies of Identity in a Rebellious Era".
April 1 – A Small Town Mayor and the First Offical Game of Curling
To learn about the story of a small town mayor in 1888, we spoke with Dr. Martin Raeb. To learn about the first game of curling we spoke with Dr. Anthony Morrow of the University of Waterloo.
March 31 – Last Tot of Rum for Navy
Likely that some members of the Canadian Navy woke up with a hangover on this day back in 1972. The previous day they were served the last ration of rum.
March 30 – The Labrador Joins Newfoundland
On this day back in 1809, Labrador joined Newfoundland as a colony of the British Empire. To learn more about the history of Labrador, we spoke with author of "The Story of Labrador" Canadian Senator William Rompkey.
March 29: Budge Crawley Wins Oscar
In 1976, F.R. "Budge" Crawley accepted an Academy Award for his film The Man Who Skied Down Everest. It was the first time a Canadian-made film received an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.
March 24 – Black Canadians Granted the Right to Vote
On March 24, 1837 Black Canadians were granted the right to vote in elections. To learn more we spoke with Rosemary Saidler, the President of the Ontario Black History Society.
March 23 – The Gazette Hits the Stands
The Halifax Gazette, Canada's first newspaper, is published for the first time back in 1752.
March 21 – The North West Company Merges with the Hudson’s Bay Company
On March 21, 1821 the North West Company was forced to merge with the Hudson's Bay Company. To learn more we spoke with Marty Mascarin, of the Fort William Historical Park.
March 18 – The SS Beaver Arrived at the Pacific Coast
The SS Beaver, the first steamship to operate in the Pacific Northwest, arrived at the coast on this day back in 1836.
March 17 – Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Celebrated in Ireland, Canada and around the world. Have a happy and safe St. Patrick's Day!
March 16 – St. Urho’s Day
On March 16th Finnish Canadians gather to celebrate St. Urho's Day. To learn more I spoke with Dorothy Ahlgren, President of the Canadian Friends of Finland located in Ottawa.
March 15 – King’s College Founded
King's College, later renamed University of Toronto, was founded by Royal Charter on this day back in 1827.
March 14 – The One Big Union is Formed
A vote to form The One Big Union occurred at a three day conference in Calgary during March of 1919. To learn more we spoke with Dr. Ken Coates a professor of History as well as the Dean of Arts at the University of Waterloo.
March 11 – Richard Blanshard Arrives on Vancouver Island
The first governor of the Colony of Vancouver Island arrived on the island on this day back in 1850. To learn more we spoke with John Adams historian and author of "Old Square-Toes and His Lady: The Life of James and Amelia Douglas".
March 9 – Arctic Winter Games
The first Arctic Winter Games were held in Yellowknife on this day back in 1970
March 8 – International Women's Day Edition (Extended)
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, we spoke with Dr. Mona Gleason of the University of British Columbia about the history of women in Canada.