Highlights of the day

  • 1811 David Thompson crosses the height of land of the Rocky Mountains.

List of Facts for January 10

  • 1700 Compagnie du Nord (Compagnie de la Baie du Nord) bankrupted by costly campaigns against the Hudson’s Bay Company; monopoly transferred to the Compagnie de la Colonie; had been founded in 1682 by Charles Aubert de la Chesnaye and Québec merchants, to trade into Hudson Bay with Radisson & Groseillers, and prevent the HBC from draining furs away from New France. Paris, France
  • 1756 England enters the Seven Years’ War against France. Britain
  • 1811 Norwester David Thompson 1770-1857 crosses the height of land of the Rocky Mountains on the Athabasca Pass; he will ascend the Columbia River to its source, then descend it to Astoria, becoming the First person to explore and map the whole length of the river. Alberta
  • 1814 American privateer, “Comet”, with 16 guns, driven off by British merchantman “Hibernia”, with only 6 guns. Nova Scotia
  • 1815 British Government bans Americans from settling in Canada. London, England
  • 1817 Miles Macdonnell recaptures Fort Douglas from Metis; occupies the Fort for Lord Selkirk. Fort Douglas, Manitoba
  • 1823 Opening of third session of eleventh Parliament of Lower Canada; meets until March 22; licenses to regulate public houses and sale of liquor and wine. Québec
  • 1831 King of the Netherlands announces decision in New Brunswick-Maine boundary dispute; rejected by both US and Britain. Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • 1839 Seven more rebels sentenced to hang in Montréal assizes. Montréal, Québec
  • 1842 Charles Bagot 1781-1843 arrives to take post as Governor General of British North America.
  • 1850 Franklin Expedition - Robert McClure & Richard Collinson set sail in the Enterprise and Investigator to start search for lost Franklin expedition; McClure sails into the Beaufort Sea via Bering Strait, toward Banks Island. Plymouth, England
  • 1859 Louis Sicotte resigns as Commissioner of Crown Lands to become Leader of the Opposition from Canada East; May 1862 will form a new government with John Sandfield Macdonald. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1861 Colonel Moody names Lulu Island for Lulu Sweet, an American actress appearing in theatrical performances for the Royal Engineers. New Westminster, BC
  • 1884 First Regina civic election is held. Regina, Saskatchewan
  • 1888 Donald Smith presents the Winnipeg Rowing Club with the Challenge Cup valued at $1,000. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1895 Urban - Townsite plan for Cascade City registered.
  • 1900 Military - Donald Smith, Lord Strathcona and Mount Royal, offers to fund the creation of a mounted regiment of Canadians to serve in South Africa during the Boer War; disbanded after the war, Lord Strathcona’s Horse was reformed in 1909 and the regiment still sees service today.
  • 1910 Henri Bourassa 1868-1952 publishes First issue of ‘Le Devoir ‘, printing 29, 000 copies; opposes reciprocity with the US; claiming it will lead to American interference in Canadian affairs; the motto of the paper is ‘Fais ce que dois!’ [Do what must be done . Montréal, Québec
  • 1910 The Laurier government introduces the Naval Service Bill creating a Canadian navy to great controversy. The bill will end up alienating most of Laurier supporters and lead to his defeat in the 1911 election.
  • 1920 Canada becomes a founding member of the League of Nations on the day the Treaty of Versailles, ending the First World War, takes effect; Canada and the other Dominions now speak for themselves on international affairs . Geneva, Switzerland
  • 1920 Canada becomes a founding member of the League of Nations on the day the Treaty of Versailles, ending the First World War, takes effect; Canada and the other Dominions now speak for themselves on international affairs. Geneva, Switzerland
  • 1920 The Montréal Canadiens clobber the Toronto St. Patricks 14-7, in the highest point total NHL Hockey game; Canadiens’ Newsy Lalonde scores six of the goals; Chicago and Edmonton will equal this 21-goal total in a game in 1985. Montréal, Québec
  • 1930 Residents of Three Hills awake to find half of the business section of their town destroyed by fire; 40 left homeless. Three Hills, Alberta
  • 1931 Philadelphia Quakers end the Montréal Maroons’ 15-game winning streak; longest in NHL history to date. Montréal, Québec
  • 1933 Maurice Duplessis Leader of the Opposition as the 2nd Session of the 18th Quebec Assembly opens. Quebec, Quebec
  • 1942 Elizabeth Monk and Suzanne Pilon Filion admitted to the Québec Bar - Québec’s First female lawyers. Montréal, Québec
  • 1945 Captain E. Olafson of Eston, Saskatchewan, devises the Olafson Infantry Foot Bridge for use in the Italian campaign. Italy
  • 1946 Canadian diplomats attend First General Assembly of the United Nations; until February 15; Canada to serve on the Atomic Energy Commission, the Economic and Social Council, and the International Court of Justice. London, England
  • 1950 Ottawa and provinces meet to discuss constitutional amendment issues and Trans-Canada Highway; federal-provincial conference until January 12. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1966 First meeting of National Indian Advisory Board in Ottawa. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1977 Canada expels four Cubans, including two diplomats, after RCMP spy investigation. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1978 Claude Ryan resigns as Editor of Le Devoir and announces he is a candidate to become Leader of the Québec Liberal Party. Montréal, Québec
  • 1980 Claude Ryan Québec Liberal leader suggests more power to the provinces; in policy paper on constitutional reform. Québec
  • 1990 Roger Lemelin receives France’s Legion d’honneur medal; Montréal author (Les Plouffes); publisher of La Presse. Paris, France
  • 1993 400 Oakville residents return home after three week exile in shelters and motels; as risk from toxic chemicals released in a train derailment. Oakville, Ontario
  • 1994 Robert Bourassa presides over his last cabinet meeting and resigns from political life; will undergo more treatment for melanoma. Québec, Québec
  • 1997 Defence Minister Doug Young orders the Somalia Commission to wind up its hearings by March 31 and file a report before July. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1998 Hydro Québec restores power to downtown Montréal after a week of relying on one single surviving transmission line coming into the city from north of the island; near blackout paralyzed business and ran a huge risk of overload and more serious damage; ice storm had knocked out power in three of the utility’s five main distribution stations that ring Montréal. Montréal, Québec
  • 2005 Canada and Nigeria agreed to terms under which the Canadian International Development Agency is to provide 24.9 million Canadian dollars (20.4 million US) for health projects in the west African country.
  • 2005 The Canadian government increases its monetary contribution in the humanitarian response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake to $425 million. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2006 29 seniors injured in a Toronto bus crash. Toronto, Ontario