Highlights of the day

  • 1967 Yellowknife becomes capital of the Northwest Territories; administration transferred from Ottawa September 15, 1967.
  • 2000 Rare Carbon Meteorite Falls on the Ice of a Yukon Lake.

List of Facts for January 18

  • 1797 Postal - Start of First mail service between Montréal and New York. Montréal, Québec
  • 1813 War of 1812 - Brig. Gen. James Winchester captures Frenchtown, 40 km south of Detroit; defended by handful of Canadian militia and Iroquois; after earlier defeat. Frenchtown, Michigan
  • 1834 Law - Chief Justice William Campbell dies at York. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1839 Lower Canada Rebellion - Rebels Pierre Decoigne, François Hamelin, Joseph Robert and Ambroise Sanguinet are hanged following the rebellion in Lower Canada; members of the Frères Chasseurs (Hunters Lodges). Montréal, Québec
  • 1847 Art - Artist Cornelius Krieghoff gives a showing of his paintings at Montréal. Montréal, Québec
  • 1849 Language - Opening of the 2nd Session of the 3rd Parliament of the Province of Canada; French language rights fully restored. Montréal, Québec
  • 1871 Religion - Curé Labelle organizes delivery of firewood for the poor of Montréal. Montréal, Québec
  • 1902 Transport - CPR launches steamboat York (134 tons) at Okanagan Landing; pre-fabricated in Toronto, the vessell was sold to Kettle Valley Railway in March, 1920. Retired 1932. Okanagan Landing, BC
  • 1905 Rail - D.C. Corbin and associates incorporated the Spokane International Railway: absorbed the assets of the S&K. Capitalized to four million dollars, 12.5% immediately purchased by CPR and subsidiary Soo Line. BC
  • 1909 Quebec government prohibits the sale of alcoholic candy at Quebec; there are 30 stores selling such products in Montreal.
  • 1919 External Affairs - Canadian delegation attends opening of the First World War Peace Congress. Versailles, France
  • 1922 Law - Edward Wetmore dies; Saskatchewan’s First Chief Justice from 1902-1912. Saskatchewan
  • 1929 Cinema - Opening night of the Granada Theatre on Wellington Street in Sherbrooke; with 1700 seats, the decor is inspired by southern Spain. Sherbrooke, Quebec
  • 1938 Disaster - Fire destroys the College of the Sacred Heart; 47 people killed, including five nuns and 42 students. St. Hyacinthe, Quebec
  • 1940 Second World War - Ontario Premier Mitch Hepburn condemns Mackenzie King’s conduct of the war as inadequate; gives PM excuse to dissolve Parliament and call election. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1945 Health - Brantford joins two other North American cities in adding fluoride to its municipal drinking water; experiment to see if the mineral prevents tooth decay. Brantford, Ontario
  • 1948 Energy - First well drilled in Woodbend strikes oil. Woodbend, Alberta
  • 1958 Hockey - Bill O’Ree plays his First game for the Boston Bruins in a 3-0 victory over the Montréal Canadiens. The New Brunswick native is the First black person to play in the NHL; coach Milt Schmidt puts him on a line with Don McKenney and Bronco Horvath. Montréal, Québec
  • 1963 Science - Opening of the Ontario Research Community, group of R & D laboratories at Sheridan Park near Toronto. Mississauga, Ontario
  • 1966 Foreign Aid - Agriculture Minister Joe Greene appointed chairman of the pledging committee of the World Food Program; Canada contributes $27,500,000. United Nations, New York
  • 1967 Capital - Yellowknife becomes capital of the Northwest Territories; administration transferred from Ottawa CBC Archives)
  • 1968 Jean Chrétien appointed Minister of National Revenue. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1971 Education - Québec requires English-language schools in the province to teach French as a second language. Québec, Québec
  • 1972 Frank Moores sworn in as First Progressive Conservative Premier of Newfoundland, replacing Joey Smallwood, who had governed for 23 years. St. John’s, Newfoundland
  • 1972 Sealing - Ottawa bans use of aircraft and large ships in Gulf of St. Lawrence seal hunt. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1972 Science - Senate Special Committee on Science Policy issues Part Two of Report; recommends increased R & D; recommends founding Canadian Industrial Laboratories Corporation. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1977 Publishing - McClelland and Stewart editor Anna Porter starts Seal Books in a joint venture with Bantam Books of Canada Ltd.; to publish paperback books by Canadian authors. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1982 Constitution - British parliamentary committee concludes that it would be proper for Parliament to adopt legislation revising the Canadian Constitution. London, England
  • 1985 Politics - Parti Quebecois congress sees battle over the constitutional position of the party and the turn taken by leader René Lévesque. Since the election of the federal Progressive Conservatives under Brian Mulroney, Lévesque tends to favour rapprochement with the federal government.
  • 1985 Environment - American Interior Secretary William Clark announces that he will reduce the Garrison Water-Diversion Plan that will affect Manitoba water lavels. Washington , DC
  • 1989 Retail - The Hudson’s Bay Company announces the merger of the Simpsons and The Bay stores in the region of Montreal; 900 employees are laid off. Montreal, Quebec
  • 1989 Epidemic - Whooping cough (diptheria) epidemic hits Hobbema. Hobbema, Alberta
  • 1994 Jean Chrétien’s Ministry starts its First session of Parliament. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1995 Military - CBC broadcasts homemade videotape showing illegal hazing rituals performed by members of the Airborne Regiment at CFB Petawawa. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1996 Politics - Lucien Bouchard resigns as Leader of the Bloc Québecois (BQ); to become head of the Parti Québecois and Premier of Québec. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1998 Cinema - Canadian director James Cameron wins four Golden Globe awards, including best drama and best director for his motion picture Titanic. Los Angeles, California
  • 1998 Hockey - North America beats the World 8-7 in the 48th NHL All-Star Game. Vancouver, BC
  • 2000 Space - Rare carbon bearing meteorite falls on the ice of a Yukon lake. Tagish Lake, Yukon
  • 2001 Justice - Supreme Court of Canada upholds 10-year sentence imposed by Saskatchewan Court of Appeal on Richard Latimer for the mercy killing of his disabled daughter; jury had urged a lighter sentence. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2001 Justice - Hacker Michael Calce, aka MafiaBoy, pleads guilty to 56 of 66 mischief charges in a Montreal courtroom; the other 10 charges are withdrawn; he will serve 8 months in a youth detention centre, plus a year’s probation; see CBC Interview with George Stromboulopoulos
  • 2002 Health - Walkerton Report released; puts partial blame for the tainted water tragedy on the Ontario government. Toronto, Ontario
  • 2004 Media - London billionaire twins Sir David and Sir Frederick Barclay (69) announced their plan to buy a controlling interest in Hollinger Inc., the Toronto-based parent of publisher Hollinger Intl. led by Conrad Black. London, England