Highlights of the day

  • 1920 Founding of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, a merger of the RNWMP and Dominion Police

List of Facts for February 1

  • 1663 Geology - The town of Québec is rocked by an evening earthquake. Québec, Québec
  • 1754 Augustin de Drucour appointed Governor of Cape Breton Island; last French Governor; serves from August 15, 1663 to August 15, 1758. Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
  • 1780 American Revolutionary War - British Major John Graves Simcoe leads 200 of his Rangers in a raid to lure George Washington out from Morristown and capture him; forced to turn back by the militia; Simcoe later the first Governor of Upper Canada. Woodbridge, New Jersey
  • 1785 Law - Chief Justice George Ludlow opens First session of the Supreme Court of New Brunswick; Loyalist Ludlow was a former Supreme Court Judge in New York, and had endured the American Revolution on Long Island. Saint John, New Brunswick
  • 1796 Capital of Upper Canada transferred from Newark (Niagara) to York for greater security in the event of an American invasion. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1799 Place Name - Royal Assent given to change the name of Île St- Jean to Prince Edward Island. Charlottetown, PEI
  • 1820 Religion - Roman Catholic missionary Father Norbert Provencher is made a bishop. Manitoba
  • 1849 Upper Canada Rebellion - William Lyon Mackenzie returns to Toronto from the US on the same day the Amnesty Act grants full immunity to 1837 rebels who fled; some rebels now back from Van Diemen’s land, some remain, others have died. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1854 Fire destroys Parliament Buildings at Québec; government transfers to Toronto; hastens the decision to move to Ottawa. Québec, Québec
  • 1856 Communications - New Brunswick Electric Telegraph leased by American Telegraph Company. New Brunswick
  • 1858 Mining - Douglas Law goes into effect in British Columbia; requires miners to obtain licenses to search for gold in the Fraser Valley. New Westminster, BC
  • 1870 Police - Founding of the Québec Provincial Police force; la Sûreté du Québec. Québec, Québec
  • 1876 Andrew Elliott sworn in as Premier of British Columbia, replacing George Walkem. Victoria, BC
  • 1878 Invention - Communications - Cyrille Duquet patents a version of the telephone; from Québec City. Québec, Québec
  • 1890 Farming - James Robertson appointed First Dominion Dairy Commissioner; also Central Experimental Farm’s agriculturalist Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1893 Weather - Coldest day on record in Saskatchewan: -56.7 degrees Celsius (-70 F). Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
  • 1896 Smelting - First furnace in Trail Creek Landing smelter blown in. Trail, BC
  • 1896 Energy - Nelson Electric Light Company begins delivering power. Nelson, BC
  • 1897 Transport - CPR buys Columbia and Kootenay Steam Navigation Company. BC
  • 1904 Rail - Founding of Dominion Railway Commission; power to fix rates, regulate operations and settle disputes. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1906 Postal - Lille Post Office opens. Lille, Alberta
  • 1908 F. L. Haszard sworn in as Premier of Prince Edward Island, replacing Arthur Peters. Charlottetown, PEI
  • 1909 Rail - CPR officially opens its Special WF depot in Fernie, BC.
  • 1911 Military - Post offices across Canada display first recruiting posters for the Royal Canadian Navy.
  • 1912 Urban - Edmonton and Strathcona amalgamate to become the city of Edmonton. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1914 Transit - City of Nelson buys its street tramway system. Nelson, BC
  • 1917 James Murray sworn in as Premier of New Brunswick, replacing George Clarke. Fredericton, New Brunswick
  • 1920 Police - Founding of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, with a merger of the Royal North-West Mounted Police (RNWMP), formed as the NWMP in the 1870’s to administer the NWT, and the Dominion Police, that had guarded government buildings and enforced federal statutes since 1868; RCMP headquarters will be moved to Ottawa while training stays in Regina, Saskatchewan; size of force set at 2,500. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1923 Peter Veniot sworn as the First Acadian Premier of New Brunswick; rose to power under Walter Foster, and was selected as his successor. Fredericton, New Brunswick
  • 1928 Urban - Yorkton becomes a city. Yorkton, Saskatchewan
  • 1943 Second World War - Gordon Graydon calls for creation of a Ministry of Food to control the Wartime Prices and Trade Board; Leader of the Opposition Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1950 John Bowlen installed as Lieutenant Governor of Alberta; serves to December 19th, 1959. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1954 Energy - CNP Coal opens new briquette plant at Michel, BC.
  • 1955 Hockey - Toronto Maple Leafs appoint Hap Day their new general manager; first person to serve as Leaf captain, coach and GM. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1963 Music - Neil Young performs his First professional date at a Winnipeg country club, at age 17. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1964 Hockey - Bobby Rousseau of the Montréal Canadiens scores 5 goals against Detroit Red Wings. Montréal, Québec
  • 1965 Place Name - Hamilton River in Labrador renamed Churchill River in honour of Winston Churchill. Churchill River, Newfoundland
  • 1968 Military - The three branches of the Canadian Armed Forces are merged into one; further unification halted. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1971 External Affairs - Canada and China open diplomatic relations; exchange diplomats in both countries, and officially recognize each other. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1971 Postal - Canadian Post Office starts ‘assured mail program;’ next-day delivery of letters posted before 11 am; in most major Canadian cities. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1971 Media - Québec Press Council founded out of 4 news organizations representing more than 700 reporters; First of its kind in Canada or US. Montréal, Québec
  • 1973 Banking - Gerald Bouey succeeds Louis Rasminsky as Governor of the Bank of Canada. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1977 Mining - Ottawa agrees to give the 3 maritime provinces 100% of the royalties from future offshore mineral finds inside the 5 km limit; 75% of royalties beyond five kilometres of the shoreline. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1979 Festival - National Capital Commission opens first Winterlude in Ottawa, featuring a skateway along the Rideau Canal; developed by NCC head Douglas Fullerton. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1980 Hockey - Wayne Gretzky scores his first career hat trick; in the 50th game of his rookie season. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1982 Energy - Amoco Canada and Chevron Standard Ltd. withdraw from $13.5 billion Alsands oil consortium. Fort McMurray, Alberta
  • 1983 Media - Pay TV launches in Canada; new channels First Choice, Superchannel and C-Channel are First available on cable. Canada
  • 2003 Media - Seven high school students from Calgary killed when an avalanche sweeps over them on a school ski trip; remaining ten students survive. Alberta
  • 2005 Politics - Ex Premier and Ontario Progressive Conservative Party MP Ernie Eves resigns from the Ontario legislature. Toronto, Ontario
  • 2006 Parliament - Justice John Gomery releases the final report of his Gomery Commission investigating the federal sponsorship scandal. Montréal, Québec