Highlights of the day

  • 1963 John Diefenbaker’s minority government defeated 142-111 in non-confidence motions over nuclear weapons policy.

List of Facts for February 5

  • 1663 Earthquake hits the St. Lawrence Valley of Québec at about 5:30 pm; the quake is felt over the entire eastern part of North America - 1.9 million square km, and generates huge landslides along the St. Maurice, Batiscan and St. Lawrence Rivers, from La Malbaie to Rivière Ouelle; no loss of life was recorded. Trois-Rivières, Québec
  • 1667 Mining of bog iron nuggets begins at Three Rivers; later smelting at Les Forges de St-Maurice; First large scale iron mining in Canadian history. Trois-Rivières, Québec
  • 1790 Chief Justice W. T. Smith writes to Lord Dorchester advising a federation of the provinces of British North America. Montréal, Québec
  • 1811 Prince of Wales becomes Prince Regent of England after his father George III is declared insane; later George IV. London, England
  • 1836 Francis Bond Head 1793-1875 writes to the Colonial Offices that the Reformers are only interested in getting control of the government for their own personal gain. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1856 Queen Victoria institutes the military Order of the Victoria Cross (VC). Windsor, England
  • 1857 British House of Commons appoints a committee to investigate the business affairs and governing powers of the Hudson’s Bay Company. London, England
  • 1873 Dr. Curtis J. Bird is elected speaker of the Legislative Assembly. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1873 Hugh Allan 1810-1882 awarded charter for the Canadian Pacific Railway; to be financed with a $30 million subsidy and grant of 20 million hectares of land (50 million acres). Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1889 The Catholic Oblate College of Ottawa becomes Ottawa University. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1901 Charles Tupper 1821-1915 resigns as Leader of the Opposition and retires to England. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1907 Three car-loads of coal are stolen in a train robbery at Nanton. Nanton, Alberta
  • 1911 Disaster - RNWP Inspector Francis Joseph Fitzgerald makes the last entry in his diary on day 47 of the “Lost Patrol”. The Mounties are all found dead on March 21. Yukon
  • 1920 Fire guts King’s College at Windsor; governors agree to affiliate with Dalhousie University in Halifax. Windsor, Nova Scotia
  • 1923 Temperature dips to -54.4 degrees Celsius in Doucet; coldest day recorded in Québec. Doucet, Québec
  • 1926 Ku Klux Klan begins organizing in Saskatchewan, with the arrival of J.J. Maloney at Saskatoon. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
  • 1934 The Standard Exchange refuses to comply with a new provincial Act forcing them to amalgamate with the Toronto Stock Exchange; the two remain in separate buildings until the new TSE Ticker Palace opens in 1937. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1943 Federal British Columbia Security Commission dissolved and administration of Enemy Alien internees falls to Department of Labour.
  • 1946 Justice J.C. McRuer appointed to head new Royal Commission to examine allegations of Soviet spy ring operating in Canada; due to revelations of USSR Embassy defector Igor Gouzenko 1919-1982. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1947 Crow’s Nest Pass Coal opens the Erickson strip mine near Michel.
  • 1950 Hockey - Montreal Canadiens’ Dick Irvin the first coach in NHL history to win 500 games. Montréal, Québec
  • 1951 Government starts three-year, $5 million rearmament program for Canadian armed forces. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1954 Most northerly group of Canada’s Arctic islands, discovered by William Baffin in 1616, and not seen again until 1818, are named after Queen Elizabeth. Queen Elizabeth Islands, Nunavut
  • 1956 Close of 7th Winter Olympic games at Cortina d’Ampezzo. Canada failed to win any gold medals, and USSR took away Canada’s crown in Ice Hockey; Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen bring home bronze; Frances Dafoe and Norris Bowden win silver medal in Pairs Figure Skating; Lucille Wheeler wins bronze in Downhill Skiing. Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy
  • 1963 John Diefenbaker’s minority government is defeated 142-111 in House of Commons in two non-confidence motions over nuclear weapons policy, and after Defence Minister Douglas Harkness’ resignation; negotiations with the Social Credit Party, which had enough votes to save the government, fail, and Dief resigns; he will be beaten by Lester Pearson, five seats short of an absolute majority, in the CBC Archives)
  • 1965 Government agrees to provide new funding for fine art work by Canadian artists, and creates the Art Bank; formula = l% amount of construction contracts for federal buildings. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1968 Start of 3-day federal-provincial conference in Ottawa; provinces officially recognize French language rights. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1970 Environment - Oil tanker runs aground in Chedabucto Bay, causing a major oil spill. Chedabucto Bay, Nova Scotia
  • 1972 Québec prison guards and game wardens start five-week strike; disrupts courts and forces closure of 22 of 35 jails. Québec
  • 1973 Architecture - Work begins on the contruction of the CN Tower. {Toronto, Ontario
  • 1975 Alarming earth tremor. Crowsnest Pass, Alberta
  • 1980 Gordie Howe plays in his 23rd and final NHL all-star game at age 51; Howe, from Floral, Saskatchewan, will retire from the Hartford Whalers at the end of the season. Detroit, Michigan
  • 1980 William Stephenson awarded Order of Canada; ailing Winnipeg-born engineer pioneered digital wireless photo transmission; worked for British intelligence during Second World War under the code name Intrepid, and was the personal contact man between Churchill and Roosevelt. Hamilton, Bermuda
  • 1981 Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau inducts Joni Mitchell into the Juno Hall of Fame; Anne Murray, still boycotting the Junos ceremony, wins four awards; her Can I Have This Dance ties for best single with Echo Beach by Martha and the Muffins. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1981 Human RIghts - Toronto Police arrest over 300 men in raids on Toronto gay bathhouses. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1987 First edition of the morning newspaper, ‘Le Matin’ , in Montréal. Montréal, Québec
  • 1988 Pro Wrestling - Québec’s Andre the Giant beats Hulk Hogan in a WWF match; the First prime-time wrestling match in 30 years. USA
  • 1989 Karen Percy wins silver medal in Women’s World Alpine Ski Championship; native of Banff, Alberta. Vail, Colorado
  • 1991 Immigration - Québec and Ottawa sign immigration accord giving Québec exclusive responsibility for selecting immigrants who wish to live in the province. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2001 State Visit - Prime Minister Jean Chrétien the first foreign leader to visit newly elected US President George W. Bush. Washington, D.C.
  • 2010 The Royal Canadian Mint announces plan to showcase a $1 million gold coin at 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. February 5- New Democratic Party Leader Jack Layton announces that he is being treated for prostate cancer. Ottawa, Ontario February 5- NHL hockey player Brendan Burke announces he is gay.