Features:

  • 1948 Barbara Anne Scott Wins Olympic Gold Medal at St. Moritz.
  • 2006 Stephen Harper sworn in as 22nd Prime Minister of Canada in a ceremony at Rideau Hall.
  • 1952 George VI dies while Princess Elizabeth is touring Africa; she accedes to the Throne as Elizabeth II.

List of Facts for February 6

  • 1722 Crime - The Council of New France makes abandoning children a death penalty offence; parish priests are asked to publicize the law every few months. Québec, Québec
  • 1813 War of 1812 - US Army Captain Benjamin Forsyth crosses the frozen St. Lawrence River with 52 riflemen and attacks Brockville the next day; takes 52 hostages. Brockville, Ontario
  • 1837 Theatre - Actors in the British garrison on Barrack Hill, the site of Canada’s Parliament Buildings, produce Bytown’s First play, The Village Lawyer. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1865 Confederation - Quebec Conference delegates begin the Confederation debates. Québec, Québec
  • 1878 Aboriginal - The Cabinet (Governor-general in Council) approves and accepts Treaty No.7. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1893 External Affairs - Trade - Canada signs reciprocity treaty with France, to come into effect October 14, 1895; French wines given low rates of duty. Paris, France
  • 1894 Prohibition - Residents of Ontario vote for the prohibition of alcohol in a provincial plebiscite. Ontario
  • 1900 Western Federation of Miners locked out of the War Eagle and Center Star mines in a dispute over contract mining.
  • 1901 Robert Laird Borden chosen as Conservative Party leader, replacing Sir Charles Tupper; to July 10, 1920; becomes Leader of the Opposition at the same time. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1901 Parliament - Louis Philippe Brodeur sworn in as Speaker of the House of Commons; term ends January 18, 1904; Liberal
  • 1930 Session of the Saskatchewan Legislature is opened, for the First time, with a recitation of prayers. Regina, Saskatchewan
  • 1932 Canadian and American teams present Dog Sled Racing as a demonstration sport at the 3rd Winter Olympic Games at Lake Placid. Lake Placid, New York
  • 1936 Parliament - Pierre-François Casgrain sworn in as Speaker of the House of Commons; term ends May 10, 1940; Liberal
  • 1936 Sport - Canadian team attends opening of the 4th Winter Olympic Games in Garmisch; with total 28 nations and 755 competitors; to February 16. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
  • 1941 Military - Founding of the Lorne Scots (Peel Dufferin and Halton Regiment). Brampton, Ontario
  • 1943 Second World War - Italian aircraft attack and sink RCN Flower Class corvette HMCS Louisbourg east of Oran while she is escorting a convoy from Gibraltar to Bone, Algeria; 2 Officers, 35 crew and 5 RN seaman are lost. Mediterranean Sea
  • 1943 Ray Getliffe of the Montréal Canadiens scores 5 goals against Boston Bruins.
  • 1947 Henry Marshall Tory dies; educator, founding president of the University of Alberta, serving from 1908-1928. Alberta
  • 1948 Olympics - Ottawa, Ontario’s Barbara Ann Scott wins the gold medal in Figure Skating at the St. Moritz Winter Olympics. St. Moritz, Switzerland
  • 1952 King George VI dies while his eldest daughter Princess Elizabeth is touring Africa; born Dec. 14, 1895; Princess Elizabeth accedes to the Throne as Queen Elizabeth II. London, England
  • 1952 Queen Elizabeth II becomes Queen of Canada upon the death of her father King George VI. Canada
  • 1962 Department of Mines and Technical Surveys opens new Surveys and Mapping Building; Ottawa’s largest government building to date. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1962 National Advisory Council on Fitness and Amateur Sports gives First grants; First to Canadian Wheelmen’s Association (cycling) and the Canadian Amateur Ski Association. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1967 Manitoba brings in 5% sales tax to finance education and social services; to take effect June 1. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1968 Canadian team attends opening of the 10th Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble; with total 37 nations and 1293 competitors; to Feb. 18. Grenoble, France
  • 1972 Canadian airport radar and communications technicians strike, halting all but military air traffic until March 2. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1972 La Presse employees vote to return to work after a bitter newspaper strike. Montréal, Québec
  • 1973 Construction begins on the CN Tower, to be the tallest free-standing structure in the world; originally designed as a communications and observation tower for the CBC portion of Metro Centre, a $1.5 billion project spearheaded by the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways; opened June 26, 1979. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1975 Peter Lougheed’s government cuts the province’s personal income tax by 28%, making Albertans lowest-taxed Canadians. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1976 Leonard Pelletier is arrested at Smallboys Camp in Alberta. Smallboys, Alberta
  • 1977 Politics - Québec Premier René Lévesque is embroiled in scandal after he hits and kills a homeless man, Edgar Trottier, lying in a Montréal street, while driving in a car with a woman who is not his wife; the coroner rules no criminal responsibility; Lévesque fined $25 for not wearing his glasses at the time of the accident. Montréal, Québec
  • 1986 Music - Corey Hart awarded a special Juno to mark his one millionth album sold. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1990 Hockey - Brett Hull becomes the First son of an NHL 50 goal scorer (Bobby Hull) to score 50 goals himself. Chicago, Illinois
  • 1990 Energy - Federal competition tribunal approves $5 billion Imperial Oil takeover of Texaco Canada. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1990 Hockey - Brett Hull becomes the First son of an NHL 50 goal scorer (Bobby Hull) to score 50 goals himself. Chicago, Illinois
  • 1990 Energy - Federal competition tribunal approves $5 billion Imperial Oil takeover of Texaco Canada. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1997 Justice - Federal court orders Wilkie, Saskatchewan, farmer Robert Latimer retried for murder in the mercy killing of his 12 year old daughter, Tracy, Latimer, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, in Oct. 1993; cites abuse of process by the prosecution; reconvicted the following November. Regina, Saskatchewan
  • 1998 Olympics - Aerobatic skier Jean-Luc Brassard carries the Canadian flag during the opening ceremonies of the 28th Winter Olympic Games at Nagano. Nagano, Japan
  • 1998 Retail - The Hudson’s Bay Company tannounces it is acquiring the Canadian division of K-Mart Canada, for $240 million; will close some stores, convert others to Zellers branches. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1998 Olympics - Aerobatic skier Jean-Luc Brassard carries the Canadian flag during the opening ceremonies of the 28th Winter Olympic Games at Nagano. Nagano, Japan
  • 1998 Retail - The Hudson’s Bay Company tannounces it is acquiring the Canadian division of K-Mart Canada, for $240 million; will close some stores, convert others to Zellers branches. Toronto, Ontario
  • 2000 Hockey - The NHL officially retires Wayne Gretzky’s sweater #99, in a pre-game ceremony before the All-Star Game. Toronto, Ontario
  • 2004 Farming - The SPCA finds 100 dead cows and 100 more being improperly cared for, on an Alberta farm. Alberta
  • 2005 Law - Group of Ontario residents file a class action lawsuit against Agropur Cooperative after they became sick from chocolate milk tainted by a chemical cleaner. Toronto, Ontario
  • 2006 Politics - Stephen Harper sworn in as 22nd Prime Minister of Canada in a ceremony at Rideau Hall. Ottawa, Ontario