Highlights of the day

  • 1763 France signs the Peace of Paris and gives up Canada to England.
  • 1841 Act of Union takes effect, uniting Canada West and Canada East under a single government.

List of Facts for February 10

  • 1638 King Louis XIII 1601-1643 grants Charles La Tour the rest of Nova Scotia, plus Cap de Sable and Fort La Tour on the Saint John River; Charles d’Aulnay, cousin of Razilly, is appointed Lieutenant-General of Acadia; hostility arises between La Tour and d’Aulnay. Paris, France
  • 1747 Coulon de Villiers leading a force of Canadians and Micmacs takes Grand Pré from the Bostonians. Grand Pré, Nova Scotia
  • 1763 France signs the Peace of Paris ending the Seven Years War. France gives up Canada, keeping only St. Pierre and Miquelon and part of Louisiana, which it sells to Spain in 1803; Spain cedes claims in the northwest, gets California. Paris, France
  • 1802 Alexander Mackenzie 1764-1820 knighted for achievements in the North West, and for being First to cross the North American continent by land. London, England
  • 1829 College of New Brunswick gets Royal Charter as King’s College, Fredericton; today the University of New Brunswick; UNB incorporated in 1859. Fredericton, New Brunswick
  • 1838 British Parliament passes an act suspending the constitution in Lower Canada. The Constitution of 1791 will be suspended in Lower Canada as of March 27; Special Council proclaimed March 29; Governor is empowered to appoint a special council to make laws. London, England
  • 1838 The Constitution of 1791 is suspended in Lower Canada and the governor empowered to appoint a special council to make laws. Québec, Québec
  • 1841 The Act of Union, passed at Westminster July 23, 1840, comes into effect; uniting Upper and Lower Canada into the Province of Canada, a legislative union with 84 members divided equally between Canada East and Canada West; Kingston to be the First capital; Charles Poulett Thomson, Lord Sydenham 1799-1841 appointed First Governor-General of United Canada; until his death on Sept. 19, 1841. Kingston, Ontario
  • 1841 The Act of Union of Upper Canada and Lower Canada takes effect, providing for the union of the two provinces under a single government; elected assembly with equal representation from Canada West and Canada East (later Ontario and Québec); also assumption of £1.2 million Upper Canada (Canada West) debt, establishment of a civil list, banning of the French language in the Assembly and in all government departments, and dissolution of French educational and civil law institutions. The Union will soon become unworkable, and the province ungovernable. Montréal, Québec
  • 1857 David Thompson dies at Montréal; his wife Charlotte follows him within three months; fur trader, explorer, surveyor, and mapmaker. Montréal, Québec
  • 1870 Louis Riel 1844-1885 organizes second Provisional Government of Red River. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1876 Crooks Act takes power to grant tavern licenses away from Ontario municipalities; now under provincial board. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1876 St. Catharines incorporated as a city. St. Catharines, Ontario
  • 1892 Canadian and US negotiators fail to reach decision on reciprocity after five days of talk. Washington, DC
  • 1896 British Columbia Mining and Smelting Company registered in British Columbia
  • 1898 Lieutenant Governor R.R. MacInnes drives up in his carriage to open the 4th Session of British Columbia’s 7th Parliament, and officially open the new Parliament Buildings after four years of construction. Victoria, BC
  • 1906 Prince Rupert chosen as name of Grand Trunk Pacific Railway’s terminus; fifteen thousand people entered $250 contest to choose name; Eleanor Macdonald of Winnipeg the winner. Prince Rupert, BC (Prince Rupert Map)
  • 1908 Canadian Tommy Burns KOs Jack Palmer in 4 rounds to defend his world heavyweight boxing title. London, England
  • 1911 Second meteoric procession in history is first sighted near Mortlach by J.R. Smith. Mortlach, Saskatchewan
  • 1916 First World War - An anti-German riot hits Calgary, Alberta
  • 1922 Peter Charles Larkin 1856-1930 appointed High Commissioner for Canada in Britain; wealthy tea merchant and benefactor of Mackenzie King. London, England
  • 1942 Second World War - German U-boat torpedoes Canadian corvette Spikenard. Atlantic Ocean
  • 1946 World WarII - CP Liner Mauritania docks in Halifax carrying the first war brides and children from England; 943 passengers in total, with almost 400 war brides. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1947 Canada signs mop-up peace treaties with former Axis powers Italy, Romania, Hungary and Finland. Paris, France
  • 1954 Canadians Frances Dafoe and Norris Bowden win gold medal in Ice Pairs at the World Championships in Oslo. Oslo, Norway
  • 1956 William Coffin is hanged for the murder of an American fisherman. Quebec, Quebec
  • 1960 Hockey - Toronto Maple Leafs trade Marc Reaume to Detroit Red Wings in exchange for Red Kelly. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1965 H.R. MacMillan donates $8.2 million to the University of British Columbia for postgraduate education; lumber magnate was a founder of MacMmillan Bloedel. Vancouver, BC
  • 1969 Opening of 3-day constitutional conference; Premiers agree to more study of constitutional reform. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1971 Ottawa limits seal catch in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off Newfoundland and Labrador; also sets maximum fines of $200 000 for air pollution. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1975 Ottawa grants $18 million for underwater electrical cable from New Brunswick to PEI. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1982 Group of 28 skiers perform backflips while holding hands; to get into the Guinness Book of Records. Bromont, Québec
  • 1983 Canada signs agreement allowing US testing of military equipment in Canada, including cruise missiles. Washington, DC
  • 1985 Group of Canadian superstars called Northern Lights record the song ‘Tears Are Not Enough’ at Manta Sound; contribution by Canadian pop artists to African famine relief; song written by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance; Adams will perform the song at the Live Aid concert in July 1985. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1987 Gala benefit concert held at Roy Thomson Hall to mark 100th anniversary of the Royal Conservatory of Music; among alumni performing are conductor Victor Feldbrill, soprano Lois Marshall, violinist Steven Staryk and tenor Jon Vickers. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1987 Soviet rock band Autograph starts First North American tour; concert to coincide with the Rendezvous ‘87 hockey series between the USSR nationals and the NHL all-stars. Québec, Québec
  • 1991 Donald Cameron chosen as Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party and new Premier of Nova Scotia. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1991 Manitoba Nurses’ Union strike ends. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1996 Timmins country singer Shania Twain draws a crowd of up to 20, 000 fans for an autograph session at the giant Mall of America. Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • 1998 American Academy of Motion Picture Arts nominates Toronto’s Atom Egoyan as Best Director for his film The Sweet Hereafter; Oscar will be won by another Canadian, James Cameron, for Titanic. Hollywood, California
  • 1998 Canadian National President Paul Tellier says CN is acquiring US rail company Illinois Central Corp for $2.4 billion; deal will make CN the 5th largest railway company in North America with 30,000 km of track. Montréal, Québec
  • 2000 Lois Elsa Hole becomes the 15th lieutenant-governor of Alberta. Alberta
  • 2004 Auditor General Sheila Fraser releases study on the federal government’s advertising and sponsorship in Quebec detailing how millions of dollars were mishandled. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2004 Skiing - François Bourque wins bronze in the world junior alpine ski championship.
  • 2004 The Canadian softball team wins silver in the world softball championship.
  • 2005 Wal-Mart says it will close one of its stores in Jonquière, Québec, just as its 200 workers are about to win the first-ever union contract from the world’s largest retailer.