Highlights of the day

  • 1857 George-Étienne Cartier pushes through a bill formally requesting Queen Victoria to choose a new permanent capital for the Province of Canada.
  • 1920 Dominion Elections Act gives the federal vote to every eligible Canadian over 21, male or female.
  • 1942 Government orders 21, 000 Japanese Canadians to evacuate coastal BC.

List of Facts for February 26

  • 1798 Cartography - David Thompson sets off up Red River to explore the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Manitoba
  • 1820 Fur Trade - George Simpson appointed Associate Governor of Rupert’s Land for the Hudson’s Bay Company. London, England
  • 1826 Fur Trade - George Simpson given authority over both Northern and Southern departments of the Hudson’s Bay Company; William Williams recalled after opposition from North West Company partners Montréal, Québec
  • 1838 Upper Canada Rebellion - Rensselaer Van Rensselaer invades Pelee Island in Lake Erie with 500 American sympathizers of the Canadian Republican rebels; until March 3, 1838. Pelee Island, Ontario
  • 1851 Human Rights - George Brown helps found the Toronto Anti-Slavery Society. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1857 George-Étienne Cartier pushes through a bill in the Assembly of the Province of Canada formally requesting Queen Victoria to choose a new permanent capital, after deadlock between supporters of Québec, Montréal, Kingston and Toronto; originally in Montréal, the capital was moved to Kingston after Tory riots in 1849, then Québec, then Toronto. In fact, Cartier engineered the choice of Ottawa as the capital. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1916 Province - Bills to enact Prohibition and to confer the franchise on women are introduced to the Alberta legislature. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1920 Architecture - Canadian Parliament opens in newly rebuilt Centre Block; sessions were held in the Museum of Nature after the disastrous February 13, 1916 fire. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1920 Voting - The Borden government passes the Dominion Elections Act; gives federal vote to every eligible Canadian over 21, male or female; Treaty Aboriginal people (First Nations) and Inuit are still not eligible because of the trust relationship; also ineligible are those barred from provincial voters lists, including Asians and Hindus. On July 1 - Section 107 of the amended Indian Act will receive royal assent: qualified aboriginal people could be forced to accept enfranchisement. The section will be repealed in 1929. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1926 Jimmy Gardiner, former Saskatchewan Minister of Highways, is sworn in as Liberal Premier of Saskatchewan, replacing Charles Dunning. Regina, Saskatchewan
  • 1942 Second World War - Government starts evacuating 21, 000 Japanese Canadians from coastal regions of British Columbia to interior work camps; under War Measures Act. Vancouver, BC
  • 1942 See: CBC Archives)
  • 1945 Second World War - Canadian Army 2nd and 3rd Divisions engage German troops at the Battle of Hochwald, Germany.
  • 1945 Second World War - Canadian Army Sergeant Aubrey Cosens killed in action, capturing German strongpoints at Mooshof; wins VC for bravery in Rhine fighting. Mooshof, Germany
  • 1949 Military - Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) suffers outbreak of mass insubordination, as ninety Leading Seamen and below of the destroyer Athabaskan - over half the ship’s company - locked themselves in their messdecks, refusing to come out until the captain heard their grievances; episode defused, with the captain entering the messes for an informal discussion of their sailors’ grievances, which were corrected. The Navy investigated and the Mainguy Report was the result. Manzanillo, Mexico,
  • 1954 State Visit - Dag Hammarskjold United Nations Secretary-General starts two-day visit to Ottawa. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1960 Olympics - Anne Heggtveit wins the Gold Medal in Slalom at the 8th Winter Olympic games in Squaw Valley; from Chelsea, Québec, Heggtveit is the First Canadian to win Gold in skiing; she also takes the FIS World Slalom and Alpine Combined titles this year. Lake Tahoe, California
  • 1960 Education - Québec government allows Québec universities to accept $41 million in federal grants held in trust. Québec, Québec
  • 1965 Curling - Peggy Castleman Rink wins Manitoba’s First Dominion Women’s Curling Championship. Manitoba
  • 1966 Hockey - Frank Mahovlich scores his 250th NHL goal as a Maple Leaf; first player in franchise history to reach that mark. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1968 Finance - Finance Minister Mitchell Sharp repatriates US $426 million currency and gold deposited with the International Monetary Fund; aim is to drive up the value of the Canadian dollar. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1971 Military - Language - Ottawa starts program to raise Francophone numbers in the Canadian Armed Forces to at least 28%. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1975 Politics - Jean Marchand resigns as Québec leader of the federal Liberal Party; stays on as Minister of Transport Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1979 Astronomy - Total solar eclipse crosses western Canada, casting a moving shadow 250 km wide. Manitoba Saskatchewan
  • 1981 Hockey - Boston Bruins and Minnesota North Stars play most penalty-filled NHL game - a record 406 minutes total infractions for one brawl. Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • 1986 Hockey - Goaltending great Jacques Plante dies at his home near Geneva at age 57; born January 17, 1929 at Mont Carmel, Québec, near Shawinigan; a six time Vezina Trophy winner (five in a row with the Montréal Canadiens 1955-60); Plante introduced the protective goalie mask to hockey after being hit in the face in New York November 1, 1959. Geneva, Switzerland
  • 1997 Music - Céline Dion wins Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, for Falling into You. Los Angeles, California
  • 2004 Military - Canadian Armed Forces send nine members of elite counter-terrorism unit JTF2 to Haiti to aid in evacuating Canadian nationals. Haiti
  • 2010 Olympics - Charles Hamelin wins a gold medal for Canada in the Men’s 500 metres short track speed skating event. Vancouver, BC February 26 - Olympics - Charles Hamelin, François Hamelin, Olivier Jean, François-Louis Tremblay and Guillaume Bastille win gold for Canada in the Men’s 5000 metre short track speed skating relay race. Vancouver, BC February 26 - Olympics - Canadian rink of Cheryl Bernard, Susan O’Connor, Carolyn Darbyshire, Cori Bartel and Kristie Moore win a silver medal in Women’s Curling at the 2010 Winter Olympics; defeated by Sweden 7-6 in the Gold Medal Game. Vancouver, BC February 26 - Olympics - François-Louis Tremblay wins a bronze medal in Men’s 500 metres Short track speed skating at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Vancouver, BC