List of Facts for March 2

  • 1648 Louis d’Ailleboust de Coulonge et d’Argentenay c1612-1660 appointed Governor of New France; serves from August 20 to October 20, 1651. Paris, France
  • 1699 Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville 1661-1706 builds Fort Maurepas on the Gulf of Mexico; French control now extends all the way down the Mississippi River. Biloxi, Mississippi
  • 1729 King Louis XV 1710-1774 authorizes a new issue of playing card money in New France; not enough printed bills or coinage to pay the troops; Governor at Quebec allowed to sign playing cards as specie. Paris, France
  • 1815 War of 1812 - George Prevost relieved of office as Governor-in-Chief of British North America; served since July 15, 1812. Quebec, Quebec
  • 1829 200 Irish canal navvies riot on St. Patricks Day; one killed and many wounded. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1831 Upper Canada Assembly passes act legalizing marriages by Methodist ministers. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1837 British Colonial Secretary Lord John Russell’s Ten Resolutions are published, rejecting the grievances and reforms put forward by the Parti patriot and the Reformers, and giving the Governor complete control of the public purse. London, England
  • 1877 City of Belleville incorporated. Belleville, Ontario
  • 1877 City of Brantford incorporated. Brantford, Ontario
  • 1878 Conservative Premier of Québec Charles-Eugene Boucher de Boucherville 1822-1915 dismissed from office by Lieutenant-Governor Luc Letellier de St-Just; for keeping financial dealings secret; Liberal Henri-Gustave Joly de Lotbinière 1829-1908 asked to form new government. Québec, Québec
  • 1895 First edition of the Rossland Miner Weekly: published by John Houston of Nelson.
  • 1901 Ontario starts $1 million highways program. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1916 Queen’s Park passes Ontario Temperance Act. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1923 Fishery - External Affairs - Canada signs the Halibut Treaty with the United States to preserve North Pacific fish stocks; Canada’s First independent international treaty not signed under the auspices of the United Kingdom; didn’t require a UK signature. Washington, DC
  • 1928 Gordon Hudson’s Winnipeg Strathcona’s win Manitoba’s First MacDonald Brier Curling Championship. Manitoba
  • 1932 Senate rejects Bill to legalize sweepstakes. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1933 Canadian actress Fay Wray stars in motion picture King Kong , which premieres at Radio City Music Hall and the RKO Roxy. New York, New York
  • 1943 Canadian budget introduces unique pay-as-you-earn income tax system. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1947 Ottawa hit with 48.3 cm snowfall, one of its biggest single day March snows. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1951 Korean War - Department of National Defence publishes first Canadian casualty list from Korea; six soldiers killed. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1961 Joyce McKee rink of Saskatoon win the First National Canadian Women’s Bonspiel. Saskatchewan
  • 1965 Crime - Rivard Affair - Narcotics smuggler Lucien Rivard, arrested on narcotics charges filed by the FBI, escapes from Bordeaux Jail by climbing the prison wall with a garden hose used to flood the jail’s hockey rink; he was fighting extradition to the US; charges of bribery connected with the escape result in resignation of Liberal Justice Minister Guy Favreau; Rivard is caught four months later, extradited to the US, and jailed for 20 years; he is released on parole after serving nine years, and deported back to Canada. Montréal , Québec
  • 1970 Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, and Spokane, Portland and Seattle combined into Burlington Northern Railroad.
  • 1970 Language - Keith Spicer appointed Canada’s First Commissioner of Official Languages. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1970 Ottawa stops foreign takeover of Denison Mines, Canada’s largest uranium mining company, by US interests. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1971 Canadian Transport Commission orders CN to continue Super Continental passenger service; despite financial losses. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1972 Ottawa plans new international airport in Pickering Township, 48 km east of Toronto; immediate protests from local residents. Pickering, Ontario
  • 1973 John Percy Page dies; educator, basketball coach, politician; coached the Edmonton Grads from 1915-1940 and is Lieutenant-Governor from 1959-1965. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1976 Time magazine puts out last Canadian edition; loses advertising after Ottawa changes tax laws. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1977 Francis Fox signs agreement in Washington for exchange of prisoners with US; Canadian Solicitor-General. Washington, DC
  • 1977 Peter Pocklington becomes sole owner of the Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1982 Ottawa and Nova Scotia sign agreement on offshore resources; Ottawa keeps final say on development; ownership of offshore resources still not settled. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1982 Progressive Conservative members boycott Parliament for two weeks; to protest of American Energy Security Bill. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1990 Mark Tewksbury swims the 50m Backstroke in a world record time of 25.06 seconds. He also wins the Commonwealth Games 100m Gold this year.
  • 1990 Supreme Court rules Manitoba Métis Federation can go to court to claim Red River Valley land promised in 1870s. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1993 Supreme Court allows proceedings to be televised for the First time; a hearing on taxation. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1994 Canadian composer and producer David Foster takes four Grammy Awards for work on Whitney Houston’s hit soundtrack album The Bodyguard; wins for best producer, album of the year, record of the year, and best arrangement with vocals. Los Angeles, California
  • 1998 Daniel Johnson resigns as leader of the Québec Liberal party; will be replaced by Jean Charest. Québec, Québec
  • 1999 RCMP raid home of British Columbia premier Glen Clark as part of its investigation into possible improprieties in the application for a casino licence by one of his neighbours. Burnaby, BC
  • 2001 Bernard Landry formally named leader of the Parti Québecois and Premier of Québec, succeeding Lucien Bouchard. Québec, Québec
  • 2006 Military - Corporal Paul Davis killed, six others injured when their LAV III collides with a civilian taxi west of Kandahar during a routine patrol; with 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry; one of the wounded will die of his wounds on March 5. Kandahar, Afghanistan
  • 2008 Military - Trooper Michael Hayakaze, of Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) during operations. Panjwayi, Afghanistan