Highlights of the day

  • 1644 Paul de Maisonneuve defeats a large band of marauding Iroquois in Montreal.
  • 1874 Louis Riel secretly sworn in as a MP; there is a warrant for his arrest in Ontario.
  • 1972 Royal Canadian Navy sailors given their very last daily rum ration.

List of Facts for March 30

  • 1644 Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve and his militia defeat a large band of marauding Iroquois on the site of the Place d’Armes; aided by force of 30 settlers; they had massacred several habitant families. Montréal, Québec
  • 1743 François de Varennes de La Vérendrye buries lead plaque in territory of Little Cherry Indians, claiming the country for France; with brother Louis-Joseph. Pierre, South Dakota
  • 1784 Hotel Dieu collects a subscription of £345, 10s, 9d ‘in favour of the poor.’ Montréal, Québec
  • 1809 Labrador Act gives Labrador to Newfoundland, with all watersheds flowing into the Atlantic; boundaries later disputed by Quebec; Privy Council make final decision in 1927. London, England
  • 1814 James Wilkinson leads 4,000 Americans into defeat at Lacolle; forced to retreat back across border to Plattsburg; Americans were occupying Odelltown during the War of 1812. Lacolle, Québec
  • 1832 Incorporation of The Bank of Nova Scotia, with an authorized capital of £100,000 of which £50,000 had to be paid up before business could begin; first chartered bank in the province; holds first shareholders’ meeting at the Merchants Exchange Coffee House on August 29. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1834 William Lyon Mackenzie appointed first mayor of Toronto by the Council, defeating John Rolph. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1838 John Lambton, Lord Durham appointed Governor-in-Chief of Lower Canada, and Governor-General of British North America; serves from May 29, 1838 to Nov. 1, 1838. London, England
  • 1852 Imperial Government authorizes railroad from Halifax to Québec. London, England
  • 1864 Etienne-Paschal Taché forms Taché-Macdonald government with John A. Macdonald. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1872 First issue of Toronto ‘Mail’ published; part of today’s Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1874 Metis leader Louis Riel arrives in the east from Manitoba to claim his parliamentary seat of Provencher; he stays in Quebec because of a warrant for his arrest in Ontario for the killing of Thomas Scott. Gatineau, Quebec
  • 1874 Louis Riel crosses the Ottawa River, secretly steals into the House of Commons and is sworn in to represent the riding of Provencher. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1885 North West Rebellion - Cree chief Poundmaker (Pitikwahanapiwiyin) attacks and surrounds Battleford with Little Pine and 200 other warriors; local settlers forced to seek shelter in NWMP barracks for a month. A formidable soldier, Poundmaker had participated in the signing of Treaty 6, and in 1881 had guided the Marquis of Lorne from Battleford to Calgary. But he was distressed at the treatment given the Cree people, and had agitated for fulfillment of the promises made under Treaty. Battleford, Saskatchewan
  • 1885 Half-Breed Claims Commission is established to consider Métis land claims; too late to stop the rebellion. Regina, Saskatchewan
  • 1885 Stratford incorporated as a city. Stratford, Ontario
  • 1898 Canada Western Telephone and Telegraph Company begins operations in the East Kootenays.
  • 1901 Supreme Court rules that marriages of Catholics by Protestant clergymen are valid. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1916 Hockey - NHL Montreal AAAs beat PCHA Portland Rosebuds 3 games to 2 for the Stanley Cup. Montreal, Quebec
  • 1918 First World War - C Squadron of Lord Strathcona’s Horse conducts a cavalry charge against the Germans at Moreuil Wood. The squadron suffers atrocious casualties, but the action is one of the keys of halting the German advance in Operation Michael; Lieutenant Gordon Flowerdew will be awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously. Moreuil Wood, France
  • 1918 Hockey - NHL Toronto Arenas beat PCHA Vancouver Millionaires 3 games to 2 for the Stanley Cup. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1925 Hockey - Victoria Cougars of the WCHL beat the NHL Montréal Maroons 3 games to 1 for the Stanley Cup; last non-National Hockey League team to win the trophy. Montréal, Québec
  • 1935 Newfoundland changes its time to 3 hours west of Greenwich, and repeats 44 seconds. St. John’s, Newfoundland
  • 1939 Second World War - Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King says Canada will not conscript men for foreign service. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1944 Second World War - HMC Ships Algonquin and Sioux help escort Fleet carriers HMS Furious and HMS Victorious in Operation Tungsten, an air attack on the giant German battleship Tirpitz, anchored in a Norwegian fjord; Algonquin’s first operation against the enemy. Scotland. (See April 3)
  • 1954 Toronto Transit Commission opens Yonge Street subway; first line in Canada. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1967 Opening of SEACOM: Southeast Asia Commonwealth Cable; 40,000 km link between Britain, Canada and Australia. Victoria, BC
  • 1968 Canada and US agree to renew NORAD for 5 year period, from May 12. Washington, DC
  • 1972 CBC airs first simultaneous FM radio/TV broadcast of a symphony concert; users of both can experience stereo sound. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1972 Last daily rum ration issued to Canadian navy personnel. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1973 Manitoba starts guaranteed annual income experiment; Ottawa to fund 75% of the cost. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1974 Hurdler Earl Thomson is inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame; won a gold medal at the 1920 Olympic Games. Saskatchewan
  • 1976 Ottawa announces plans to immunize about 12 million Canadians against ‘swine flu’ in the autumn. Influenza Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1981 Newfoundland Court of Appeals rules Ottawa does not have right to change constitution unilaterally. St. John’s, Newfoundland
  • 1982 Marcel Dionne of the Los Angeles Kings scores his 50th goal of the season against Calgary Flames.
  • 1984 Connie Laliberte Rink wins Manitoba’s first World Women’s Curling Championship. Manitoba
  • 1986 Music - Toronto-based acapella quartet The Nylons win the best singer award and a cash prize of $7,000 at the 15th annual Tokyo Music Festival; group consists of Claude Morrison, Marc Connors, Arnold Robinson and Paul Cooper. Tokyo, Japan
  • 1990 Education - Riot police in Québec City break up demonstration by 2,000 marchers against university tuition fee increases; students also occupy Montréal Stock Exchange; over 250 arrested. Québec, Québec
  • 1992 Music - Celine Dion celebrates her 24th birthday at the Academy Awards, by singing her duet with Peabo Bryson on their Oscar-nominated theme song from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Los Angeles, California
  • 2004 Military - Auditor General of Canada Sheila Fraser criticizes flaws in national security. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2004 Terrorism - Ottawa area man Momin Khawaja charged with acts of terrorism under the Canada Anti-Terrorism Act. Ottawa, Ontario