Highlights of the day

  • 1625 Jesuit priest Jean de Brébeuf sails for Québec; founder of Huron Mission.
  • 1887 Joseph Ora Card and a small group of Mormons found Cardston, Alberta.
  • 1900 Ottawa lumber yards and two thirds of Hull, Québec, destroyed in a massive fire.

List of Facts for April 26

  • 1625 Jesuit priest Jean de Brébeuf sails for Quebec with Fathers Lalement and Masse, plus two lay brothers; they will arrive June 15. The Jesuits were originally called the Society of Jesus. They were known for their disciplined approach to learning. After 1763 they were banned from recruiting new members in Quebec. The order was dissolved temporarily by Pope Clement XIV in 1810, but restored by Pius VIII in 1814. Dieppe, France
  • 1778 Captain James Cook sets sail from Nootka Sound in HMS Resolution and HMS Discovery, heading north west and tracing the coast of British Columbia and Alaska; had left England in July 1776 on his third voyage in search of a North-West Passage, and on March 29, 1778 dropped anchor in Nootka Sound (named King George’s Sound by Cook); nine months later Cook will be killed on a Hawaiian beach. Nootka Sound, BC
  • 1841 Opening of the amalgamated legislature as the Newfoundland Constitution is suspended. St. John’s, Newfoundland
  • 1850 Military - Founding of the New Brunswick Society for the Encouragement of Agriculture, Home Manufactures, and Commerce Throughout the Province. Saint John, New Brunswick
  • 1860 Founding of the Second Battalion Volunteer Militia Rifles of Canada from six independent militia units; later the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada, oldest regiment in the Canadian Armed Forces. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1871 Eight Ontario land agents reach Fort Garry; beginning of influx of speculators and settlers that leads to the Red River Insurrection. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1872 First CPR bill introduced in Parliament. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1880 First lignite coal mined in Saskatchewan is floated in barges down the Souris River and Assiniboine River to Winnipeg. Saskatchewan
  • 1885 Hudson’s Bay Company post at Lac la Biche is raided by aboriginals. Lac La Biche, Alberta
  • 1887 Joseph Ora Card and a small group of Mormons found the community that will become Cardston, Alberta; religious refugees from American law, particularly over the issue of polygamy; experienced in dry farming, they introduced a variety of new crops, and join with the Galt Company in irrigating other areas of southern Alberta. Their Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was the First Mormon Temple built outside of the United States. Cardston, Alberta
  • 1891 F.G. Vernon forms the Alberta and British Columbia Exploration Company, Limited. Voluntarily liquidates in 1900.
  • 1896 Ainsworth’s CBD levelled by fire.
  • 1900 Disaster - A chimney fire spreads in high winds, causing a massive conflagration that levels two thirds of Hull, Quebec; spreads across the river to Ottawa lumber yards in LeBreton Flats; kills 7, causes $10 million in losses. Gatineau, Québec
  • 1909 Annie Hartford first Albertan born at Robson, BC.
  • 1909 Charles Kerr of the Bijou Moving Picture Theatre found guilty of stealing electricity by tapping into the St. John Railway Company lines; Magistrate Ritchie rules that electricity is indeed a commodity. Saint John, New Brunswick
  • 1912 The Chateau Laurier hotel opens in Ottawa.
  • 1918 Women in Nova Scotia granted the right to vote. Halifax, Nova Scotia
  • 1931 GN discontinues WGN service between Oroville and Molson, WA. Hardware removed in 1932.
  • 1935 Hockey - Frank Boucher of the NHL New York Rangers given permanent possession of the Lady Byng Trophy for the most sportsmanlike player in the league; the Ottawa native had won it for 7 of its 11 year history; the NHL will purchase a new trophy to be awarded the following year. Montréal, Québec
  • 1944 Second World War - Royal Canadian Navy warships sink German destroyer off France. Atlantic Ocean
  • 1946 Hart House String Quartet gives its final concert at Hart House at the University of Toronto. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1954 Lester Pearson leads Canadian delegation at conference to settle the Korean question. Geneva, Switzerland
  • 1959 Fidel Castro Cuban Premier visits Montréal. Montréal, Québec
  • 1965 Federal budget includes 10% cut in personal income tax. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1966 Supreme Court of Canada authorized to review Steven Truscott’s 1959 murder conviction and life sentence. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1968 Ottawa grants long-term interest-free loan to Ghana, Togo, and Dahomey for electric power grid; largest Canadian project in Africa. Africa
  • 1982 Doctors protest in Ontario, as 80% of the province’s 14,000 doctors stage 2-day walk-out to protest new fee schedule. Ontario
  • 1982 Grant Devine leads Progressive Conservatives to landslide victory in Saskatchewan election, defeating Allan Blakeney’s NDP with 57 of the 64 seats. Saskatchewan
  • 1983 First flight of Skyship 500 at Toronto Airport; can carry 10 people; uses non-flammable helium; First Canadian-built airship. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1984 Hockey - Minnesota North Stars 3, Edmonton Oilers 4
  • 1988 Gary Filmon leads Manitoba PCs to minority victory in provincial election; both his opponents, Gary Doer (NDP) and Sharon Carstairs (Liberal), were opposed to the Meech Lake Accord. Manitoba
  • 1989 Finance Minister Michael Wilson forced to read contents of his Budget at an evening news conference, after Global TV reporter Doug Small broadcasts the leaked contents. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1991 Business Council on National Issues warns country must compete against rest of world; urges common-sense redivision of federal-provincial powers. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1991 Military - Canadian Navy Vice-Admiral Charles Thomas resigns, warns defense cuts will threaten sovereignty and endanger lives of military personnel; Thomas is Deputy Commander of the Canadian Armed Forces. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1995 Communications - Government introduces bill instructing the CRTC to start licensing direct-to-home satellite television services. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1998 Prime Minister Chrétien pays an official visit to Cuba; to April 28, 1998.
  • 2005 Politics - The Liberal Party of Canada and the New Democratic Party announce that they have come to an agreement in principle on the 2005 Canadian budget. This agreement is a move by the Liberals to avoid a vote of no confidence in the House, which would cause a general election to be called.