Highlights of the day

  • 1918 Global Spanish Flu Pandemic Hits Canada.
  • 1920 Frederick Banting dreams up a treatment for diabetes.
  • 1982 John Paul II canonizes Marguérite Bourgeoys; Canada’s first woman saint.

List of Facts for October 31

  • 1534 Jacques Cartier authorized to provision and arm 2 ships to explore the St. Lawrence Valley and trade with the aboriginal people; he will raise the sum of £3,000, and will equip 3 ships with 110 men for his second voyage to the new world on May 19, 1535. St-Malo, France
  • 1610 Henry Hudson on the Discovery orders Abacuck Prickett and Philip Staffe ashore to find a suitable place for winter in the south-east corner of James Bay, near the mouth of the Nottaway River, (Rupert Bay) or Rupert River); the following day the crew haul the ship aground and start building winter quarters. James Bay, Québec
  • 1760 Justice - James Murray establishes military courts in Québec. Québec, Québec
  • 1763 Pontiac’s Resistance - Ottawa Chief Pontiac capitulates after the British defeat the Indians at the Battle of Bushy Run, and after the deaths of several chiefs and a string of other losses. Detroit, Michigan
  • 1765 Media - La Gazette de Québec / Quebec Gazette newspaper stops publication. Québec, Québec
  • 1780 Disaster - His Majesty’s 22-gun brigantine Ontario founders in a storm on Lake Ontario, in the wake of the 18th century’s most violent hurricane; 100 people die in Lake Ontario’s worst maritime disaster, including 34 men of the 34th Regiment. The tomb of the Ontario will be discovered by scuba divers in 1995. Oswego, New York
  • 1809 John Molson sends his steamboat Accomodation on its maiden voyage; First steamboat in Canada makes seven day round trip to Québec and back. Montreal, Québec
  • 1832 Opening of third session of the 11th Parliament of Upper Canada; meets until February 13, 1833; William Lyon Mackenzie will be expelled for a third time. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1872 Oliver Mowat, Ontario Liberal Party leader, is sworn in as Premier of Ontario; serves until 1896. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1869 Red River Rebellion - Canada’s Governor designate William McDougall receives a letter signed by the members of the National Committee of the Métis of Red River, ordering him not to enter the territory without the permission of the Committee; the Métis are attempting to force Canada to negotiate the entry of their territory into Confederation. Pembina, Manitoba
  • 1871 Education - Original public school in the old Fonseca home in Winnipeg opens. Winnipeg, Manitoba
  • 1873 Opening of new International Bridge over the Niagara River. Niagara Falls, Ontario
  • 1874 Immigration - First group of Mennonites from Russia arrive in Québec on the way to settle in Manitoba. Québec, Québec
  • 1879 Adolphe Chapleau sworn in as Conservative Premier of Québec, replacing Joly de Lotbinière. Québec, Québec
  • 1888 Lieutenant-Governor Joseph Royal convenes First session of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territory under the authority of the NWT Amendment Act of 1888; sits until December 11, 1888; Frederick Haultain is head of the advisory council to the Lieutenant-Governor. Regina, Saskatchewan
  • 1893 Education - Opening of the Redpath Library at McGill University. Montréal, Québec
  • 1902 Communications - Sandford Fleming sends First message to open the Pacific Cable from Vancouver to Brisbane, Australia; 44 years after the Translatlantic Cable. Vancouver, BC
  • 1907 Football - Calgary City Rugby Foot-ball Club play their First game, defeating Strathcona Rugby Foot-ball Club 15-0. Calgary, Alberta
  • 1908 Olympics - The IV Olympiad ends in London. Canada’s First true national Olympic team of 84 athletes attended. Canada’s Gold Medals were in Lacrosse (a game that has not been recognized since), the 200 Metre Race (Robert Kerr) and Shooting (Walter Ewing). London, England
  • 1908 Transport - First streetcar from Edmonton to Strathcona, Alberta crosses the Low Level Bridge. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1918 Epidemic - Alberta government prohibits all public meetings of seven persons or more, as influenza (Spanish Flu) epidemic sweeps the province; churches, schools and theatres close. Edmonton, Alberta
  • 1919 Werner Horn sentenced to 10 years in prison for trying to blow up St. Croix River bridge between Maine and New Brunswick in 1915; organized by German spy ring in US. Maine
  • 1920 Frederick Banting discovers a treatment for diabetes; working at the University of Western Ontario, he is asked by Professor Miller to prepare a lecture on carbohydrate metabolism. Knowing little on the subject, he studies in the Medical School Library on the afternoon of October 30, 1920; just before retiring for the evening he reads an article in the November issue of Surgery, Gynaecology and Obstetrics, titled “The Relation of the Islets of Langerhans to Diabetes with Special Reference to Cases of Pancreatic Lithiasis. He tries to get some sleep, but cannot stop pondering the article, and in the middle of the night, finally dreams up the idea he felt would lead to the successful treatment of diabetes. At 2:00 am, he writes the following 25 words in the black notebook he used for his research ideas: “Diabetus: Ligate pancreatic ducts of dogs. Keep dogs alive till acini degenerate leaving Islets. Try to isolate the internal secretion of these to relieve glycosurea.” The following spring he will begin his insulin experiments at the University of Toronto. London, Ontario
  • October 31 - Alphonse Desjardins dies; journalist, founder of the Caisse Populaire Desjardins, was born at Lévis, Québec November 5, 1854. After studying European co-op models, Desjardins and his wife founded the First Caisse populaire, or people’s bank, in Lévis December 6, 1900, as a way of improving the financial lot of the Québec worker, and slow the exodus to the US; with support from the Roman Catholic Church, they expanded the concept through Québec and Canada, founding 205 branches before Desjardins was forced to retire due to ill health in 1916; in 1913, the institutions were renamed ‘les Caisses populaires Desjardins’. Today’s Caisse is an economic powerhouse in Québec and Canada. Québec, Québec
  • 1926 Magician and escape artist Harry Houdini dies at age 52 of gangrene and peritonitis resulting from a ruptured appendix; on October 21, 1926, at the Princess Theatre in Montréal, Québec, he had invited a McGill University student to punch him hard in the stomach. The young man complied before Houdini had a chance to brace himself, and the blow led to his death. Detroit, Michigan
  • 1930 Transport - Inauguration of the Ahuntsic Bridge. Ahuntsic, Québec
  • 1936 Resources - Dominion of Canada surrenders control over Alberta’s natural resources to the provincial government, under the Natural Resources Transfer Agreement. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1942 Hockey - Maurice Richard signs with the Montréal Canadiens; for the next 18 years, the Rocket will lead his team to victory, including eight Stanley Cups (five consecutively 1956-60, an NHL record that still holds); he will hang up his skates in 1960. Montreal, Québec
  • 1945 Education - Inauguration of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1950 Energy - Completion of the first leg of the 1,770 km Interprovincial Pipeline to take crude oil from Edmonton, Alberta to Lake Superior; the line will reach Sarnia, Ontario in 1953, and Montréal, Québec in 1976, reducing eastern Canada’s Canada’s dependence on imported crude; the system is the largest in the Western hemisphere. Thunder Bay, Ontario
  • 1952 Theatre - The Stratford Shakespearean Festival is incorporated; founded by Tom Patterson, the theatre will hold its First performance in a tent on July 13, 1953. Stratford, Ontario
  • 1960 Jean Drapeau sworn in as Mayor of Montréal, after the election of October 24, 1960. Montréal, Québec
  • 1962 Terrorism - Founding of a secret revolutionary group in Montréal called the Front de libération de Québec (FLQ). Montréal, Québec
  • 1962 Transport - Opening of a new international bridge across St. Mary’s River to Michigan. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
  • 1964 Fire destroys Anaconda smelter at Greenwood, idle for nearly 45 years. Greenwood, BC
  • 1965 Rail - Canadian National Railways (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) terminate their passenger pool train arrangement. Montréal, Québec
  • 1965 Rail - Canadian National Railways (CN) introduces its Rapido passenger service on the Toronto-Montréal corridor; extended to Québec in 1966. Montréal, Québec
  • 1967 Shooting - Trap shooter George Genereux is inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame; won a gold medal in the 1952 Summer Olympics. Saskatchewan
  • 1969 Riot - Le Front commun du Québec français holds a demonstration outside the Québec parliament buildings; clash with police. Québec, Québec
  • 1970 Neil Young’s group, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s single Our House peaks at #30 on the Billboard pop chart. New York, New York
  • 1972 Bill Durnan dies; goaltender, born in Toronto, Ontario January 22, 1915; Durnan joined the Montréal Canadiens in 1943 at age 29, after years in the minors; won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goalie 6 times out of his 7 years, led the Canadiens to 2 Stanley Cups; recorded 4 consecutive shutouts during the 1948-1949 season; played 309 minutes and 21 consecutive seconds (over 5 games) without allowing a goal; quit during the 1950 playoffs suffering from nausea and insomnia; career goals against average 2.36. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1977 Treaty - James Bay Land Claims Agreement signed into law; agreement with New Québec Cree and Inuit; transfers aboriginal rights and lands in return for $225 million, hunting and fishing rights and greater self-government; paves way for construction of James Bay Hydroelectric Project, which will flood ancestral land; Canada’s First modern First Nations treaty. Montréal, Québec
  • 1982 Religion - Pope John Paul II canonizes Marguérite Bourgeoys, founder of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame de Montréal as Canada’s First woman Saint; cites her heroism and concern for family life; she arrived in Québec in 1653 and opened her First school for girls in a Montréal stable in 1658; later recruited French and Canadian girls as teachers, founded a school for aboriginal girls and a domestic arts school, sent her secular sisters out to teach in rural parishes, then spent her last two years in meditation and prayer. La Congrégation de Notre-Dame de Montréal is Canada’s First religious order. Vatican City, Italy
  • 1995 Referendum - Jacques Parizeau announces his resignation at year end as Premier of Québec, leader of the Parti québécois and MNA for L’Assomption after his Yes side narrowly loses the Québec referendum; his influence had been eclipsed by the entry of Lucien Bouchard into the sovereigntist ranks. Québec, Québec
  • 1995 Finance - Canada’s dollar and stock exchanges soar while interest rates fall after the No side narrowly wins the Québec referendum. Canada
  • 1995 Education - Newfoundland passes a constitutional amendment to overhaul and secularize its school system. Newfoundland and Labrador
  • 2002 US political commentator Pat Buchanan calls Canada Soviet Canuckistan. Washington, DC
  • 2007 Politics - Conservative Party of Canada drops Mark Warner as its candidate in the pending Toronto Centre byelection, citing unspecified policy differences.
  • 2007 Broadcasting - Rogers Communications officially takes ownership of Citytv. Toronto, Ontario
  • 2008 Crime - Bomber hits another Encana facility, destroying a natural gas wellhead in the region of Dawson Creek, BC.