Highlights of the day

  • 1837 Rebellion Breaks Out in Toronto at Montgomery’s Tavern.
  • 1909 First Grey Cup game - University of Toronto beats Toronto Parkdale, 26-6 before 3,807 fans.
  • 1914 Founding of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) to manage Allan Cup.
  • 1950 Korean War - RCN Capt J. V. Brock leads fleet up Taedong River to evacuate troops, shell enemy.

List of Facts for December 4

  • 1615 Samuel de Champlain leads defeated Huron war party back to Cahiagué in Huronia; arrives December 23, 1615. New York
  • 1651 Drama - Play Heraclitus performed at Montréal. Montréal, Québec
  • 1674 Jacques Marquette reaches the Chicago River and winters on the site of Chicago, a name the local Indians gave to a variety of wild onion; establishes a mission. Chicago, Illinois
  • 1825 Religion - Mgr. Octave Plessis dies at Québec; replaced by Mgr. Panet as Bishop of Québec on December 10, 1825. Québec, Québec
  • 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion - John Rolph & Samuel Lount assemble rebel force armed with muskets and pitchforks at Montgomery’s Tavern on Yonge Street in Hogg’s Hollow. The church bells are rung in Toronto to sound the alarm. When loyalist Colonel Robert Moodie tries to ride down Yonge St. from the north to warn the Governor, he is shot at a barricade and left to die. When William Lyon Mackenzie’s rebels start to move down Yonge Street to capture the Parliament, Alderman John Powell fires shots at them, and wounds rebel leader Anthony Anderson. They chase him, but he hides behind a log and escapes. Toronto, Ontario
  • December 4 - Upper Canada Rebellion - Lieutenant-Governor Francis Bond Head puts his family on board a steamer in Toronto harbour for safety against the rebels; has only 300 troops at his command under Lt. James Fitzgibbon, with reinforcements expected from Hamilton; most of the British regulars have been sent to Lower Canada. Toronto, Ontario
  • December 4 - Lower Canada Rebellion - Lt-Col Charles Gore leads British troops into St-Hyacinthe from St-Charles. St-Hyacinthe, Quebec
  • 1838 Upper Canada Rebellion - John Prince leads 300 Essex Militia in rout of up to 400 American raiders at the Battle of Windsor; 44 rebels captured, 25 killed; Price orders four rebel prisoners executed; Joshua Doan of Sparta, Ontario, a village near London, is later hanged for treason. Windsor, Ontario
  • 1856 Customs - Government permits free transit of goods in bond through Canada to and from US destinations. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1866 Confederation - Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick delegates meet Imperial government in London to draw up an act uniting the provinces of British North America, much discussion over Section 93, which protected separate schools in Québec and Ontario, but not in Nova Scotia or New Brunswick; London conference lasts until Dec. 24. London, England
  • 1867 Public Works Minister William McDougall presents a resolution to Parliament to annex Rupert’s Land. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1877 Aboriginal - Treaty No.7 (Part 2) is signed at Fort Macleod, NWT, by chiefs who could not attend the main signing at Blackfoot Crossing. Fort Macleod, Alberta
  • 1884 First meeting of Calgary’s Town Council held in Boynton Hall. Mayor George Murdock, and councillors S .J. Clarke, N. J. Lindsay, J. H. Milward and S. J. Hogg pass several motions; adopt railway time, approve design for Corporation Seal, petition NWT government for power to issue licenses and retain the proceeds. Calgary, Alberta
  • 1885 Religion - Memorial mass for Louis Riel held in Montréal. Montréal, Quebec
  • 1902 Prohibition - Ontario goes dry, brings in prohibition by 199,749 votes; with 103,542 opposed; under Ontario Liquor Referendum Act. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1905 Riot - Fans in Québec riot after Sara Bernhardt performance. Québec, Québec
  • 1909 Football - The University of Toronto beats Toronto Parkdale, 26-6, in the First Grey Cup game, before 3,807 fans. The Governor General, Earl Grey, donated the trophy for the Canadian football championship. Three years later, the First western team to play in the championship will be the Edmonton Eskimos, of the Western Canada Rugby Football Union. College teams stopped competing in 1936. Toronto, Ontario
  • December 4 - Hockey - Ambrose O’Brien founds the Canadian Athletic Club, as a founding member of the NHA; the uniform is a navy blue sweater with white narrow bands at the shoulders connected to a band across the chest, with a white ‘C’ in the centre of the chest band; in 1917 will be a founding member of the NHL, as the Club de Hockey Canadien (CHC). Montréal, Québec
  • 1914 Hockey - W. F. Taylor of Winnipeg serves as founding president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association; meeting at the Chateau Laurier hotel in Ottawa; mandate to promote hockey, and an amateur code; the CAHA manages the Allan Cup and will introduce the Memorial Cup for junior hockey in 1919. In 1994 the CAHA will merge with merged with the Canadian Hockey League as Hockey Canada. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1920 Football - University of Toronto beats Toronto Argonauts, 16-3, in the 8th Grey Cup game. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1926 Football -Ottawa Senators beat the University of Toronto, 10-7, in the 14th Grey Cup game. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1937 Retail - Canadian department stores display Dionne quintuplets dolls; Shirley Temple dolls still remain the favourite choice for Christmas.
  • 1943 Mining - Granby Consolidated ceases mining coal at Princeton, BC.
  • 1944 Second World War - The 1st Canadian Infantry Division reaches the Moro River after taking control of the bridgehead on the Sangro River. Moro River, Italy
  • 1950 Korean War - Royal Canadian Navy Captain J. V. Brock in command of the six UN destroyers of Task Element, receives an order to help prepare for a withdrawal from Inchon; in HMCS Cayuga, Brock leads his destroyers - three Canadian ships, two Australian and one American - 32 km up the narrow Taedong River at night to Chinnampo, the port of Pyongyang; the channel is seeded with North Korean mines and two ships run aground and turn back for repairs; on December 5, 1951, at Chinnampo, the force guards the evacuating troops against enemy attack, then starts shelling the port to destroy railway lines, docks and huge supplies of strategic materials which had to be left behind; on December 6, 1951 all ships clear the river. Chinnampo, Korea
  • December 4 - Postal - New Post Office opens in Macleod. Fort Macleod, Alberta
  • December 4 - Conference - Ottawa and the provinces hold a conference on Canada’s fiscal problems. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1951 Mining - Coleman Collieries, incorporated in Alberta. $1.21 million capitalization; controling interest owned by CP’s Consolidated Mining and Smelting; HQ at Coleman, Alberta; H.S. Patterson serves as president. Calgary, Alberta
  • 1957 Media - Disk jockey Allen Brooks of CKWS, Kingston plays Elvis Presley’s new Christmas album and invites listeners to call in their opinion, since many radio stations had banned the album because of the averred impropriety of Elvis the Pelvis singing religious songs; of 800 callers, all but 56 approve of Presley’s sacred music. Kingston, Ontario
  • December 4 - Hockey - Montréal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs skate to a 0-0 draw. Montréal, Quebec
  • 1961 Boxing - Floyd Patterson defends his world heavyweight title by knocking out Tom McNeeley in the fourth round in Toronto; Tom is the father of Peter McNeeley, who lost to Mike Tyson. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1967 Terrorism - FLQ terrorists steal $9,000 worth of firearms and munitions from a store in Cap-de-la-Madeleine. Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Québec
  • 1969 Media - Power Corporation sells three media properties: CKAC, CHLT and CHLT-TV. Montréal, Québec
  • 1970 October Crisis - British Trade Commissioner James Cross debriefed after release by his FLQ kidnappers; three weeks later, Pierre Laporte’s suspected kidnappers, Paul Rose, Jacques Rose and Francis Simard, will be arrested south of Montréal. Montréal, Québec
  • December 4 - Hockey - Claude Ruel resigns as head coach of the NHL Montréal Canadiens. Montréal, Québec
  • 1972 Labour - Ottawa starts 3-year $350 million program to help provinces and municipalities create jobs; plus extra $150 million for federal job-creation programs. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1973 Alfred Fuller dies at age 88; born in Nova Scotia January 13, 1885; manufacturer, marketer, founder of the Fuller Brush Company. Boston, Massachusetts
  • December 4 - Police - Pierre Trudeau government passes bill outlawing wiretapping and other forms of electronic surveillance except by police forces. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 1974 State Visit - Pierre Trudeau visits Washington for talks with US President Gerald Ford. Washington, DC
  • 1987 Hockey - Ron Lapointe appointed head coach of the NHL Québec Nordiques, replacing André Savard. Québec, Québec
  • 1990 Media - CTV show ENG, a newsroom drama, wins 1990 Gemini Award for Best Dramatic Series; Love and Hate wins for best dramatic mini series (Thatcher murder saga); Jackie Burroughs wins for best lead actress in a continuing dramatic role; Art Hindle wins for best lead actor in continuing role; Frank Mankiewicz wins for best director in miniseries; for Love and Hate; Michelle St. John wins for best lead actress in a miniseries; Kenneth Welsh wins for best lead actor (Love and Hate); Where The Spirit Lives wins for best TV movie; about native residential schools; awarded by Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Arts. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1991 Rail - Bombardier buys rail transit maker UTDC Inc. from Ontario government for $17 million; will save 860 jobs in Kingston and Thunder Bay. Toronto, Ontario
  • 1995 Fishery - Brian Tobin signs UN Treaty on migrating fish stocks; Fisheries Minister wants to protect Grand Banks stocks outside Canada’s jurisdiction. United Nations, New York
  • 1996 Music - Wilf Carter dies at age 91; born in Port Hilford, Nova Scotia, son of a Baptist minister; Canadian country music legend. Scottsdale, Arizona
  • 1997 Labour - Postal workers ended their strike under threat of heavy fines with a 5.15% wage increase over 3 years. Ottawa, Ontario
  • 2002 Mining - Teck Cominco and West Shore Terminals acquire Fording Inc. Vancouver, BC
  • 2007 Norval Morrisseau dies; aboriginal artist born in 1932.
  • 2008 Politics - The Liberal Party and New Democratic Party coalition, with the backing of the Bloc Québécois, send a letter to Governor-General Michaëlle Jean requesting the institution of a coalition government, to replace the Conservative minority government. See December 1. December 4 - Politics - Stephen Harper asks the Governor General to prorogue the 40th Canadian Parliament; she agrees, preventing the Liberal-NDP coalition from ousting the Conservative minority government as planned. Ottawa, Ontario