622  - The prophet Muhammad completes his Hegira, or flight, from Mecca to Medina to escape persecution

1844 - Start of first international cricket match; Canada defeats the US the following day

1859 - Capital of the Province of Canada moves from Quebec City to Ottawa; previously in rotation at Toronto, Kingston and Montreal

1872 �?The Chess Federation of Canada was founded in Hamilton

1897 - Niagara Falls Suspension Bridge Company and the Niagara Falls International Bridge Company open new double track steel arch bridge; upper floor leased to the Grand Trunk Railway

1901 - Telegraph connection completed between Yukon and southern Canada

1905 �?James Henry Fleming banded the leg of a robin in his garden in Toronto, the first wild bird in Canada to be marked with a numbered and recorded band

1908 - The first factory-built Ford Model T was completed

1927 - NHL's Toronto St Patricks become the Maple Leafs

1940 - Jimmy Foxx hits his 500th career HR

1942 - Alaska Highway opened at Contact Creek, 305 miles north of Fort Nelson, BC

1948 - The Honda Technical Research Institute officially became the Honda Motor Company, establishing a corporation that would become the leading producer of motorcycles in the world

1952 - Thieves make off with six boxes of gold bullion worth $300,000 from an unguarded building at Toronto's Malton Airport

1954 - The Tonight Show premiers on NBC

1957 - The Brooklyn Dodgers play their last game at Ebbets Field, defeating the Pirates 2-0

1957 - The Molson family acquires Montreal Canadiens hockey club

1960 - The USS Enterprise, world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is launched

1961 - "I Love Lucy" airs its last episode

1962 �?The Garden of the Provinces was opened in Ottawa

1964 - "The Munsters" premiers

1968 - "60 Minutes" premiers

1968 - "That's Life" premiers

1969 - Ontario bans use of pesticide DDT, effective January 1, 1970

1974 - Detroit's Al Kaline gets his 3,000th career hit

1977 - Ken Hinton of CFL British Columbia Lions returns a punt 130 yards

1988 - Canadian Ben Johnson sets world record in the 100 metre sprint at the Seoul Summer Olympic Games in 9.79 seconds; later stripped of gold medal after testing positive for banned anabolic steroids

1991 - "Good & Evil" & "Sibs" premier on ABC TV

1992 - Toronto Blue Jays' Dave Winfield became the first 40 year old and the oldest major league player to knock in 100 RBIs

1996 - Stephen King released two new novels at once, "Desperation" under King's name, and "The Regulators" under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman

 

Birthdays

1717 - Horace Walpole, England - author: The Castle of Otranto
1870 - Georges Claude - inventor (neon light)
1890 - Sir Alan Herbert, England - journalist/writer: Punch, Helen
1896 - F Scott Fitzgerald, St Paul Minn - author:  Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night
1912 - Don Porter, Miami Okla - actor: Russ Lawrence-Gidget, Ann Sothern Show
1914 - Herb Jeffries, Detroit Mich - actor: Where's Huddles
1915 - Larry Gates, St Paul Minn - actor: Guiding Light
1921 - Jim McKay, Philadelphia - sportscaster: ABC's Wide World of Sports
1922 - Theresa Merritt, Newport News Va - actress: Mama-That's My Mama
1924 - Sheila MacRae, London England - actress: Jackie Gleason Show
1931 - Anthony Newley - actor/singer: Dr Doolittle
1934 - John Brunner, Britain - author: Sheep Look Up
1936 - Jim Henson, Greenville Miss - muppeteer: Sesame Street, Muppet Show
1941 - Linda Eastman McCartney,  NY City - singer: Wings-Ram
1943 - Lee Aaker, LA Calif - actor: Rusty-Rin Tin Tin
1946 - "Mean" Joe Greene - NFL player: Pittsburgh Steelers
1946 - Jacqueline Courtney, NJ - actress: Another World, One Life to Live
1948 - Phil Hartman, Brantford, Ontario - actor: Saturday Night Live, NewsRadio
1964 - Gene Watkins, Waco Tx - actor: James Walsh-As the World Turns
1971 - Shane Conrad - actress: Cody-High Mountain Rangers

 

 

 

How Did I Get Here

 

One day a sweet little girl becomes puzzled about her origin. "How did I get here, Mommy?" she asks.
 
Her mother replies, using a well-worn phrase, "God sent you, Honey."
 
"And did God send you too, Mommy?" she continues.
 
"Yes, Sweetheart, he did."
 
"And Daddy, and Grandma and Grandpa, and their moms and dads, too?"
 
"Yes, Honey, all of them, too."
 
The child shakes her head in disbelief. "Then you're telling me there's been no sex in this family for over 200 years? No wonder everyone is so grouchy!"