1517 - Martin Luther began the Protestant Reformation in Germany by nailing his 95 theses to the door of Wittenburg's Palace church. Among other things, he denounced the selling of papal indulgences

1809 - John Molson sends steamboat 'Accomodation' on maiden voyage; first steamboat in Canada makes seven day round trip from Montreal to Quebec

1815 - Sir Humphrey Davy of London patents miner's safety lamp

1873 - The International Bridge at Niagara Falls was opened

1888 - First Legislative Assembly of NWT meets at Regina

1892 - The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle, is published

1893 - Opening of Redpath Library at McGill University

1902 - Stanford Fleming sends first message to open Pacific Cable from Vancouver, BC to Brisbane, Australia; 44 years after translatlantic cable

1912 - The Musketeers of Pig Alley, directed by D.W. Griffith, debuts

1918 - Alberta government prohibits all public meetings of seven persons or more, as influenza (Spanish Flu) epidemic sweeps the province

1922 - Benito Mussolini (Il Duce) becomes premier of Italy

1926 - Magician, illusionist and escape artist Harry Houdini died of peritonitis in a Detroit hospital following a blow to the abdomen

1945 - Inauguration of the faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa

1950 - Completion of 1,770 km oil pipeline from Edmonton to Lake Superior

1952 - First thermonuclear bomb detonated in the Marshall Islands

1956 - American rear admiral George John Dufek is the first person to land an airplane at the South Pole

1962 - Opening of new bridge across St. Mary's River from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario to Michigan

1962 - Founding of a secret revolutionary group in Montreal called the Front de libération de Québec (FLQ)

1968 - Milwaukee Bucks win their first game beating Detroit 138-118

1982 - Pope John Paul II canonizes Marguerite Bourgeoys, founder of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame de Montréal as Canada's first woman Saint

1983 - Paul McCartney releases "Pipes of Peace" album

1984 - Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, is assassinated in New Delhi by two of her own bodyguards

1987 - First jockey to win 9 races in 1 day: Chris Antley at Belmont

1995 - Jacques Parizeau announces his resignation as Quebec Premier, leader of the Parti québécois and MNA for L'Assomption after his Yes side narrowly loses the Quebec referendum

 

Birthdays

1632 - Jan Vermeer, Holland - painter: Procuress, The Astronomer
1795 - John Keats, London England - poet: Ode to a Grecian Urn
1887 - Chiang Kai-shek, Chekiang Province China - President of Nationalist China
1887 - Edouard (Newsy) Lalonde, Cornwall, Ontario - NHL player: Montreal Canadiens
1888 - Sir George Hubert Wilkins, Aust - polar explorer: Flying the Arctic
1893 - Sara Allgood, Dublin Ireland - actress: Jane Eyre, Spiral Staircase
1896 - Ethel Waters, Chester Pa - actress: Beulah /singer: Stormy Weather
1900 - Cal Hubbard, Keytesville MO - NFL player: Giants, Packers
1912 - Dale Evans, Uvalde Tx - actress: Roy Rogers Show
1920 - Dick Francis, Wales - jockey/author: Whip Hand, High Stakes
1922 - Barbara Bel Geddes, NY City - actress: Vertigo, Miss Ellie-Dallas, Caught
1929 - Lee Grant [Lyova Haskell Rosenthal], NY City - actress: Shampoo, Landlord
1931 - Dan Rather, Wharton Tx - news anchor: CBS Evening News, 60 Minutes
1933 - Phil Goyette - NHL player: Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers
1936 - Michael Landon, Forest Hills NY - actor: Bonanza, Highway to Heaven, Little House on the Prairie
1937 - Tom Paxton, Chicago - singer: Forest Lawn
1942 - David Ogden Stiers, Peoria Ill - actor: Winchester-M*A*S*H, Doc
1944 - Sally Kirkland, NY City - actress: Anna, Sting, Pvt Benjamin, Big Bad Mama
1947 - Deidre Hall, Milwaukee - actress: Days of our Life, Our House
1950 - Jane Pauley, Indianapolis Indiana - newscaster: Today, NBC Weekend
1950 - John Candy, Toronto - comedian: SCTV, Uncle Buck
1951 - Douglas Craig Bennett, Toronto - singer: Doug & The Slugs-Too Bad, Making It Work
1953 - John Lucas - NBA player: Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks
1961 - Larry Mullen Jr - drummer: U2-I Will Follow
1968 - Vanilla Ice [Robert Van Winkle] - rapper: Ice Ice Baby

 

 

Plaque

 

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex was staring up at the large plaque that hung in the foyer of the church. It was covered with names and small American flags were mounted on either side of it. The seven-year old had been staring at the plaque for some time.
 
So the pastor walked up, stood beside the boy, and said quietly, "Good morning Alex."
 
"Good morning pastor," replied the young man, still focused on the plaque. "What is this?" he asked.
 
"Well, son, it's a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service."
 
Soberly, they stood together, staring at the large plaque.
 
Little Alex's voice was barely audible when he asked,
 
"Which one, the 9:00 a.m. or the 10:30 a.m. service?"