IT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

— In 1645, the Company of New France gave up trading rights in Canada to colonists living in the new land. — In 1671, before El Nino became a household word, Canada had its shortest winter on record.The first snow of the winter fell in Quebec on this date in 1671. The ice and snow had nearly all melted away by the middle of March. But homesteaders weren’t rejoicing at the lack of chill in the air — they depended on the cold to keep food supplies from spoiling. Many starved because of the short winter. — In 1784, the United States ratified a peace treaty with England, ending the Revolutionary War. — In 1878, Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated the telephone to Queen Victoria, who spoke with her friend, Sir Thomas Biddulph. — In 1943, U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and French General Charles de Gaulle opened a wartime conference in Casablanca. — In 1949, the first non-stop trans-Canada flight, from Vancouver to Halifax, was completed. — In 1952, an underground gas explosion at the McGregor coal mine at Stellarton, N.S., killed 19 men. — In 1952, NBC's Today show premiered, with Dave Garroway as the host, or “communicator,” as he was officially known. — In 1954, retired baseball great Joe DiMaggio married actress Marilyn Monroe. They divorced nine months later. — In 1964, in her first public statement since the assassination of her husband two months before, former U.S. first lady Jacqueline Kennedy appeared on TV to thank the 800,000 people who sent her messages of sympathy. — In 1969, 27 people aboard the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise were killed when a rocket warhead exploded, setting off a fire and additional explosions. — In 1976, the T. Eaton Co. announced the end of its catalogue sales operation. — In 1982, Clifford Robert Olson was sentenced to life in prison after he pleaded guilty to 11 counts of first-degree murder. The victims, three boys and eight girls, were aged between nine and 18 and died between November, 1980 and August, 1981. Olson's family was paid $100,000 P after he gave information on the location of the victims' bodies.