A LOOK BACK AT LIFE ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

— In 1615, the first mass in Ontario was celebrated by Father Le Caron in a Huron village near Thunder Bay. — In 1658, the first American police force was formed with the founding of the eightman rattle watch in New Amsterdam, now New York City. — In 1676, the most devastating Indian war in the history of New England ended when King Philip, chief of the Wampanoag Indians, was killed in Rhode Island. The war, which involved several tribes and all the New England colonies, began when English settlers executed three native tribesmen for murder. — In 1851, American inventor Isaac Singer was granted a patent on his sewing machine. — In 1856, the legislature of Vancouver Island opened at Victoria. — In 1877, Thomas Edison reportedly first successfully demonstrated his phonograph. Edison’s machine consisted of a metal cylinder and two diaphragm-and-needle units — one for recording and one for reproduction. For the first demonstration, Edison recited the nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb, and the machine played back a recognizable reproduction of his voice. — In 1882, the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada merged with the Great Western Railway. The merger was the result of financial difficulties and American competition. — In 1889, the boundaries of Manitoba and Ontario were defined by an imperial act. — In 1898, Hawaii was formally annexed by the United States. The U.S. government had been leasing the naval base at Pearl Harbor since 1884. The island republic requested annexation and, in 1959, succeeded in its long campaign for full statehood. — In 1908, the first Model T rolled off the Ford Motor Company assembly line in Detroit. Also known as the Tin Lizzie, it was introduced for sale to the public later in the year. Eventually, 15 million cars were made, putting the U.S. on wheels and helping to launch a manufacturing revolution. — In 1909, Fort William, now Thunder Bay, Ont., was placed under martial law as a result of riots during a strike by freight handlers. Sir Samuel Steele, a legendary mounted police officer, is credited with bringing the riots under control. Steele joined the militia in 1866 during the Fenian troubles and was a private in the Red River Expedition of 1870. Shortly after, he became a sergeant major in the new North-West Mounted Police. — In 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home to the Indianapolis 500, first opened. — In 1942, British Prime Minister Churchill met Soviet leader Josef Stalin in Moscow to reaffirm their Second World War alliance against the Axis powers.