TODAY IN HISTORY

On this day in 1886

Fire razed the city of Vancouver. It started when flames from a brush-clearing fire blew into tinderdry brush in the west of the city. Accounts of the fire itself vary — some say it took 20 minutes, some say 45, to destroy the 1,000 or so wood buildings that constituted the city; it killed at least eight people but as many as 28 may have died. Also on this day: In 1898, the Yukon Territory was established, two years after the Klondike gold discovery. Dawson City was named the capital and in its heyday, became the largest community north of Seattle and west of Winnipeg, with about 30,000 people.

In 1983, the U.S. space probe “Pioneer 10,” launched in 1972, became the first spacecraft to leave the solar system as it crossed the orbit of Neptune.

In 1993, Kim Campbell was chosen to succeed Brian Mulroney as federal Conservative leader and prime minister. The rookie Vancouver MP had held several cabinet portfolios, including Justice and Defence. But on Oct. 25th, four months to the day after she was sworn in as Canada’s first woman PM, Campbell and the Tories were humiliated in a general election. They went from a substantial majority to just two seats in the Commons. Campbell resigned as party leader on Dec. 13th after exactly six months in the job. She later served as Canada’s consul-general in Los Angeles.

In 1993, Kim Campbell was chosen to succeed Brian Mulroney as federal Conservative leader and prime minister. The rookie Vancouver MP had held several cabinet portfolios, including Justice and Defence. But on Oct. 25th, four months to the day after she was sworn in as Canada’s first woman PM, Campbell and the Tories were humiliated in a general election. They went from a substantial majority to just two seats in the Commons. Campbell resigned as party leader on Dec. 13th after exactly six months in the job. She later served as Canada’s consul-general in Los Angeles.

In 2000, the leaders of North and South Korea met for the first time in 50 years. Three days of talks in Pyongyang were the first step in ending the Cold War on the divided Korean peninsula. The peace initiative earned South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung the Nobel Peace Prize.