TODAY IN HISTORY

On May 16

In 1871, British Columbia was authorized to become Canada’s sixth province.

In 1920, Joan of Arc was canonized in Rome.

In 1929, the first Academy Awards were handed out. “Wings” was named Best Picture, Emil Jannings won Best Actor and Janet Gaynor won the Best Actress Oscar.

In 1930, uranium was discovered in a mine in Ontario.The mine was to produce the fuel for the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War. The province’s uranium mines were closed by the late 1990s, mainly for economic reasons. By then, thousands of miners had been exposed to excessive amounts of radiation.

In 1988, U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop released a report declaring nicotine addictive in ways similar to heroin and cocaine.

In 1990, Muppets creator Jim Henson died of a bacterial infection at age 53.

In 2001, Gordon Campbell led British Columbia’s Liberals to the largest electoral landslide in the province’s history. The Liberals won 77 seats, compared to just two for the NDP under Premier Ujjal Dosanjh.

In 2013, U.S. gossip website Gawker and The Toronto Star reported they had seen a cellphone video that appeared to show Toronto Mayor Rob Ford smoking crack cocaine.

On May 17

In 1630, the belts of the planet Jupiter were first observed.

In 1792, the New York Stock Exchange was founded.

In 1916, the world’s first daylight savings act was passed in Britain. Clocks were moved forward one hour the following Sunday.

In 1949, the Canadian government granted full recognition to the state of Israel.

In 2012, Jenna Talackova made history as the first-ever transgender contestant to compete at the Miss Universe Canada pageant. She was initially barred from competing because she was born male.

On May 18

In 1504, Michelangelo’s statue of David was erected in Florence.

In 1642, the city of Montreal was founded by Sieur de Maisonneuve. The site had originally been settled by Jacques Cartier in 1535 and later by Samuel de Champlain, but neither settlement survived.

In 1980, the Mount St. Helens volcano in Washington state erupted. The blast left 57 people dead, took 400 metres off the top of the mountain and blew an ash cloud around the world. Nearly 600 kilometres of forest was blown over — or killed and left standing.

In 1994, Israel’s 27-year occupation of the Gaza Strip ended as Israeli troops completed their withdrawal and Palestinian authorities took over.