TODAY IN HISTORY: Bennett cuts public services

In 1438, the decrees of Basel were adopted by the Roman Catholic Church. They restricted the authority of the popes and imposed a degree of accountability on the cardinals and bishops of the church.

In 1534, in the first known exchange between Europeans and natives of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, French explorer Jacques Cartier traded furs with the Mi'kmaq.

In 1607, Britain's national anthem, God Save the King, was sung in public for the first time.

In 1620, Samuel de Champlain began work on Fort St. Louis on the present site of the Chateau Frontenac Hotel in Quebec City.

In 1787, the first white woman arrived in what is now British Columbia. Frances Barkley was the 17-year-old wife of the captain of the British ship “Imperial Eagle.”

In 1865, four people were hanged in Washington, D.C, for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate U.S. President Abraham Lincoln.

In 1898, the U.S. Congress voted to annex Hawaii.

In 1915, an electronic railway car jumped the tracks at Queenston, Ont., killing 16 people and injuring 97.

In 1941, American forces took up positions in Iceland, Trinidad and British Guyana to forestall any German invasion, even though the U.S. had not yet entered the Second World War.

In 1945, some 500 Canadian troops rioted in

Aldershot, England, because of low morale over slow repatriation.

In 1960, the world's first working laser was demonstrated by Theodore Maiman in Malibu, Calif.

In 1967, the first members of the Order of Canada were named in Ottawa by Gov. Gen. Roland Michener; 35 people received the highest honour, Companion of the Order, and 55 people received medals of service.

In 1969, the House of Commons gave final approval to the Official Languages Act, making English and French the official languages of Canada. The Senate approved the bill two days later and it was given royal assent the same day.

In 1975, Ed Broadbent was elected leader of the federal New Democratic Party, defeating Rosemary Brown on the fourth ballot of a Winnipeg convention. He held the post until 1989.

In 1976, Canada signed an agreement of economic co-operation with the European Economic Community. The agreement was the first of its kind to be signed between the EEC and a major industrial country. It represented a major move by Canada toward reducing its economic dependency on the United States.

In 1981, Prince Edward Island police received wide powers in two new acts, including the authority to take citizens from their homes without warrant and hold them in drug and alcohol treatment centres without laying a charge.

In 1981, six Canadian uranium companies that took part in an international cartel at government request in the early 1970s were charged with conspiracy to fix prices.

In 1983, the Social Credit government of Bill Bennett introduced 26 bills to cut public services and limit union rights. Operation Solidarity launched in response, taking the province to the verge of a general strike.

In 1988, the Soviet Union launched a space probe to the Mars moon Phobos in a joint EastWest mission designed to pave the way for a manned voyage to Mars. However, a ground control error caused communication with the spacecraft to be lost before it reached Mars.

In 1988, Newfoundland became the eighth province to ratify the Meech Lake Accord on constitutional amendments to recognize Quebec as a distinct society, but that approval was later rescinded.

In 1990, Martina Navratilova captured a record ninth Wimbledon women's singles title, defeating Zina Garrison.

In 1992, Ottawa and nine provinces agreed on constitutional reform proposals which formed the basis of the Charlottetown Accord. The accord was rejected in an Oct. 26 referendum.

In 1993, Tom Burgess tossed three touchdown passes, as the Ottawa Rough Riders spoiled the debut of the CFL's first American-based team, beating the Sacramento Gold Miners 32-23.