TODAY IN HISTORY: First Calgary Stampede begins

In 1666, “The Great Fire” of London started in a wooden house on Pudding Lane. The fire burned for three days, destroying about 13,200 houses, some bridges and a number of churches and public buildings – including St. Paul’s Cathedral. About 200,000 people were left homeless and six died. The fire is credited with founding the institution of fire insurance.

In 1752, the Gregorian calendar was adopted in England.

In 1837, Samuel Morse gave the first public demonstration of his magnetic telegraph.

In 1901, U.S. Vice-President Theodore Roosevelt offered the advice, “Speak softly and carry a big stick” in a speech at the Minnesota State Fair.

In 1904, the voyage of Capt. John Claus Voss of Victoria, B.C., from Canada to England in a Nootka Indian dugout canoe, ended. Voss took three years, three months and 12 days to cover 64,000 kilometres under sail, almost circumnavigating the globe. His canoe, “The Tilicum,” is on display in Victoria. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society to honour his accomplishment.

In 1912, the first Calgary Stampede began. It was instigated by Guy Weadick, an American trick roper who thought Calgary would be a prime location for a big rodeo. The Stampede, which takes place every July, is one of the largest rodeos in the world.

In 1918, Canadian troops cracked Germany’s supposedly impregnable Hindenburg Line at two locations in the final stage of the First World War.

In 1945, the Second World War officially ended when Japan formally surrendered to the Allies aboard the American battleship “Missouri” in Tokyo Bay.

In 1963, “The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite” expanded from 15 to 30 minutes, becoming network television’s first half-hour nightly newscast.

In 1969, the first automatic teller machine (ATM) to utilize magnetic-striped cards was opened to the public at Chemical Bank in New York. (Called a “Docuteller,” it was developed by Donald C. Wetzel.)

In 1972, the Soviet Union beat an NHL All-Star team 7-3 in Montreal to open their eight-game Summit Series. Canada rallied to win the series (4-3-1) on three consecutive game-winning goals by Paul Henderson in Moscow.

In 1973, J.R.R. Tolkien, English Christian language scholar and novelist, died at age 81. His 1954-55 “Lord of the Rings” trilogy describes a war between good and evil in which evil is routed through courage and sacrifice.

In 1979, a hurricane battered the Bahamas, leaving a reported 640 people dead.

In 1995, seven British military airmen were killed when their RAF Nimrod jet slammed into Lake Ontario at the CNE airshow in Toronto.

In 1997, the people of Newfoundland voted overwhelmingly in a referendum to support the government’s plan to end the control of churches from the education system.

In 1998, Swissair flight 111 carrying 229 passengers and crew crashed into the Atlantic Ocean near Peggy’s Cove, N.S. The plane – en route from New York to Geneva – was attempting an emergency landing at Halifax after the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit. All those aboard were killed.

In 2006, Cleveland Indians’ Kevin Kouzmanoff became the first player in major league history to hit a grand slam on the very first pitch he saw as a big leaguer.

In 2008, Bill Melendez, the animator who gave life to Snoopy, Charlie Brown and other “Peanuts” characters in scores of movies and TV specials, died. He was 91. Melendez’s nearly seven decades as a professional animator began in 1938 when he was hired by Walt Disney Studios and worked on Mickey Mouse cartoons and classic animated features such as “Pinocchio” and “Fantasia.” He went on to animate TV specials such as “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and was the voice of Snoopy, who never spoke intelligible words but issued expressive howls, sighs and sobs.

In 2008, astronaut Steve MacLean was named the new head of the Canadian Space Agency. He served aboard the shuttles “Columbia” and “Atlantis.” (He resigned in February 2013.)

In 2009, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled that a law banning hate on the Internet is unconstitutional because it infringes on free speech.