TODAY IN HISTORY: First same-sex divorce

In 1503, artist Michelangelo began work on his “David,” which would become one of the most famous sculptures in the world.

In 1775, Laura Secord, heroine of the War of 1812, was born.

In 1788, the U.S. constitutional convention authorized the first national election in the United States, and declared New York City the temporary national capital.

In 1882, Ottawa Valley timber magnate John Booth opened his own railway line, “The Canada-Atlantic,” from Coteau Junction, N.B., to Ottawa.

In 1899, the first death caused by a car occurred when a Henry Bliss was run over when he stepped off a bus in New York City.

In 1915, the Canadian Corps was established when the 2nd Canadian Division arrived at the front in France. Brig. Arthur Currie was promoted to general in command of the 1st Division. Under his leadership, the Canadian Corps preserved its identity and became one of the most feared attack forces during the First World War.

In 1940, Buckingham Palace was hit by a bomb during a German raid. In an earlier attack, the Germans dropped a time bomb on the palace on Sept. 8 and the bomb exploded two days later. Bombs also struck the palace on Sept. 10 and Sept. 15. The Royal Family was uninjured in the attacks.

In 1942, 113 people died in a German submarine attack on the Canadian destroyer “Ottawa” in the Atlantic.

In 1965, the new Toronto city hall was formally opened.

In 1971, 33 prisoners and nine guards died when police stormed a prison in Attica, N.Y., to quell a riot.

In 1980, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and the provincial premiers broke off stalemated talks on constitutional reform.

In 1981, the Soviet Union trounced Canada 81 in Montreal to win the Canada Cup hockey tournament. It was the only time Canada lost the tournament, which was played five times between 1976 and ‘91.

In 1981, thousands of people from more than 880 Canadian communities took part in the first Terry Fox Memorial Run, raising money for cancer research. It was the first anniversary of the day the one-legged runner had to call off his “Marathon of Hope” run across Canada after cancer was discovered in his lungs. The annual 10-km event to raise funds for cancer research now draws hundreds of thousands of participants around the world.

In 1991, Montreal’s Olympic Stadium was closed after a 55-tonne concrete beam fell from the structure. No one was injured but the Expos were forced to move all their home games for the rest of the season.

In 1996, Bishop Hubert O’Connor was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for sexual assaults he committed 30 years earlier while he was principal of Williams Lake Indian residential school in B.C.

In 1997, Mother Teresa was buried at Mother House, headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, after a state funeral.

In 2000, Michel Auger, a crime reporter for “Le Journal de Montreal,” was shot and wounded outside the newspaper’s office. Auger recovered from his injuries, which came one day after his analysis of recent mob killings in Montreal was published.

In 2001, U.S. officials named Osama bin Laden “suspect no. 1” in the Sept. 11 attacks against the World Trade Center and Pentagon. He was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in Pakistan on May 2, 2011.

In 2004, Canada’s first same-sex divorce was granted after Ontario Superior Court judge struck down the definition of “spouse” in the Divorce Act.