Today in history

In 1215, King John signed the Magna Carta -- granting his barons more liberty and marking the birth of responsible government in England. The document begins with the words, “The Church of England shall be free.”

In 1520, Pope Leo X issued the papal encyclical “Exsurge Domine,” which condemned German church reformer Martin Luther as a heretic on 41 counts and branded him an enemy of the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1616, the first schools for natives in New France opened at Trois-rivieres and Tadoussac.

In 1649, Margaret Jones of Charlestown became the first person tried and executed for witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts.

In 1843, composer Edvard Grieg, whose strongly nationalist style led to his being known as “The Voice of Norway,” was born.

In 1844, American Charles Goodyear applied for a patent on vulcanized rubber.

In 1846, the United States and Britain signed the Oregon Boundary Treaty, declaring the 49th parallel to be the Canada-u.s. boundary from the crest of the Rockies to the middle of the channel between Vancouver Island and the mainland. The Americans had decided their manifest destiny demanded that the 49th parallel be the border. The British wanted it to go farther south, based on the Hudson Bay Company's long history in the area, but their position weakened as the Oregon Trail brought an influx of American settlers into the disputed region.

In 1896, a 33-metre wave crashed into the beach at Sanriku, Japan, killing 27,000 people. Most of the victims were praying during a religious festival on the beach.

In 1904, more than 1,000 people died when fire broke out aboard the steamboat “General Slocum” in New York's East River.

In 1938, Cincinnati's Johnny Vander Meer became the only major league pitcher to throw consecutive no-hitters. Vander Meer's 6-0 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers came four days after his 3-0 win over the Boston Bees.

In 1944, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation won a sweeping majority in a Saskatchewan provincial election. Tommy Douglas led Canada's first socialist government, which launched groundbreaking health and other social policies. Douglas served as premier until 1961, when he became leader of the renamed federal New Democratic party. The Saskatchewan NDP stayed in power until 1964.

In 1977, Spain held its first democratic elections in more than 40 years.

In 1978, King Hussein of Jordan married 26-year-old American Lisa Halaby, who became Queen Noor.

In 1985, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announced that the Canadian Embassy in Beirut was being closed temporarily. It reopened in January, 1995.

In 1987, North America's first pay-equity legislation was passed by the Ontario government.

In 1988, Ottawa expelled eight Soviet diplomats for industrial espionage. The expulsions were not made public until June 21.

In 1992, the House of Commons approved sexual assault legislation that became known as the “no means no” rape law.

In 1992, U.S. Vice-president Dan Quayle, relying on a faulty flash card at a spelling bee, instructed a Trenton, N.J., elementary school student to spell potato with an “e” on the end.

In 1993, rookie Alberta Premier Ralph Klein led his Conservatives to their seventh consecutive provincial election victory. He remained premier until his retirement in 2006.

In 1995, Richard Weber of Chelsea, Que., and Russian Mikhail Mlakhov made history when they reached Ward Hunt Island, Canada's northernmost point of land. They became the first to ski to the North Pole and back without the aid of support teams or outside help. Their 1,500-km trek began Feb. 13.

In 2000, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously upheld the 1995 federal gun control law, rejecting a challenge by the Alberta government.

In 2003, Hume Cronyn, the Canadianborn actor who rose to become a legend of stage and screen for more than 60 years, died at his home in Fairfield, Conn., at age 91.

In 2003, Johnny Miles, the Cape Breton-born runner who shocked the world by twice winning the Boston Marathon in the 1920s, died in Hamilton at age 96.

In 2006, the Ontario Provincial Police force admitted to mistakes and apologized to the brother of Dudley George, the aboriginal protester who was killed by a police sniper when Ipperwash Provincial Park was occupied 11 years earlier.

In 2007, the B.C. Supreme Court struck down part of the definition of the federal Indian Act, ruling that it discriminates against Canadians who trace their aboriginal roots through their female relatives rather than the male line.

In 2010, an epic 12-year, C$290 million report ruled that the 13 Catholic demonstrators shot to death by British troops on Northern Ireland's “Bloody Sunday” were innocent and the soldiers were entirely to blame for the 1972 slaughter. Prime Minister David Cameron apologized in Parliament and called the attack “both unjustified and unjustifiable.”

In 2010, Quebecor Media Inc. announced plans to launch the Sun TV News Channel by early 2011, ending months of speculation and anticipation in Ottawa over what had been informally dubbed “Fox News North.” (It launched on April 18, 2011 and shut down in February 2015.)

In 2011, the visiting Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 in Game 7 to capture their sixth Stanley Cup title and the first since 1972. Bruins goalie Tim Thomas, 37, was named MVP, making him the oldest player to win the award. He set records for most saves in a Stanley Cup final (238) and in a single post-season (798).

In 2011, surging crowds burned cars, smashed windows and ransacked stores in downtown Vancouver after the Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final to the Boston Bruins. The riot lasted more than four hours, sent nearly 150 people to hospital and caused millions of dollars in damage.

In 2012, Nik Wallenda battled brisk winds and thick mist to make history, becoming the first person to walk across the brink of Niagara Falls on a tightrope, albeit with an TV network mandated safety tether. A crowd of over 120,000, and millions more on TV worldwide, watched as he began his 550-metre trek from Goat's Island in the U.S. to the visitor's centre on the Canadian side in 25 minutes.

In 2012, PM Stephen Harper announced the construction of a new $1billion bridge between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit. (It was later announced it will be named the Gordie Howe International Bridge after the hockey legend and expected to be operational in 2020.)

In 2012, Travis Baumgartner killed three fellow armored car employees and critically injured another in a post-midnight attack at the University of Alberta's mall and residence complex. He was arrested the next day at the Lynden, Wash., border crossing near Abbotsford, B.C. - with more than $330,000 stashed in his truck. (In 2013, he pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and a charge of attempted murder in a plea bargain. He was sentenced to life in prison with no parole for at least 40 years, the first sentence based on a 2011 federal law that allows consecutive parole terms in cases involving multiple murders.)

In 2012, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Lynn Smith declared the laws banning doctor-assisted suicide are unconstitutional, but also suspended her ruling for one year to give Parliament time to draft new legislation. She also granted ALS sufferer Gloria Taylor an exemption in her ruling, allowing her to seek a physician-assisted suicide during the one-year period if she wanted. But Taylor died unexpectedly in early October of an infection resulting from a perforated colon. (In October 2013, B.C.'S Court of Appeal reversed the decision.)

In 2014, the San Antonio Spurs won their fifth NBA championship and denied Miami Heat a three-peat with a 10487 victory, taking the finals rematch in five games.

In 2015, the Chicago Blackhawks captured their third Stanley Cup in six years with a 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 in the NHL Final. Chicago defenceman Duncan Keith was the unanimous choice as playoff MVP.