Today in History

Today in History for July 10: On this date:

In 1509, theologian John Calvin was born in Noyon, France. After Martin Luther, Calvin was seen as the guiding spirit of the Protestant Reformation.

In 1553, Lady Jane Grey was proclaimed Queen of England following the death of Edward VI. Her reign lasted only nine days before Queen Mary, Edward's older sister, successfully claimed the throne. Lady Jane was imprisoned for treason and then beheaded in February 1554.

In 1869, a group of prospectors led by Montreal mining engineer Thomas Mcfarlane discovered a rich vein of galena near Prince Arthur's Landing on Lake Superior, which later became the Silver Islet silver mine.

In 1890, Wyoming became the 44th U.S. state.

In 1912, Montreal's George Hodgson won Canada's first Olympic swimming gold medal. He set a world record of 22 minutes flat in the 1,500-metre freestyle at the Games in Stockholm. That record lasted 11 years. Four days later, Hodgson won the 400-metre freestyle. Canada did not capture another Olympic swimming title until 1984.

In 1920, Sir Robert Borden, Canada's eighth prime minister, resigned because of poor health. He was succeeded by fellow Conservative Arthur Meighen. Borden died in 1937.

In 1925, the official news agency of the Soviet Union, TASS, was established.

In 1931, Canadian author Alice Munro was born.

In 1940, the 114-day Battle of Britain began as Germany commenced air attacks on southern England. By late October, Britain managed to repel the Luftwaffe, which suffered heavy losses.

In 1943, the Canadian 1st Division and 1st Army Tank Brigade participated in the invasion of Sicily. It was the first time during the Second World War that Canadian troops landed on enemy-held territory with the goal of staying. The Canadian forces, which landed at Pachino, were part of the British 8th Army under Gen. Bernard Montgomery. The invasion led to the signing of a peace treaty between Italy and the Allies on Sept. 8, 1943.

In 1946, Canada's first drive-in movie theatre opened near Hamilton, Ont.

In 1951, Canada's state of war with Germany was formally ended.

In 1958, the United States and Canada set up a joint committee to guide North American defences in the event of an enemy attack.

In 1962, the U.S. launched the “Telstar 1” communications satellite, making possible the first live transatlantic telecasts.

In 1970, Quebec joined the federal medicare plan with the passage of a provincial health insurance bill.

In 1972, when asked how many missiles were aimed at Toronto, Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev was reported by Time magazine to have replied, “None; I have nothing against the Indians.”

In 1973, the Bahamas, formerly under British control for three centuries, achieved full independence.

In 1985, the ship “Rainbow Warrior” owned by the Greenpeace environmental group, was bombed and sunk at Auckland, N.Z. One crew member was killed in the bombing. Two French secret service agents pleaded guilty to manslaughter and France later apologized for the incident, which occurred while the ship was protesting French nuclear tests in the South Pacific.

In 1985, bowing to pressure from customers enraged by a change in the formula for their favourite beverage, Coca-cola said it would resume selling old-formula Coke, to be called Coke Classic, while continuing to sell New Coke.

In 1989, Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety Pie, Daffy Duck and many other cartoon characters, died at age 81. Blanc trained his son to carry on for him.

In 1991, Boris Yeltsin was sworn in as Russia's first elected president.

In 1992, Hanna Suchocka became Poland's first woman prime minister.

In 1993, flooding along the Mississippi and its tributaries forced more than 20,000 people from their homes. Parts of five states were later declared disaster areas.

In 1995, Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was unexpectedly released from her six-year house arrest.

In 1996, the United States blacklisted several Canadian businessmen and their families under the Helms-burton Act for their business dealings with the Cuban government.

In 1997, the Supreme Court overturned the 1993 acquittal of Conservative Senator Michel Cogger on influence peddling.

In 1999, Congo President Laurent Kabila and five participating regional African countries -- but not the rebels who started the civil war -- signed a ceasefire agreement.

In 2006, the first Clarkson Cup was presented to the Olympic women's hockey team by former governor general Adrienne Clarkson.

In 2009, the Supreme Court of B.C. ruled that it did not have the authority to force the International Olympic Committee to include female ski jumping in 2010 Games. A group of 15 former and current female ski jumpers went to court in April to argue their exclusion from the Vancouver Games violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

In 2011, the final edition of News of the World, a 168-year-old muckraking paper, had a simple message on the front page -- “Thank You and Good-bye.” Britain's top-selling Sunday tabloid was shut down by media tycoon Rupert Murdoch earlier in the week over a phone hacking and police bribery scandal.

In 2015, Omar Sharif, the Egyptianborn actor who soared to international stardom in two David Lean epics, “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Doctor Zhivago,” died at age 83.

In 2016, Britain's Andy Murray defeated Canadian Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2), capturing his second Wimbledon title and third major championship. Raonic was the first Canadian to play in a men's singles Grand Slam final; Canadian teen Denis Shapovalov won the boys' title, defeating Alex De Minaur 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.

(The Canadian Press)

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