IT HAPPENED ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

— In 804, the English medieval scholar Alcuin of York died. As an educator, he made beauty, goodness and truth the hallmarks of Charlemagne’s Frankish empire. His great hunger for learning revived the Augustinian tradition of Christian classical education and helped to lay the foundations of Europe’s Christian civilization. — In 1535, French explorer Jacques Cartier left St-Malo on his second voyage to Canada. — In 1536, Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII, was beheaded for adultery. Henry had married Anne three years before, after divorcing Catherine of Aragon. The divorce led to Henry’s excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church. Anne gave birth to the future Queen Elizabeth I, but did not produce the male heir Henry wanted. — In 1649, following a civil war and the execution of King Charles I, England was declared a Commonwealth under the leadership of Oliver Cromwell. — In 1780, complete darkness fell on eastern Canada and the New England states at 2 p.m. Many people gathered in churches for comfort during the so-called “dark day.” Scientists believe smoke and ash from forest fires burning to the west in Canada and the United States most likely became concentrated into a dense cloud which was drawn across eastern North America by passing low pressure. This is supported by reports from Boston that the air smelled like a “malt-house or coal-kiln,” and that something resembling ash settled on pools of rain water. — In 1802, Napoleon Bonaparte created the French Legion of Honour, an order of distinction for civil or military service. — In 1889, doing 19.3 kilometres an hour, Jacob German of New York City became the first person arrested for speeding in an automobile. — In 1910, Earth passed through the tail of Halley’s Comet. — In 1935, British soldier-writer T.E. Lawrence, also known as Lawrence of Arabia, died in England from injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash six days earlier. He was 46. Lawrence, who was born on Aug. 16, 1888, in Wales, became famous for his exploits as the British military liaison to the Arab Revolt during the First World War. — In 1958, the United States and Canada formally established the North American Air Defence Command. — In 1962, during a Democratic fundraiser at New York’s Madison Square Garden, actress Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday to You to the guest of honour, U.S. President John F. Kennedy. — In 1967, the Soviet Union ratified a treaty with the United States and Britain, banning nuclear weapons from outer space. — In 1984, the Edmonton Oilers won their first of five Stanley Cups in seven years. They downed the visiting New York Islanders 5-2 to win the NHL final in five games. — In 1985, Air Canada and the union representing 2,900 striking ticket agents signed an agreement ending a three-week walkout. — In 1991, martial law courts in Kuwait began trying people accused of collaborating with Iraqi occupation forces. One man received a life sentence for wearing a Saddam Hussein Tshirt. The trials were halted due to international criticism. — In 1994, former U.S. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died of cancer at age 64. — In 1996, Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau began his second of three space missions. During his 11 days on the shuttle Endeavour, Garneau used the Canadian-built robot arm to retrieve a scientific satellite. He also performed several scientific experiments, including three developed by Canadians. — In 2005, Prime Minister Paul Martin’s Liberal government survived after Liberal Speaker Peter Milliken broke a tie on a confidence vote. It was the first time in Canadian history that happened on a confidence vote, keeping the Liberals in government by a vote of 153-152. — In 2006, after 22 years in prison, convicted murderer Colin Thatcher was granted day parole after a National Parole Board hearing in Winnipeg. The former Saskatchewan cabinet minister was convicted of first-degree murder in 1984 in the shooting death of his ex-wife. — In 2013, Nigel Wright, Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of staff, resigned four days after the PM’s Office disclosed he’d written a $90,000 cheque to cover the disallowed housing expenses of Sen. Mike Duffy. Harper said he had no knowledge of the payment. In 2014, the RCMP said it would not be pursuing criminal charges against Wright.