TODAY IN HISTORY: Ringo’s first hit

In 1840, Toronto staged a public ox roast to celebrate Queen Victoria’s marriage to Prince Albert.

In 1873, what became known as the “Pacific Scandal” erupted in the House of Commons. Liberal MP Lucius Seth Huntington charged that two businessmen gave money to the Conservative government in return for permission to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald was forced out of office later in the year. In 1947, cocktail bars first opened in Toronto.

In 1917, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson used the phrase “the world must be made safe for democracy” in asking Congress to declare war against Germany.

In 1932, aviator Charles A. Lindbergh and John F. Condon went to a cemetery in The Bronx, N.Y., where Condon turned over $50,000 to a man called “John” in exchange for Lindbergh’s kidnapped son. The child, who was not returned, was found dead the following month.

In 1957, Elvis Presley played two concerts at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens.

In 1968, Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau created Canada’s first modern lottery to help pay the deficit from Expo ‘67.

In 1968, the influential science-fiction film “2001: A Space Odyssey,” produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, had its world premiere in Washington, D.C.

In 1971, After the failure of the single, “Beaucoups of Blues,” Ringo Starr’s second solo single, “It Don’t Come Easy,” was released. Produced by George Harrison, it made it to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1975, Toronto’s CN Tower became, at the time, the world’s tallest free-standing structure when its height reached 555.33 metres. The tower was built at a cost of $63 million, and weighs over 117,000 metric tonnes. Its Space Deck, at 447 metres, is the world’s highest public observation gallery. (Note for trivia buffs: construction of the tower was completed Feb. 22, 1974, and the antenna was completed April 2, 1975; the tower opened to the public June 26, 1976 and the official opening took place Oct. 1, 1976.)

In 1980, Anne Murray won four Juno awards, including Single of ther Year for “I Just Fall in Love Again.” Show host Burton Cummings was named Male Vocalist of the Year. Trooper won Group of the Year. Streetheart was named Most Promising Group and Walter Rossi won Most Promising Male Vocalist (beating Bryan Adams, who was then unknown).

In 1982, Argentina seized the disputed Falkland Islands, held by Britain since 1833. The British responded by sending troops who forced the occupiers to surrender on June 14.

In 1991, Rita Johnston became Canada’s first woman premier. She was sworn in as B.C. premier following Bill Vander Zalm’s resignation.

In 1997, singer Joni Mitchell was reunited with Kilauren Gibb, the daughter she gave up for adoption 32 years earlier.

In 1998, Rob Pilatus, half of the disgraced pop duo “Milli Vanilli,” died of a drug overdose in Frankfurt, Germany, at age 33.

In 2004, the Tyco case, involving former CEO Dennis Kozlowski and Mark Swartz, one of the biggest corporate corruption trials in U.S. history, ended in a mistrial amid reports one juror received a threatening letter. (Kozlowski and Swartz were convicted in a retrial of looting Tyco of more than $600 million in corporate bonuses and loans. Each was sentenced to 8 1/3 to 25 years in prison.)

In 2005, Pope John Paul II died at the age of 84, after a 26-year reign as head of the Roman Catholic Church. Polish-born John Paul was the first non-Italian Pope in over 450 years.

In 2007, the tiny town of Leaf Rapids in northwestern Manitoba became the first Canadian community to ban plastic bags.

In 2009, G20 countries pledged more than US$1-trillion to the IMF and the World Bank to assist developing countries severely affected by the economic crisis.

In 2009, Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec agreed for the first time to sell electricity directly through Quebec and into the North American power grid in a breakthrough arrangement. In March 2010, New Brunswick pulled the plug on the deal when Quebec sought unacceptable changes.

In 2012, a 43-year-old nursing student expelled from a small Christian university in Oakland, and upset about being teased over his poor English skills, opened fire at the school killing six students and a secretary.

In 2015, Al-Shabab gunmen rampaged through a university in northeastern Kenya at dawn, killing 148 people with the alQaida-linked group singling out non-Muslim students. Four militants were slain by security forces to end the siege just after dusk.