TODAY IN HISTORY: Charles marries Camilla

In 1917, four Canadian divisions began an assault on Vimy Ridge in northeast France. British and French troops had been unsuccessful in earlier attempts to capture the ridge, a key German defensive position. By April 14, the Canadians had won the battle, earning them recognition as an elite force among the Allies and Germans. Almost 3,600 Canadians were killed in the fighting.

In 1940, German forces invaded Denmark and Norway during the Second World War.

In 1942, during the Second World War, American and Philippine defenders on the Bataan peninsula capitulated to Japanese forces. The surrender was followed by the infamous “Bataan Death March,” which claimed nearly 10,000 lives.

In 1945, German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was hanged by the Gestapo, after discovering his plot to kill Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer’s last recorded words were, “This is the end — for me, the beginning of life.”

In 1945, Canadian troops cut off all land escape routes for Nazi soldiers trapped in the Netherlands.

In 1947, a series of tornadoes in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas claimed 181 lives.

In 1959, U.S. space agency NASA named the seven astronauts for the Mercury space missions — Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Gus Grissom, Wally Schirra, Alan Shepard and Donald Slayton.

In 1963, Sir Winston Churchill, at the age of 88, became the first honorary American citizen.

In 1965, the Houston Astrodome, the world’s first domed stadium, opened.

In 1969, the British-French supersonic aircraft Concorde made its first test flight from Bristol to Fairford, Gloucestershire, U.K. The flight lasted 22 minutes.

In 1983, the space shuttle “Challenger” ended its first mission with a safe landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

In 1984, the House of Commons passed the Canada Health Act, which prohibits user fees and extra-billing.

In 1987, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled the constitution does not guarantee the right to strike.

In 1990, the major league baseball season opened a week late because of a labour dispute.

In 1992, ousted Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega was convicted in Miami of drug and racketeering offences.

In 1995, Montreal-based Seagram acquired 80 per cent of entertainment conglomerate MCA from Matsushita Electric Industrial of Japan for US$5.7 billion.

In 1996, most Defence Department activities across the country ground to a halt while personnel searched for documents related to the ill-fated Somalia peacekeeping mission. The one-day search was ordered after it appeared computer log entries were missing. Up to 85,000 documents were turned over to the federal inquiry looking into the Somalia affair.

In 2002, an estimated one million people lined the streets of London to bid a final farewell to the Queen Mother, who died 10 days earlier at age 101. Following her funeral at Westminster Abbey, the mother of Queen Elizabeth was interred at Windsor Castle, just west of London.

In 2005, Prince Charles married longtime lover Camilla Parker Bowles in a civil ceremony at Windsor’s Guildhall attended by their children, siblings and other family members — but not Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

In 2017, Canada’s Brad Gushue completed a perfect run at the world men’s curling championship with a 4-2 victory over Sweden in the gold medal game.