Turtle survives Niagara fall

In 1811, Venezuela became the first South American country to declare independence from Spain.

In 1814, during the War of 1812, Canadian and British forces were defeated by an invading American army at the Battle of Chippewa, south of Niagara Falls.

In 1905, the House of Commons passed a bill establishing Alberta and Saskatchewan as provinces effective Sept. 1.

In 1923, the big breakthrough for home movies came when Eastman Kodak introduced the 16-mm Model-A camera and projector. It achieved for home movies what the Kodak Number-One box camera did for snapshot photography in 1868.

In 1923, miners and steel workers at Sydney, N.S., went on strike for higher wages and union recognition. A government investigating commission accepted their demands.

In 1930, George Stathakis died when he plummeted over Niagara Falls in a barrel. The turtle he took with him, survived.

In 1935, the Canadian Wheat Board was established. It marketed all Prairie wheat and barley destined for export or for human consumption in Canada. It was initially a voluntary marketing agency but in 1943, the sale of wheat through the board became compulsory. In 2012, the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper stripped the board of its monopoly.

In 1935, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt signed into law the National Labour Relations Act, which provided for a National Labour Relations Board and authorized labour to organize for the purpose of collective bargaining.

In 1937, the hottest temperature in Canadian history of 45 C was recorded in Midale, Sask.

In 1940, Britain severed relations with the French Vichy government during the Second World War.

In 1945, having led Britain throughout the Second World War, Winston Churchill was defeated in the general election by the Labour Party under Clement Attlee.

In 1946, swim wear was forever changed when the bikini made its debut in Paris. Designer Louis Reard named it after Bikini Atoll in the Pacific, where the United States conducted atomic bomb testing. Reard said his suit was “itself explosive, a blast.”

In 1948, Britain’s National Health Service Act went into effect, providing government-financed medical and dental care.

In 1956, the federal government announced it would supply biscuits laced with vitamins to the Inuit as a dietary supplement to add two inches to the average Inuit stature in the next generation.

In 1963, disposal of the dead by cremation was officially sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1970, an Air Canada flight from Montreal crashed while trying to land at Toronto International Airport, killing all 109 on board.

In 1975, Arthur Ashe defeated Jimmy Connors to become the first black winner of the Wimbledon men’s singles title.

In 1977, the army seized power in Pakistan and arrested political leaders, including Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was later executed.

In 1990, Vaclav Havel became Czechoslovakia’s first freely elected president in 55 years.