Today in history

‘Temporary’ income tax introduced

In 1378, the "Great Schism" in the Roman Catholic Church began. It was touched off when Pope Gregory XI died, shortly after returning the papal seat from Avignon, in France, to Rome. Continuing for nearly 40 years, until 1417, the schism at one point produced three concurrent popes.

In 1519, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan began his voyage to circumnavigate the globe. Magellan was killed en route, but one of his ships eventually circled the world.

In 1697, the Treaty of Ryswick was signed. France returned Hudson Bay and Newfoundland to Britain, in return for Acadia.

In 1842, chemist and physicist James Dewar was born in Scotland. In 1892, he invented a double-walled glass vessel to keep gases and chemicals cold. One of his exstudents, Reinhold Burger, patented and began making the “Thermos” vacuum flask for domestic use in 1904.

In 1867, the first general election in Canada, won by the Conservatives under Sir John A. Macdonald, was completed. Macdonald formed a coalition cabinet almost equally split between Liberal and Conservative ministers and representing different regions, religions and cultures.

In 1870, Italian troops took control of the Papal States, leading to the unification of Italy.

In 1917, the Wartime Elections Act was passed, giving the vote to some Canadian women and disenfranchising many citizens born in enemy countries. The act gave wives, mothers and sisters of men in the armed service the right to vote. In May 1918, all women gained the vote.

Also in 1917, the Income Tax War Act was enacted as a temporary measure to raise funds for Canada's troops during the First World War. The tax rate for individuals was four per cent, with an additional two per cent on incomes between $6,000 and $10,000. Corporations also paid a four-per-cent rate on incomes over $3,000.

In 1932, Indian leader Mohandas Gandhi began a fast to dramatize his campaign for an end to discrimination against the lowest social class in India, known as the untouchables. Gandhi’s fast ended six days later when the Pact of Poona was passed, allowing the untouchables entrance to all temples and schools and the use of all Indian roads.

In 1935, New Brunswick premier A.A. Dysart announced old-age pensions in the province.

In 1958, civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. was wounded during a book signing in New York City when a black woman, Izola Curry, stabbed him in the chest. (Curry was later found mentally incompetent.)

In 1962, a mine was opened at the world's largest known potash reserves at Esterhazy, Sask.

In 1972, letter bombs intended for the Israeli Embassy in Ottawa and the Israeli Consulate in Montreal were discovered.