TODAY IN HISTORY: B.C. becomes a province

In 1576, English explorer Martin Frobisher discovered the bay off Baffin Island that now bears his name. He thought it was a passage dividing America from Asia.

In 1810, Colombia declared independence from Spain.

In 1814, eight U.S. citizens were hanged as spies at Ancaster, Ont.

In 1837, the first railway station in London — Euston Sation — was opened.

In 1845, 300 buildings in New York City were destroyed by fire.

In 1859, in the first baseball game for which admission was charged, 1,500 people paid 50 cents each to see New York play Brooklyn.

In 1871, British Columbia became Canada’s sixth province. Gold rushes of 1858 and 1860 had brought thousands of settlers to B.C., but the colony was always on the verge of bankruptcy. One condition for joining Canada was the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway within 10 years.

In 1883, the first rail for the Pacific section of the CPR was laid at Port Moody, B.C.

In 1885, the trial of Louis Riel, leader of the Metis and founder of Manitoba, began. Riel was charged with treason for his role in two Metis rebellions. He refused to plead insanity, as his lawyer suggested, and was convicted. He was hanged later that year.

In 1944, a bombing attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler failed as the last remnants of the German opposition sought to overthrow the Nazis.

In 1951, King Abdullah of Jordan was assassinated.

In 1960, Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world’s first female prime minister after her husband, Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Solomon Dias Bandaranaike, was killed in 1959.

In 1962, Pope John XXIII sent invitations to all “separated Christian churches and communities,” asking each to send delegate-observers to the upcoming Vatican II Ecumenical Council in Rome.

In 1963, a collision in dense fog between a Bermudian ore carrier and a British freighter in the St. Lawrence River killed 33 people.

In 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin became the first men to set foot on the moon. Armstrong proclaimed, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” They collected nearly 22 kilograms of rock and soil before blasting off 21 hours later.

In 1974, Turkish forces invaded northern Cyprus.

In 1975, fire destroyed the main street of Springhill, N.S., demolishing 25 buildings and causing more than $3 million in damage.

In 1976, the “Viking 1” space robot made the first landing on Mars. It sent back the first pictures ever taken on the planet's surface.

In 1977, a flash flood hit Johnstown, Pa., killing more than 80 people and causing $350 million worth of damage.

In 1982, Irish Republican Army bombs exploded in two London parks, killing 11 soldiers, along with seven horses.

In 1985, former Alberta teacher James Keegstra was fined $5,000 for wilfully promoting hatred against Jews. The verdict was later overturned, then reinstated.

In 1992, Vaclav Havel stepped down as president of Czechoslovakia before the country was officially split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. He became president of the Czech Republic.