TODAY IN HISTORY: Border drawn along the 49th

In 1215, King John signed the Magna Carta — granting his barons more liberty and marking the birth of responsible government in England. The document begins with the words, “The Church of England shall be free.”

In 1616, the first schools for natives in New France opened at Trois-Rivieres and Tadoussac.

In 1846, the United States and Britain signed the Oregon Boundary Treaty, declaring the 49th parallel to be the Canada-U.S. boundary from the crest of the Rockies to the middle of the channel between Vancouver Island and the mainland. The Americans had decided their manifest destiny demanded that the 49th parallel be the border. The British wanted it to go farther south, based on the Hudson Bay Company’s long history in the area, but their position weakened as the Oregon Trail brought an influx of American settlers into the disputed region.

In 1896, a 33-metre wave crashed into the beach at Sanriku, Japan, killing 27,000 people. Most of the victims were praying during a religious festival on the beach.

In 1944, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) won a sweeping majority in a Saskatchewan provincial election. Tommy Douglas led Canada’s first socialist government, which launched groundbreaking health and other social policies. Douglas served as premier until 1961, when he became leader of the renamed federal New Democratic party. The Saskatchewan NDP stayed in power until 1964.

In 1977, Spain held its first democratic elections in more than 40 years.

In 1978, King Hussein of Jordan married 26-yearold American Lisa Halaby, who became Queen Noor.

In 1985, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announced that the Canadian Embassy in Beirut was being closed temporarily. It reopened in January, 1995.

In 1987, North America’s first pay-equity legislation was passed by the Ontario government.

In 1988, Ottawa expelled eight Soviet diplomats for industrial espionage. The expulsions were not made public until June 21.

In 1992, the House of Commons approved sexual assault legislation that became known as the “no means no” rape law.

In 1992, U.S. Vice-President Dan Quayle, relying on a faulty flash card at a spelling bee, instructed a Trenton, N.J., elementary school student to spell potato with an “e” on the end.

In 1993, rookie Alberta Premier Ralph Klein led his Conservatives to their seventh consecutive provincial election victory. He remained premier until his retirement in 2006.

In 1995, Richard Weber of Chelsea, Que., made history when they reached Ward Hunt Island, Canada’s northernmost point of land. They became the first to ski to the North Pole and back without the aid of support teams or outside help. Their 1,500-km trek began Feb. 13.

In 2000, the Supreme Court of Canada unanimously upheld the 1995 federal gun control law, rejecting a challenge by the Alberta government.

In 2003, Hume Cronyn, the Canadian actor who became a legend of stage and screen for more than 60 years, died at home in Fairfield, Conn.