TODAY IN HISTORY: ‘Public Enemy Number One’ killed

In 1582, England's first newspaper, the "English Mercurie," began publication. (The newspaper was later claimed to be a literary hoax written by the second Earl of Hardwicke.)

In 1793, Sir Alexander Mackenzie, Scottish-born explorer and fur trader, reached the Pacific Ocean at Dean Channel after crossing the Canadian Rockies. To mark the achievement, he painted on a rock the inscription: Alex Mackenzie from Canada by Land 22nd July, 1793.

In 1847, the Mormons founded Salt Lake City in Utah, where they built a settlement under the leadership of Brigham Young.

In 1847, the Imperial Act gave Canada control of taxation.

In 1892, fire destroyed most of St. John's, Nfld.

In 1915, Canada's foremost railway surveyor and construction engineer, Sir Sanford Fleming, died in Halifax at age 86. He was Canada's leading railway surveyor in the 19th century and helped devise a route for the Canadian Pacific Railway through the Rockies. Fleming also helped develop a way to divide the world into time zones and also designed Canada's first postage stamp.

In 1933, Wiley Post completed the first around-theworld solo flight. Piloting his Lockheed monoplane, Post covered a total of 25,099 kilometres in seven days, 18 hours and 49 minutes. On this flight he proved the value of navigation instruments, including the automatic pilot, that later came into common use in airline service.

In 1934, FBI agents shot American gangster John

Dillinger to death as he left a Chicago movie theatre. He was among a host of criminals in the 1930s Depression era whose exploits dominated the attention of the American media. Dillinger was idolized by some as a modern day Robin Hood -- while others regarded him as a dangerous criminal. At the time of his death, he had been named America's first "Public Enemy Number One" by the FBI, with a $10,000 reward on his head.

In 1943, Allied forces captured Palermo, Sicily, during the Second World War.

In 1948, Newfoundlanders voted narrowly in a referendum to join Confederation. Newfoundland had been a British Dominion until 1934 and the onset of the Great Depression when, saddled with crushing debts, it reverted to crown colony status. The campaign for confederation with Canada was led by journalist Joey Smallwood, who was asked to form an interim government after Newfoundland officially became a province on March 31, 1949, and whose Liberals went on to win the first general election.

In 1950, William Lyon Mackenzie King died at age 75. He served as Canada's prime minister for a record 22 years between 1921 and 1948.

In 1968, a fire at the Basilica of St. Boniface, Man., destroyed priceless items of western Canadian history.

In 1998, scientists in Hawaii announced they had made dozens of mouse clones.

In 2004, Molson Inc., Canada's largest brewer, agreed to merge with Denver-based Adolph Coors

Co. in an $8 billion deal that created a new beer behemoth and ended the independence of two of North America's biggest family-run brewing icons.

In 2004, the final report of the U.S. Sept. 11 commission investigating the plot that killed nearly 3,000 people in terrorist attacks on the United States recommended the creation of a new intelligence centre and high-level intelligence director to improve the nation's ability to disrupt future terrorist attacks. The inquiry's unanimous report faulted U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush for leaving America inadequately protected and failing to grasp the danger posed by al-Qaida. The 10-member panel concluded that there was no link between Iraq and alQaida, one of President Bush's main arguments for the invasion.

In 2005, a labour agreement officially ended an NHL lockout that cancelled the previous hockey season.

In 2009, the longest solar eclipse of the 21st century pitched a swath of Asia into near-darkness. The eclipse lasted six minutes and 39 seconds at its maximum point but was visible only in Asia.

In 2013, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate, welcomed the birth of their first child, George Alexander Louis. He would be known as His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge.

In 2017, Alberta's Wildrose party and the Progressive Conservatives voted in a landslide to merge into the new United Conservative Party. (PC Leader Jason Kenney was elected the UCP's leader on Oct. 28.)