TODAY IN HISTORY: Airline crash kills 43 in Cranbrook
In 1834, William Lyon Mackenzie was forcibly ejected from Upper Canada’s legislature.
In 1869, Patrick James Whalen, who murdered federal politician Thomas D’Arcy McGee the previous year in Ottawa, was hanged. Five-thousand people turned out in a snowstorm to witness Canada’s second-last public execution.
In 1927, the casket of Egypt’s King Tutankhamen was opened.
In 1929 the Lateran Treaty was signed by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and the Roman Catholic Holy See, recognizing Vatican City as a sovereign state. At a mere 44 hectares, it became the smallest country in the world.
In 1937, a six-week-old sit-down strike in Flint, Mich. against General Motors ended, with the company agreeing to recognize the United Automobile Workers Union.
In 1963, The Beatles recorded 10 of the 14 tracks (four tracks were previously recorded and released) for their first album to be released in the U.K., “Please Please Me,” to capitalize on the success of the title track. The band’s marathon session lasted nine hours, 45 minutes and was spread over three sessions with producer George Martin at the EMI Abbey Road studios in London.
In 1975, Margaret Thatcher became the first woman to head a British political party when she won the Tory party leadership. Thatcher became prime minister when she led her party to victory in the 1979 general election and was re-elected twice. Nicknamed the “Iron Lady” by Moscow, the strongwilled Thatcher was forced to resign as party leader and prime minister in November 1990.
Van Halen releases its self-titled debut album.
In 1978, a Pacific Western Airlines plane crashed while attempting to land in Cranbrook, B.C. The crash, which killed 43 people, was blamed on a snowplow left on the runway.
In 1979, the first Elvis bio-pic aired, Elvis, which starred Kurt Russell as the King of Rock and Roll. It was directed by John Carpenter, best known for the horror genre for films such as Halloween. Despite mixed reviews, it attracted 42 million viewers.
In 2002, a major Olympic controversy was ignited at the Salt Lake City Games in pairs figure skating when a Russian couple was awarded the gold medal over Canadian skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. After the French judge said she was pressured into voting for the Russians, Sale and Pelletier were also awarded gold medals.
In 1978,
In 2012, Whitney Houston, who was pop music’s queen until her majestic voice was ravaged by drug use and her regal image was tarnished by erratic behaviour and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, died on the eve of the Grammy Awards that she once reigned over. She was 48.
In 2013, the Vatican announced that 85-year-old Pope Benedict XVI would resign Feb. 28, the first pontiff to do so since Gregory XII in 1415, citing his age and poor health.
In 2015, Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia cruise ship, was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 16 years in prison. He was accused of causing the 2012 shipwreck that claimed 32 lives and of abandoning the luxury liner while many of the 4,200 passengers and crew were still aboard.
In 2022, protesters blocking one of Canada’s busiest border crossings at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont., were dealt a one-two punch. A court granted an injunction banning their blockade and Ontario’s premier declared a state of emergency. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he would use legal measures to protect international border crossings, 400-series highways, airports, ports, bridges and railways.