Today in history

On this date:

In 1164, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket began a six-year self-imposed exile in France. Once a close friend of England’s Henry II, Becket had become an outspoken opponent of the king’s royal policies.

In 1533, evangelist John Calvin was forced to flee from Paris after writing a series of Reformation pamphlets and sermons. With police on his trail, Calvin lowered himself from a window on bedsheets and escaped Paris dressed as a farmer. For the next three years, he wandered around under assumed names, finally settling in Geneva, where he became one of the leading theologians of the Reformation.

In 1796, Six Nations natives authorized Chief Brant to sell their land.

In 1833, William Lyon Mackenzie was expelled from the Upper Canada legislature for the third time.

In 1869, Louis Riel seized Fort Garry in Winnipeg during the Red River Rebellion.

In 1889, North Dakota and South Dakota were made the 39th and 40th U.S. states.

In 1911, the citizens of Montreal contributed $1.5 million to McGill University.

In 1917, British foreign secretary Arthur Balfour issued a declaration calling for the “establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” This formal recognition planted a concept that eventually led to the establishment of the modern state of Israel.