TODAY IN HISTORY

In 626, Maedoc of Ferns, an early Irish believer in Jesus Christ, died. He established a Christian community in Wexford, where he gave shelter to babies who survived primitive abortion surgeries at the hands of pagan Druids. The community still survives.

In 1513, explorer Juan Ponce de Leon claimed Florida for Spain.

In 1541, St. Francis Xavier, who was canonized in 1622 by Pope Gregory XV, left Portugal to serve as a missionary to India. He’s remembered as the Apostle of the Indies.

In 1751, in Halifax, William Pigott opened English Canada’s first inn.

In 1857, a small group of Dutch immigrants met in Zeeland, Mich., to organize the Christian Reformed Church.

In 1858, the hour bell of London’s Big Ben was cast.

In 1875, the Northwest Territories Act, establishing a lieutenant governor and a territorial council, became law.

In 1892, Mary Pickford, winner of one of the first Academy Awards and known as “America’s Sweetheart,” was born Gladys Louise Smith in Toronto. She made her theatrical debut in 1900, then went on to star in such classic silent films as “Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm” and “Little Lord Fauntleroy.” In 1919, she and her first husband -- actor Douglas Fairbanks -- joined with Charlie Chaplin and director D.W. Griffith to form the United Artists Corp. She died in Los Angeles in 1979.