TODAY IN history

In 1361, Icelandic monk Eysteinn Asgrimsson died at the Helgisetre Monastery in Norway. He was the author of “Lilja” (The Lily), which is a survey of Christian history from Creation to the Last Judgment and is considered to be the finest example of pre-reformation Icelandic poetry.

In 1864, Sir Etienne Tache and John A. Macdonald formed a government that led to the first Confederation negotiations. Macdonald later became Canada’s first prime minister. Tache, described as judicious and fair-minded, died just over a year later, depriving the new government of his talents.

In 1899, New Brunswick businessman K.C. Irving was born in Bouctouche. He died Dec. 13, 1992.

In 1939, the republic of Czechoslovakia was dissolved, opening the way for the Nazi occupation of Czech areas and the separation of Slovakia.

In 1984, Marc Garneau, Canada’s first man in space, was selected to fly aboard a mission of the U.S. space shuttle Discovery. During his eight-day space mission, Garneau, a career naval officer from Quebec, carried out tests on a space vision system and on space-induced nausea. He returned to space on the space shuttle Endeavour in 1996, becoming the first Canadian to fly two shuttle missions.

In 1995, a record high temperature was recorded in Metro Toronto when the mercury soared to 20.1 C.