TODAY IN history

In 1630, the belts of the planet Jupiter were first observed.

In 1855, the city of Charlottetown was incorporated.

In 1875, the first Kentucky Derby was run at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The winner was Aristides.

In 1878, Canada’s governor general and his wife, Lord and Lady Dufferin, were treated to a demonstration of Thomas Edison’s recent invention, the phonograph, at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

In 1916, the world’s first daylight savings act was passed in Britain. Clocks were moved forward one hour the following Sunday.

In 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth arrived in Quebec City for the first visit to Canada by a reigning British sovereign.

In 1973, the U.S. Senate Watergate committee began its hearings.

In 1999, David Milgaard accepted a $10 million compensation package from the Saskatchewan government for his wrongful conviction in the 1969 murder of a Saskatoon nursing aide. Milgaard, who spent more than two decades in prison, received the largest criminal compensation package in Canadian history.

In 2005, Tory MP Belinda Stronach defected to the federal Liberals and joined the cabinet as human resources minister. The move helped Prime Minister Martin’s minority Liberal government survive a narrow budget vote in the Commons.