TODAY IN history

In 1674, English poet John Milton died in London. His most famous work was “Paradise Lost,” an epic poem about man’s fall from God’s grace.

In 1836, Christian business traveller Samuel Hill was born. In 1899, Hill, John Nicholson and W.J. Knights co-founded the Gideons, a Christian organization that ministers through distribution of the Scriptures. The Gideons have placed millions of Bibles and New Testaments in places such as motel and hotel rooms.

In 1860, John A. Macdonald introduced the first “speaking tour” to Canadian politics.

In 1864, the first shipment of lumber from British Columbia to Australia marked the beginning of a big export trade.

In 1872, the first train from Saint John, N.B., to Halifax inaugurated the Intercolonial Railway between the two provinces.

In 1938, more than 30,000 Jews were arrested and synagogues and Jewish businesses were destroyed throughout Germany in what has become known as “Kristallnacht,” or “Night of the Broken Glass.” Around 2,000 to 2,500 deaths were directly or indirectly attributable as a result.

In 1989, the East German government stunned the world by deciding to open its frontiers. East Germans had their first chance to travel to the west in 28 years, since the Berlin Wall was erected. Officials waived the requirement for visas to travel to West Berlin and thousands streamed across.