Today in history

In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French.

In 1853, Gov. Douglas established the Supreme Court of Vancouver Island.

In 1878, a railway was completed from Winnipeg to the American border.

In 1902, James Hamilton Ross became the first member of Parliament for the Yukon, despite having a paralytic stroke which left him unable to campaign.

In 1927, Henry Ford unveiled his “Model A” car. The roadster was priced at $385.

In 1942, the atomic age was born with the first controlled nuclear chain reaction on a squash court at the University of Chicago.

In 1949, Britain empowered the Canadian Parliament to amend the British North America Act.

In 1961, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared that he was a Marxist-leninist and would lead the country to Communism.

In 1963, a new transpacific telephone cable linking Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand was officially inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth. The prime ministers of the four countries talked via more than 24,000 kilometres of underwater cable.

In 1969, Vancouver and Buffalo were awarded National Hockey League franchises.

In 1975, a bill to make wearing seat belts compulsory was given final reading in the Ontario legislature.