TODAY IN history

In 1492, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain granted Christopher Columbus a commission to seek a westward ocean passage to Asia. Columbus considered himself a missionary who would carry Christ across the ocean to people who had never heard the gospel.

In 1610, English explorer Henry Hudson sailed from London. Two months later, he reached what is now the Hudson Strait in the Canadian Arctic.

In 1851, the square-rigged ship ``Marco Polo’’ was launched in Saint John, N.B. It was used mainly to carry immigrants from England to Australia, setting records that earned it the reputation as the fastest ship in the world.

In 1855, the city of Charlottetown was incorporated. In September 1864, it played host to the Charlottetown Conference on Atlantic Union, which turned into the discussions that led to confederation.

In 1856, Quebec City was made the seat of the Canadian government. It remained there until Ottawa became the capital three years later.

In 1919, New Brunswick women were granted the right to vote in provincial elections.

In 1961, about 1,500 Cuban exiles, trained by the CIA, launched the disastrous ``Bay of Pigs’’ invasion of Cuba in a failed attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro’s government.

In 1964, Jerrie Mock of Columbus, Ohio, became the first woman to complete a solo airplane flight around the world.