TODAY IN history

In 67, according to tradition, the Apostle Paul was beheaded with a sword near Rome, probably by order of Emperor Nero, during a time when Christianity was outlawed.

In 1534, French explorer Jacques Cartier reached Prince Edward Island during his first voyage to Canada. He described it as “the best-tempered region one can possibly see, and the heat is considerable.”

In 1767, the British Parliament approved the “Townshend Acts,” which imposed import duties on certain goods shipped to America. Colonists bitterly protested, prompting Parliament in 1770 to repeal the duties on all goods, except tea.

In 1871, Canada was granted the right to create new provinces.

In 1914, the era of airplane food began when a full meal with wines was served during a trial flight of a Russian-built airliner from Petrograd (now St. Petersburg) to Kyiv.

In 1925, Canada House in Trafalgar Square in London was opened by King George V.

In 1927, France formally transferred ownership of 100 hectares of property at Vimy to Canada. The land was the scene of one of the most celebrated battles by Canadian soldiers during the First World War. The German bastion along Vimy Ridge was assaulted by all four divisions of the Canadian Corps on Easter 1917. The Vimy memorial consists of the Canadian land, now a park, and a monument dedicated by King Edward VIII in 1936.