Today in history

Today in History for Aug. 17: On this date:

In 1502, Christopher Columbus took possession of what is now Honduras in the name of Spain.

In 1761, William Carey, pioneer English missionary to India, was born. He taught at the newly founded Fort William College of Calcutta from 1801 until his death, and helped found the Serampore Press, which made the Bible accessible to over 300 million people.

In 1786, Frederick the Great, king of Prussia, died in the arms of his valet. During his reign (1740-1786), he had managed to transform Prussia from a European backwater to an economically strong and politically reformed state.

In 1896, the discovery that led to the Klondike gold rush was made. George Washington Carmack and two Indian companions, Skookum Jim and Tagish Charlie, found gold at Rabbit Creek, a tributary of the Yukon's Klondike River. After news of the strike reached the outside world, thousands of miners poured into the territory. It's estimated more than $100 million in gold was recovered in the region during the next eight years.

In 1896, Bridget Driscoll of Croydon, Surrey, became the first pedestrian to be knocked down and killed by a motor vehicle in Britain. The car that hit Mrs. Driscoll was travelling at 6 km/h.

In 1904, Ford of Canada began building cars in a converted wagon works in Walkerville, near Windsor, Ont. The 17 workers assembled a total of 114 cars in the first year.

In 1913, the Ontario government barred the teaching of French in the province's schools past grade one.

In 1915, a hurricane killed 275 people at Galveston, Texas.

In 1940, Prime Minister Mackenzie King and U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt agreed at a two-day meeting in Ogdensburg, N.Y., to set up a Canadian-american defence commission. The Permanent Joint Board of Defence was composed of senior officials from both countries and dealt with issues including the delivery of arms from U.S. factories to Canadian forces and free exchanges of defence information.

In 1943, Allied forces gained control of Sicily during the Second World War.

In 1944, Indonesia proclaimed its independence from the Netherlands.

In 1944, British bombers staged one of the great fire raids of the Second World War, dumping 70,000 incendiaries on the German ports of Kiel and Stettin.

In 1945, the Kellock Royal Commission inquiry into the Halifax VE-DAY riots -- when soldiers turned violent while celebrating the end of the Second World War -- blamed the Halifax naval command for not controlling its personnel.

In 1951, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company inaugurated its microwave radio relay system for transmitting telephone calls and television programs between New York City and San Francisco.

In 1969, hurricane Camille slammed into the Mississippi coast as a Category 5 storm with top sustained winds estimated at nearly 320 km/h. The hurricane and resulting flash floods were blamed for 256 deaths.

In 1970, the Soviet Union launched the “Venus VII” for exploration of the planet Venus.

In 1975, the Soviet nuclear-powered icebreaker “Artika” became the first surface ship to reach the North Pole.

In 1978, the first successful trans-atlantic balloon flight ended as Maxie Anderson, Ben Abruzzo and Larry Newman landed their “Double Eagle II” outside Paris.

In 1980, the United States began placing armed marshals aboard some flights in a bid to stop hijackings to Cuba by homesick refugees. Six U.S. flights had been diverted the week earlier to Cuba, including three on Aug. 16.

In 1987, Rudolph Hess, Adolf Hitler's ex-deputy, hung himself in the Spandau prison in West Berlin. Hess spent the last 20 years of his life as the sole inmate of Spandau. He was 93.

In 1988, Jeffrey Macinnis, 25, of Toronto and Michael Beedell, 32, of Ottawa sailed a catamaran through the Northwest Passage, the first to navigate the route powered only by the wind.

In 1989, an Australian commercial airliner became the first to fly non-stop from London to Sydney.

In 1992, Rev. Stan Mckay, a Cree from north of Winnipeg, was elected the first native moderator of the United Church of Canada.

In 1994, Queen Elizabeth opened the University of Northern British Columbia in Prince George, the first new university to open in Canada in 25 years and the only in northern B.C. The nationally televised event attracted 10,000 people to the campus.

In 1996, TWA Flight 800 exploded shortly after leaving New York City for Paris, killing all 230 people on board.

In 1996, Ruth Perry became Africa's first woman head of state. She was chosen by West African heads of state to chair Liberia's ruling council.

In 1998, an armed standoff in the Gaspe by Mi'kmaq factions and Quebec governments over native timber rights ended after a compromise deal was reached. The deal gave a total of 30,000 cubic metres of wood to Listiguj reserve.

In 2008, American swimmer Michael Phelps became the first person to win eight gold medals at a single Olympic games, teaming with three others to win the 4x100 medley relay at the Beijing Games. He beat the previous record of seven held by Mark Spitz.

In 2009, the Canada Line, Vancouver's new rapid transit line and the first to link a major Canadian city to its airport, opened with a day of free riding.