Today in history: Insulin discovered
In 1897, Britain and the United States concluded a treaty to arbitrate the boundary between Alaska and Canada.
In 1908, the Grand Canyon National Monument was created with a proclamation by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. (It became a national park in 1919.)
In 1909, Britain and the United States signed a treaty establishing the International Joint Commission. The commission, made up of delegates from Canada and the United States, manages the waters of the Great Lakes with particular attention paid to pollution issues.
In 1914, the “Karluk,” one of three ships commissioned by Canadian explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson, was crushed by ice in the Bering Sea near Herald Island, north of Siberia. Stefansson had left the ship before the accident. Capt. Robert Bartlett led the crew to safety on the vessel “Wrangel I” which struggled through ice to Alaska, where the survivors were rescued on Sept. 7, 1914. Sixteen died during the ordeal.
In 1922, the discovery of insulin, used in the treatment of diabetes, was announced in Toronto. It was discovered by a research team composed of Frederick Banting, Charles Best, James Collip and J.J. Macleod.
In 1935, aviator Amelia Earhart began a trip from Honolulu to Oakland, Calif., that made her the first woman to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean.
In 1942, Japan declared war against the Netherlands, the same day Japanese forces invaded the Dutch East Indies during the Second World War.
In 1944, Count Galeazzo Ciano, son-inlaw of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini, and four others were executed in Verona for treason.
In 1949, San Diego, Calif., had the first snowfall in its 99-year weather history.
In 1964, American Surgeon General Luther Terry issued the first U.S. government report saying smoking may be hazardous to health.
In 1969, Jethro Tull’s debut album, “This Was,” was released.
In 1973, a bill to extend a ban on capital punishment for five years was introduced in the Commons. The first ban had been in effect from 1967-72. The bill received Commons approval on Oct. 24, 1973. Parliament extended the ban in 1976 and 1987.
In 1977, France created an international uproar by arresting, then releasing, Abu Daoud, a PLO member suspected of involvement in the slaying of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
In 1982, the CBC moved its national news to 10 p.m. from 11 p.m. and introduced “The Journal.” The landmark show signed off for the last time on Oct. 30, 1992.
In 1986, Canadian Gareth Wood was one of three explorers to reach the South Pole on foot. The group was retracing the route followed by Robert Scott in 1912.
In 1992, Rita Johnston announced her resignation as leader of the B.C. Social Credit party in Vancouver.
In 1993, Henry Birks and Sons filed for bankruptcy protection. The jewelry chain eventually closed 34 stores across Canada and sold its remaining 39 stores to an Italian company.
In 2000, rock singer Gary Glitter was freed from prison after serving half of a four-month sentence for downloading pornographic pictures of children.
In 2009, Bono’s first op-ed column for the New York Times explored the pros and cons of Frank Sinatra’s voice. The “U2” frontman wrote that Sinatra had “the least sentimental voice in the history of pop music.” Bono argued that Sinatra's strength was his ability to convey more than one emotion in different versions of the same song. He said Sinatra’s version of “My Way” from 1969 is “more kiss-off than send-off,” but his later version was “a heart-stopping, heartbreaking song of defeat.”
In 2010, former Major League Baseball player Mark McGwire finally admitted to what was widely speculated - that he had used steroids for a decade, including when he hit 70 homers in 1998.
In 2016, Canadian mega-pop star Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” finally took over top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, ending Adele's 10-week run with “Hello.” Both debuted on the chart on Nov. 14 and “Sorry” was No. 2 for seven consecutive weeks and eight in total, tying a record for most weeks at No. 2 before hitting No. 1.