“Potatoe” Gate
In 1896, a 33-metre wave crashed into the beach at Sanriku, Japan, killing 27,000 people. Most of the victims were praying during a religious festival on the beach.
In 1938, Cincinnati’s Johnny Vander Meer became the only major league pitcher to throw consecutive no-hitters.
In 1944, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation won a sweeping majority in a Saskatchewan provincial election. Tommy Douglas led Canada’s first socialist government, which launched groundbreaking health and other social policies.
In 1956, John Lennon met Paul McCartney for the first time, at a church bazaar in Liverpool.
In 1992, U.S. Vice-President Dan Quayle, relying on a faulty flash card at a spelling bee, instructed a Trenton, N.J., elementary school student to spell potato with an “e” on the end.
In 1993, rookie Alberta Premier Ralph Klein led his Conservatives to their seventh consecutive provincial election victory. He remained premier until his retirement in 2006.
In 1996, original KISS members — Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley — performed together in full makeup for the first time in 17 years
In 2006, the Ontario Provincial Police force admitted to mistakes and apologized to the brother of Dudley George, the aboriginal protester who was killed by a police sniper when Ipperwash Provincial Park was occupied 11 years earlier.
In 2011, surging crowds burned cars, smashed windows and ransacked stores in downtown Vancouver after the Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final to Boston. The riot lasted four hours, sent nearly 150 people to hospital, caused millions of dollars in damage and resulted in considerable embarrassment to the city.
In 2012, Nik Wallenda battled brisk winds and thick mist to make history, becoming the first person to walk across the brink of Niagara Falls on a tightrope, albeit with an TV network mandated safety tether. Millions watched on TV worldwide, watched as he began his 550metre trek from Goat's Island in the U.S. to the visitor's centre on the Canadian side in 25 minutes.
In 2015, the Chicago Blackhawks captured their third Stanley Cup in six years with a 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 in the NHL Final. Chicago defenceman Duncan Keith was the unanimous choice as playoff MVP.