TODAY IN HISTORY: The death of Karen Carpenter

In 1858, gold was discovered along British Columbia’s Fraser River, attracting thousands to Canada’s West Coast. Hundreds of ships, jammed with gold-seekers, worked their way across the Strait of Georgia to the Fraser, then made the dangerous trip up the swift-running river.

In 1915, the first Canadian contingent landed in Europe during the First World War and proceeded to the Flanders region of Belgium.

In 1938, German dictator Adolf Hitler assumed personal command of his country's army.

In 1945, the Allied leaders met at Yalta, in the Crimea, to plan the final defeat of Nazi Germany. The conference included Britain's Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt of the U.S. and the Soviet Union's Josef Stalin. Their plan called for Allied occupation of Germany, the collection of war reparations and the founding of the United Nations.

In 1947, the lowest recorded temperature in Canadian history occurred at Snag, Yukon — minus 62.8 C.

In 1948, the island nation of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka, became an independent dominion within the British Commonwealth.

In 1974 newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst was kidnapped in Berkeley, Calif., by the Symbionese Liberation Army.

In 1983, singer Karen Carpenter, who had a string of No. 1 hits with her brother Richard, died at her parents’ home in Los Angeles of a heart attack brought on by her running battle with anorexia nervosa. She was 32. Her death brought about more public awareness of the disease, characterized by a loss of appetite brought on by mental illness.

In 1985, UN members signed a declaration against "torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment." Torture Abolition Day is marked on Feb. 4.

In 1987, Liberace, the flashy entertainer who earned the title “Mr. Showmanship,” died at his home in Palm Springs, Calif., at age 67. His doctor said Liberace had been gravely ill for weeks from a combination of anemia, emphysema and heart disease. But a later autopsy revealed that Liberace died from a form of pneumonia caused by AIDS.

In 1988, British Columbia became the first jurisdiction in North America to give gay and lesbian couples the same privileges as heterosexuals for child support, custody and access.

In 1999, Prime Minister Jean Chretien and nine premiers agreed on a social union deal that promised more than $5 billion more to provinces in federal health-care funds.

In 2005, Atlanta Thrashers star Dany Heatley was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to give 150 speeches about the dangers of speeding after pleading guilty in the death of teammate Dan Snyder in a car accident. Heatley pleaded guilty to four of the six charges he faced. In exchange for the plea, the only felony charge — first-degree vehicular homicide — was dropped, along with a charge of reckless driving.

In 2013, the Royal Canadian Mint officially ceased distribution of the penny to Canada's financial institutions.

In 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles captured their first Super Bowl title in a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots where both offences combined for a post-season record 1,151 yards. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady threw for a post-season record 505 yards but was outdueled by Eagles backup quarterback and game MVP Nick Foles who threw for 373 yards and three TDs and even caught a TD pass.