TODAY IN HISTORY

In 2010, hurricane Igor ripped across eastern Newfoundland with a savagery that forced flooded, windbattered towns to declare states of emergency, isolating some communities as rivers overflowed and washed away roads. It dumped nearly 240 mm of rain in some areas and caused over $150 million in total damages. Military personnel and equipment arrived on Sept. 25 and spent 10 days helping Newfoundlanders rebuild.

Also on this date:

In 1897, responding to a letter from eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon, the “New York Sun” ran its famous editorial by Francis P. Church that declared, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”

In 1937, J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” was first published.

In 1971, cigarette manufacturers in Canada announced the end of broadcast advertising, effective Jan. 1, 1972.

In 1995, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the federal law that banned tobacco advertising, arguing the law went too far and violated the industry’s constitutional right to free speech. Two years later, in 1997, the federal government passed a new law which stopped most tobacco advertising and denied companies the right to sponsor sporting and cultural events. In August, 2005, the Quebec Court of Appeal struck down the part of the law which prohibits tobacco companies from using their corporate names to sponsor events.