Today in History for Jan. 5:
In A.D. 459, St. Simeon Stylites, who, according to legend, lived at the top of an 18-metre pillar in the Syrian desert non-stop for 36 years, died on it.
In 1066, Edward the Confessor, the only English king ever canonized a saint by the Catholic Church, died. Builder of Westminster Abbey, he was buried there the following day.
In 1757, R.F. Damiens stabbed French King, Louis XV, but did not puncture the thick royal robes. The would-be assassin was drawn and quartered in public.
In 1781, a British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burned Richmond, Va.
In 1795, the first parliament of Lower sa国际传媒 imposed licensing requirements on pedlars, public houses and retailers of wine and brandy.
In 1805, the first issue of the Quebec Mercury was published.
In 1809, the Treaty of the Dardanelles, which ended the Anglo-Turkish War, was concluded by the United Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire.
In 1839, a gallows was erected in London, Ont., for the first hanging in the province.
In 1870, the first issue of Le Courier d'Ottawa went on sale.
In 1874, Winnipeg held its first civic election. There were 331 votes cast, although only 308 voters were registered.
In 1896, German physicist Wilhelm Roentgen announced the development of the x-ray.
In 1898, the first bobsled race was held at St. Moritz, Switzerland.
In 1910, le club athletique Canadien hockey team played its first game in Montreal.
In 1914, American carmaker Henry Ford doubled the salaries for assembly-line workers to $5 for an eight-hour shift.
In 1920, the Boston Red Sox sold pitcher-outfielder Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $125,000.
In 1922, Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton died aboard his ship.
In 1925, Nellie Taylor Ross became governor of Wyoming, the first U.S. woman to serve as governor of a state.
In 1940, FM Radio was demonstrated for the first time by American inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong.
In 1943, the Supreme Court of sa国际传媒 upheld the War Measures Act, a statute that confers emergency powers on the federal cabinet. Passed in 1914, it allowed the government to govern by decree when it perceived the existence of "war, invasion or insurrection, real or apprehended." The Act was invoked during both World Wars and during Quebec's October Crisis of 1970. It was replaced in 1988 by a more detailed and limited emergency law.
In 1956, actress Grace Kelly announced her engagement to Prince Rainier of Monaco.
In 1958, Sedgefield General Hospital in England revealed that 424 coins and more than two kilos of wire had been removed from the stomach of a 54-year-old man.
In 1964, during a tour of the Holy Land, Pope Paul VI met with Patriarch Athenagoris of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It was the first meeting of the heads of the two churches in more than 500 years.
In 1971, Paul and Jacques Rose, Francis Simard, and Bernard Lortie, members of Front de Liberation du Quebec (FLQ), were charged with the kidnapping and non-capital murder of Quebec Labour Minister Pierre Laporte. When convicted, Paul Rose was sentenced to two life terms in prison, Francis Simard to life imprisonment, Bernard Lortie to 20 years, and Jacques Rose to eight years.
In 1973, U.S. airlines began scanning passengers with electronic devices, a practice now routine at major airports.
In 1981, 35-year-old truck driver Peter Sutcliffe was charged as Britain's "Yorkshire Ripper" and later pleaded guilty to killing 13 women. (A formal minimum term was not set at the time, but the judge recommended he serve at least 30 years. In 2010, Britain's High Court ruled that he would remain in custody the rest of his life.)
In 1982, Dr. Elizabeth Bagshaw, a founding member of sa国际传媒's first birth control clinic and its medical director for 30 years, died. She was 100.
In 1987, Margaret Laurence, one of sa国际传媒's most respected novelists and a writer of international repute, killed herself rather than face a long and painful death from lung cancer. She was 60.
In 1995, Parks sa国际传媒 released a study that said human activity in Banff National Park was having adverse effects on the park's ecosystem. The report on sa国际传媒's first and most popular park, west of Calgary in the Rocky Mountains, came on its 100th birthday as a national park.
In 1995, Rogers Cablesystems bowed to complaints from customers and revised the way it planned to charge for seven new specialty channels. Customers were furious about so-called negative-option billing -- unless customers told Rogers they didn't want the channels, they would automatically be billed for them.
In 1998, an ice storm began that devastated Quebec and eastern Ontario. It was caused by a moisture-laden front from the Gulf of Mexico stalling over Arctic air on the ground and lasted until Jan. 10. A state of emergency was declared after the ice downed power lines, forcing 100,000 people out of their homes. Millions were left without power, sometimes for weeks. The Canadian Forces sent in 16,000 troops, the largest peacetime deployment in the military鈥檚 history. The storm caused more than two dozen deaths and over $1 billion in insurance claims.
In 1999, U.S. President Bill Clinton unveiled steps aimed at easing 36 years of U.S. sanctions against Cuba.
In 2000, the U.S. government decided to return six-year-old Cuban boy Elian Gonzalez to his father in Cuba. He was plucked from the Atlantic Ocean on Nov. 25 after a boat smuggling Cubans to the U.S. sank.
In 2004, the United States began fingerprinting foreign visitors as part of a heightened anti-terrorist campaign.
In 2004, after 14 years of denials, Pete Rose publicly admitted that he'd bet on baseball while he was manager of the Cincinnati Reds.
In 2006, at least 76 Muslim pilgrims were killed and 62 injured when a hotel building collapsed in the holy city of Mecca at the beginning of the annual hajj in Saudi Arabia.
In 2006, two suicide bombing attacks killed at least 130 people in Iraq, including 11 U.S. soldiers.
In 2007, a storm with wet snow brought down the fibreglass roof at BC Place stadium.
In 2009, sa国际传媒 beat Sweden 5-1 to capture the World Jr. Hockey Championship for a fifth straight year. It was sa国际传媒's 15th gold at the world juniors, tying Russia/Soviet Union for the all-time lead.
In 2011, sa国际传媒 squandered a 3-0 lead as Russia rallied for five unanswered goals in the third period to win the gold medal at the World Jr. Hockey Championship in Buffalo, stunning a sellout crowd of 18,690 fans nearly all sporting the Canadian Maple Leaf.
In 2011, second baseman Roberto Alomar and pitcher Bert Blyleven were selected for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. (Alomar helped Toronto to World Series titles in 1992 and 1993 and became the first Blue Jay to enter the Hall.)
In 2012, sa国际传媒 defeated Finland 4-0 to win the bronze medal at the World Jr. Hockey Championship in Calgary, the 14th year in a row sa国际传媒 earned a medal. Sweden beat Russia 1-0 in overtime to win the gold medal, the country's second title and first since 1981.
In 2015, sa国际传媒 came perilously close to blowing a four-goal lead but persevered in a scoreless third period to beat Russia 5-4 to win the gold medal at the World Jr. Hockey Championship, its first since 2009.
In 2017, the U.S. overcame two two-goal deficits to defeat sa国际传媒 5-4 in a shootout to capture the World Jr. Hockey Championship.
In 2018, Tyler Steenbergen broke a tie with 1:40 left as sa国际传媒 beat Sweden 3-1 to win the world junior hockey championship in Buffalo.
In 2018, actor Jerry Van Dyke, the younger brother of Dick Van Dyke who struggled for decades to achieve his own stardom before clicking as the dim-witted sidekick in television's "Coach," died at age 86.
In 2018, legendary American astronaut John Young, the ninth man to walk on the moon who later commanded the first space shuttle flight, died at age 87 following complications from pneumonia.
In 2018, former NHL referee Bruce Hood died of prostate cancer. He was 81. Hood officiated 1,033 regular-season games, 157 playoff games, three All-Star games and three sa国际传媒 Cups. He was instrumental in the formation of the NHL Officials Association in 1969.
In 2019, Vancouver's first legal pot shops opened for business.
In 2020, sa国际传媒 was back on top at the world junior hockey championship. Akil Thomas scored with 3:58 left in the third period to cap a furious comeback and secure a 4-3 victory over Russia for gold at the tournament in Ostrava, Czech Republic. It was sa国际传媒's 18th title at the annual under-20 tournament, but first on European soil since 2008.
In 2020, the Golden Globe for drama best picture went to "1917," the epic about a First World War mission from director Sam Mendes that was filmed to look like a single continuous shot. The Golden Globe for best picture, musical or comedy went to "Once Upon a Time 鈥� in Hollywood."
In 2020, Walter Learning, the founder of Theatre New Brunswick and a key figure in Canadian theatre, died at 81. Learning, who was born in Quidi Vidi, N.L., died in Fredericton. In 2018 he was made a member of the Order of New Brunswick. In June 2019 he was appointed to the Order of sa国际传媒.
In 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says a new COVID-19 sick leave benefit was never meant to subsidize vacations. The sa国际传媒 Recovery Sickness Benefit offers up to one-thousand dollars over two weeks. It was designed to help Canadians who are unable to work because they are sick, or have had close contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19. Trudeau said he's frustrated and angry that non-essential travellers might have claimed the benefit. He said the government will revise the rules to make it clear vacationers are not eligible.
In 2021, there was a sad ending to a strange story about a celebrity's death. Actress Tanya Roberts has died, after already being reported dead the previous Sunday. The first time was a mistake. She collapsed Christmas Eve and died in hospital. She was best known for her roles in the 1985 James Bond film "A View to a Kill'' and on "That '70s Show.'' Her cause of death is unknown, and while she was apparently on a ventilator in the hospital, it was not COVID-19 related.
In 2021, bestselling novelist Eric Jerome Dickey died. He was 59 and had cancer. Dickey blended crime, romance and eroticism in "Sister, Sister,'' "Waking With Enemies'' and dozens of other stories about contemporary Black life. He was an aspiring actor and stand-up comic.
In 2021, the Royal Canadian Navy announced its new commanding officer, Rear Admiral Craig Baines. Baines had served as commander of the navy's Atlantic fleet since 2017 and provided regular updates following the crash of the Cyclone helicopter known as Stalker 22 the previous spring.
In 2022, Australian Open champ Novak Djokovic was denied entry to Australia and had his visa cancelled by border authorities. Earlier, Djokovic was granted a medical exemption to play in the Australian Open during the COVID-19 pandemic. The exemption allowed the top-ranked tennis star entry to the tournament regardless of his vaccination status for COVID-19. Djokovic had declined to clarify his vaccine status.
In 2023, despite protests and threats of retaliation from Beijing, airline passengers leaving China, Hong Kong and Macau had to provide evidence of a negative COVID-19 test when they enter sa国际传媒 starting on this day. With cases surging in China, the federal government announced the week prior that travellers from the region would need a negative test administered within 48 hours of their departure. Other countries, including the United States and several in the EU, had imposed similar rules.
In 2023, sa国际传媒 was golden again at the world junior hockey championship. The host country defeated Czechia 3-2 in the final game of the tournament. Dylan Guenther scored his second goal of the night at 6:22 of overtime as sa国际传媒 survived a blown 2-0 lead in the third period. Shane Wright, on his 19th birthday, had the other goal for sa国际传媒. sa国际传媒 was the first team to repeat since the country won five straight gold medals between 2005 and 2009.
In 2024, actor David Soul died in London, England, at the age of 80, after what his wife calls a valiant battle for life. Soul's rise to fame was as the blond half of crime-fighting duo 鈥淪tarsky & Hutch鈥� in the popular 1970s television series.
In 2024, family announced the death of Mary Dawson, sa国际传媒's first conflict of interest and ethics commissioner, at the age of 81. Her son, Dave Dawson, said she died on Dec. 24 from a rare type of thyroid cancer. He said after 50 years as a civil servant, she was most proud of drafting the Constitution Act, 1982, which included the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
----
The Canadian Press