Today in History for Nov. 3:
In 1580, English explorer Sir Francis Drake returned from his voyage around the world.
In 1640, England's Long Parliament -- the name given to the fifth and last parliament of Charles I -- assembled. The parliament quarrelled bitterly with Charles and was repeatedly purged until it dissolved itself in 1660.
In 1667, the "Treaty of Westminster" restored Acadia to France although the actual transfer did not take place until the "Treaty of Breda" in 1670.
In 1840, British and allied fleets bombarded Egyptian-controlled Acre, Palestine. The Egyptians were expelled from the city, which was restored to Turkey the following year.
In 1873, during the "Pacific Scandal," Sir John A. Macdonald defended himself against corruption charges in a five-hour speech to Parliament. He resigned as prime minister two days later.
In 1888, Britain's "Jack the Ripper" killed his last victim.
In 1903, Panama proclaimed its independence from Colombia, with the support of the United States.
In 1927, the Holland Tunnel -- the first underwater tunnel for vehicular traffic -- opened to the public. It provides access between New York City and New Jersey beneath the Hudson River.
In 1936, U.S. president Franklin D. Roosevelt was re-elected for a second term in a landslide victory over Alf Landon. Roosevelt carried all but two states -- Maine and Vermont.
In 1839, the first Opium War between China and Britain broke out.
In 1942, the Alaska Highway to the continental United States was completed.
In 1950, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the federal Parliament may not delegate its exclusive powers to any provincial legislature, or vice versa.
In 1953, RCA made the first coast-to-coast colour TV demonstration in the United States.
In 1956, the Soviet suppression of the Hungarian Revolution began.
In 1957, one of the most advanced atomic energy reactors in the world opened at Chalk River, Ont. The triple-purpose reactor was used for research and experiments in the development of electricity, the production of plutonium and manufacturing a wide variety of radioactive isotopes used in medicine, industry and agriculture.
In 1957, the Soviet Union launched "Sputnik 2," the first satellite to carry a dog (Laika) into space.
In 1978, Wayne Gretzky scored his first goal for the Edmonton Oilers in a 4-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. The 17-year-old had been sold to the Oilers by the Indianapolis Racers the previous day. In his first game with Edmonton, Gretzky wore number 20 instead of 99 for the only time in his pro hockey career.
In 1981, Therese Casgrain, pioneer of women's rights in Quebec, and a former senator, died.
Also in 1981, the Ontario Progressive Conservative government invoked closure for the first time since 1874 to end debate in the legislature. The Liberal and NDP opposition had been demanding information on why the government invested $650 million in an oil company. The three-day filibuster froze the provincial treasury and threatened to leave 75,000 civil servants without paycheques.
In 1984, the body of assassinated Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was cremated at an outdoor ceremony attended by about 400,000 mourners.
In 1991, people in New Brunswick's Miramichi Valley breathed a collective sigh of relief as Allan Legere was convicted of four counts of first-degree murder. The convictions came more than two years after Legere's escape from prison touched off seven-month wave of terror in the region. Legere was found guilty in the beating deaths of three women and a Catholic priest.
In 1992, Bill Clinton won a landslide victory, defeating George Bush in the U.S. presidential election.
In 1995, Queen Elizabeth II signed a formal apology and compensation deal for indigenous Maori people dispossessed by British colonization of New Zealand.
In 1997, Prime Minister Jean Chretien and 1997 Nobel Peace Prize winner Jody Williams destroyed the last landmines in Canada in a ceremony at the Canadian Forces weapons range in Kanata, Ont.
In 1996, Jean-Bedel Bokassa, the deposed dictator of the Central African Republic, accused of killing and eating his critics, died at age 75.
In 1998, Minnesotans elected former pro wrestler Jesse "The Body" Ventura to be their governor.
In 1998, Canadian author Alice Munro won the $25,000 Giller Prize for fiction.
In 1999, Madam Justice Beverly McLachlin was appointed as the first female Chief Justice of Canada, replacing Antonio Lamer, who retired.
In 1999, Bonnie Burnard of London, Ont., won the $25,000 Giller Prize for her first novel "A Good House."
In 2008, for the first time in the history of Canada, Ontario joined the list of Canada’s "Have-Not" provinces, paving the way for it to receive payments from the federal equalization scheme.
In 2009, Quebec's College of Physicians endorsed euthanasia in extreme circumstances.
In 2010, Industry Minister Tony Clement announced Ottawa blocked a US$38.6-billion foreign hostile takeover bid by Anglo-Australian miner BHP Billiton to buy Saskatchewan-based PotashCorp., the world's biggest producer of potash, a key component used in fertilizer. BHP Billiton had 30 days to appeal the decision but on Nov. 14 it officially withdrew its bid.
In 2010, Quebec's top court ruled common-law spouses could obtain alimony when they split from their partner. Quebec was the only province left that didn't recognize common-law unions. (Quebec appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, which in a 5-4 ruling, reversed the lower court decision.).
In 2010, B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell announced his plans to step down after 26 years in politics, nine of them in the premier's office, after a Liberal leadership convention in February, 2011. (Christy Clark was elected his successor.)
In 2010, Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan announced that the federal and Ontario governments would sell 20 per cent of their stake in General Motors - up to 30 million of their shares - which would raise about $3 billion. Washington also announced that it would sell 264 million shares and make about $7 billion. In 2009, taxpayers got their stake in GM in exchange for a $60 billion loan by Ottawa, Ontario and the U.S. governments to help the automaker emerge from bankruptcy protection and restructure.
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(The Canadian Press)
The Canadian Press
