Podcasts by Human Rights a Day

March 31, 1959 - Dalai Lama from 2018-03-31T06:01

Dalai Lama of Tibet escapes to India. Tibet embraced Buddhism in the 7th century under head of state and spiritual leader Dalai Lama. The present and 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was identified ...

March 30, 1992 - Native Women's Association from 2018-03-30T06:01

Native women’s group loses discrimination case. In 1991, when the federal government was trying to change the constitution, it gave $10 million to four aboriginal groups to secure their input throu...

March 29, 1993 - Catherine Callbeck from 2018-03-29T06:01

Catherine Callbeck becomes Canada’s first woman elected premier of a province. Catherine Callbeck spent her life alternating between her love of business and her penchant for politics. Born July 25...

March 28, 2002 - Arab Peace Plan from 2018-03-28T06:01

Arab countries propose peace plan to Israelis. Even before Israel became an independent country, its citizens and neighboring Arabs were prone to battle. Every peace plan put forward evaporated in ...

March 27, 1905 - Elsie MacGill from 2018-03-27T06:01

Elsie MacGill was a woman of unusual capability and resilience. Born in Vancouver on March 27, 1905, she was the first woman to graduate with an electrical engineering degree from the University of...

March 26, 1984 - Bora Laskin from 2018-03-26T06:01

Bora Laskin dies while Chief Justice of Canada’s Supreme Court. Born in Fort William (Thunder Bay), Ontario on October 5, 1912, Bora Laskin pursued education in a big way: He earned his bachelor of...

March 25, 1994 - Simon Thwaites from 2018-03-25T06:01

Can’t fire HIV-positive naval seamen, federal Court of Canada warns. After enlisting with the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 1980, Simon Thwaites spent six years progressing to the rank of master s...

March 24, 1853 - Mary Ann Shad from 2018-03-24T06:01

The Provincial Freeman first published by Mary Ann Shad. Mary Ann Shadd was born in Wilmington, Delaware, the oldest of 13 children to Harriet and Abraham Shadd. Both her parents were leaders in th...

March 23, 1933 - Adolph Hitler from 2018-03-23T06:01

Germany grants Adolph Hitler dictatorial powers.
 How did Adolph Hitler rise to power? For various and strange reasons, Hitler was sworn in as chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, and his cab...

March 22, 1984 - Jane Gray from 2018-03-22T06:01

Canada’s first women radio broadcaster, Jane Gray, dies. Only a few years after landing her first radio broadcasting job in London, Ontario on CJGC at the age of 28, Jane beat out 90 other applican...

March 21, 1966 - Sharpeville, South Africa from 2018-03-21T06:01

Commemoration date to eliminate racial discrimination. For decades, black South Africans had to carry identification papers known as “passbooks” anywhere they went. Passbooks formed a central part ...

March 20, 1985 - Libby Riddles from 2018-03-20T06:01

Libby Riddles makes history for women in winning Iditarod Trail dogsled race. In 1925, a diphtheria epidemic required medical supplies to be rushed to Nome, Alaska. Traditional methods of transport...

March 19, 1990 - Women's Hockey from 2018-03-19T06:01

Canadian women take gold at first Women’s Ice Hockey World Championships. Given the popularity of women’s ice hockey today, it’s hard to believe that prior to 1990, it had a very low profile. Not u...

March 18, 1992 - Apartheid Ends from 2018-03-18T06:01

White South Africans vote to end apartheid. International pressure against South Africa’s ongoing white-minority rule and apartheid system had by the 1980s brought boycotts against South African pr...

March 17, 1912 - Bayard Rustin from 2018-03-17T06:01

Future behind-the-scenes civil rights activist Bayard Rustin is born. Bayard Rustin was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania on March 17, 1912 and raised by a Quaker grandmother. A bright student and...

March 15, 1990 - Baltej Singh Dhillon from 2018-03-16T06:01

RCMP Sikhs allowed to wear turbans. Baltej Singh Dhillon was born in Malaysia in 1966 and immigrated to Canada at the age of 16. He trained to be an officer with the RCMP, but as a baptized Sikh, w...

March 16, 1968 - My Lai from 2018-03-16T06:01

U.S. soldiers massacre 500 civilians at My Lai, Vietnam. While serving in Vietnam in late 1967, a U.S. Army regiment named Charlie Company suffered one casualty and several injuries from a Viet Con...

March 14, 1868 - Emily Murphy from 2018-03-14T06:01

Future suffragist, journalist and judge Emily Murphy is born. Emily Ferguson was born into a wealthy and influential Canadian family on March 14, 1868 in Cookstown, Ontario. Years later, she and he...

March 13, 1885 - Chinese Restriction Act from 2018-03-13T06:01

British Columbia passes the Chinese Restriction Act. In the late 1800s, Chinese people wishing to immigrate to Canada were welcomed into the country because they offered cheap (and in some cases, d...

March 12, 1999 - Florence Bird from 2018-03-12T06:01

Florence Bird Memorial Library opens at Status of Women Canada office. Florence Rhein was born in 1908 in Philadelphia and brought up in a privileged family that believed in gender equality. After ...

March 11, 1948 - Dr. Reginald Weir from 2018-03-11T07:01

African American Dr. Reginald Weir competes in U.S. Indoor Lawn Tennis Championship. When a New Yorker named Dr. Reginald Weir signed up to play indoor lawn tennis at a national tournament schedule...

March 10, 1993 - Michael Griffin from 2018-03-10T07:01

Anti-abortion extremist murders Florida doctor. Despite daily pickets, protests and death threats from anti-abortionists, Dr. David Gunn provided abortion services to women in Alabama, Georgia an...

March 9, 2002 - Robert Mugabe from 2018-03-09T07:01

Zimbabwe’s rigged election proves a turning point. When the practice of a white minority ruling over a black majority ended in 1980 in Africa’s Rhodesia, the country was renamed Zimbabwe. Initially...

March 8, 2005 - Carl Beam from 2018-03-08T07:01

Artist Carl Beam receives Governor General’s Award for art. Carl Beam was born the eldest of nine children on the West Bay First Nations (later to be renamed M'chigeeng) reserve on Manitoulin Islan...

March 7, 1969 - Gold Meir from 2018-03-07T07:01

Golda Mabovitz was born in Kiev, Russia on May 3, 1898 and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She married Morris Meyerson before moving to Tel Aviv, which was part of Palestine in 1921. There she beca...

March 6, 1857 - Dred Scott from 2018-03-06T07:01

U.S. Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision outlaws slavery. Dred Scott was a black slave who lived in the slave state of Missouri. In 1846, when Scott’s master moved briefly to Illinois and Wisconsin...

March 5, 1956 - Black Students from 2018-03-05T07:01

U.S. Supreme Court: Black students can attend schools and universities. In the early 1950s, black and white students in many states were governed by policies of “separate but equal,” which meant th...

March 4, 1982 - Bertha Wilson from 2018-03-04T07:01

Bertha Wilson becomes first woman appointed to Canada’s Supreme Court. Bertha Wilson was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland in 1923 and earned an MA and teaching diploma from the University of Aberdeen be...

March 3, 1952 - Court prohibits communist teachers from 2018-03-03T07:01

U.S. Supreme Court prohibits communists from teaching in New York schools. At the height of the “red scare” in the United States, a number of laws were passed to prevent anyone with communist sympa...

March 2, 2000 - Augusto Pinochet from 2018-03-02T17:15

Britain allows former Chilean dictator Pinochet to go home without trial for human rights abuses. In June 1973, Chilean President Salvador Allende appointed General Augusto Pinochet as the country’...

March 1, 2005 - Ernst Zundel from 2018-03-01T07:01

Holocaust-denier Ernst Zundel deported from Canada to prison in Germany. When Ernst Zundel turned 19 in 1958, he moved to Canada to avoid Germany’s military conscription. He married in 1960 and had...

February 28, 2000 - Joerg Haider from 2018-02-28T07:01

European protests prompt resignation of right-wing Austrian leader Joerg Haider from coalition government. Austria’s history is full of far-right political movements, notably the willingness of man...

February 27, 1973 - Wounded Knee from 2018-02-27T07:01

American Natives Occupy Wounded Knee, South Dakota for 71 days. In 1968, a number of native Americans in Minneapolis, Minnesota created the American Indian Movement (AIM), whose focus was to improv...

February 26, 1942 - Japanese Canadians from 2018-02-26T07:01

Canada evacuates Japanese Canadians from the West Coast. The moment Japanese pilots bombed Pearl Harbour on December 7, 1941, the Canadian government stepped up actions against Canadians of Japanes...

February 25, 1922 - Molly Lamb Bobak from 2018-02-25T07:01

Canada’s first woman war artist, Molly Lamb Bobak, is born. Molly Bobak was born Molly Lamb on February 25, 1922 in Vancouver, British Columbia. The daughter of a geologist and an art critic and am...

February 24, 2000 - Ujjal Dosanjh from 2018-02-24T07:01

Ujjal Dosanjh is Canada’s first Indo Canadian to be named premier. Ujjal Dosanjh was born in India in 1947, then moved to England before settling in Canada in 1968. In British Columbia, he earned a...

February 23, 1944 - Agnes Macphail from 2018-02-23T07:01

Agnes Macphail becomes first woman sworn in to the Ontario legislature. Agnes Macphail was born in Proton Township, Ontario on March 24, 1890. As a teacher in rural Ontario schools, she joined the ...

February 22, 1967 - Mohamed Suharto from 2018-02-22T07:01

but title. When Indonesia won independence from the Dutch, Achmed Sukarno became the country’s first president in 1945. Twenty years later, when Indonesian communists tried to overthrow the preside...

February 21, 1965 - Malcolm X from 2018-02-21T07:01

American black leader Malcolm X assassinated. Malcolm Little was born on May 19, 1925 in Omaha, Nebraska, one of eight children. After years of family tragedy and a troubled youth, Malcolm found hi...

February 20, 1808 - Ezekiel Hart from 2018-02-20T17:01

Canada’s first Jewish legislator, Ezekiel Hart, is denied his seat. Imagine gaining a seat in which you are never allowed to sit. Ezekiel Hart, Canada’s first Jewish legislator, encountered precise...

February 19, 1897 - Adelaide Hoodless from 2018-02-19T07:01

First university for rural women opened by “domestic science” advocate Adelaide Hoodless. When one of her four sons died at 18 months from drinking impure milk, a young Ontario mother named Adelaid...

February 18, 1954 - Joseph McCarthy from 2018-02-18T07:01

Joseph McCarthy’s search for “Army communists” begins his downfall. Wisconsin Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy was infamous for seeking out and destroying the lives of supposed “communist sympath...

February 17, 2002 - Kuwaiti Women from 2018-02-17T07:01

Kuwaiti women demand the right to vote. Formal attempts to grant Kuwaiti women the vote began in 1971, following a conference on women’s issues. That bill to the legislative assembly failed as di...

February 16, 1959 - Fidel Castro from 2018-02-16T07:01

Fidel Castro sworn in as Cuba’s prime minister, becomes country's youngest leader. In 1951, Cubans were denied democratic elections when right-wing dictator General Fulgencio Batista seized power. ...

February 15, 1930 - Cairine Wilson from 2018-02-15T07:01

Cairine Wilson is sworn in as Canada’s first woman senator. In October 1929, Canada paved the way for women to enter real politics. It came about because Canada’s “Famous Five” women (Emily Murphy,...

February 14, 1989 - Salman Rushdie from 2018-02-14T07:01

Iranian Muslim leader Ayatollah Khomeini issues death threat against British author Salman Rushdie. British author Salman Rushdie published his book Satanic Verses in September 1988, to critical ac...

February 13, 1974 - Alexander Solzhenitsyn from 2018-02-13T07:01

Dissident Nobel writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn expelled from USSR. Alexander Solzhenitsyn was born in Kislovodsk, Russia on December 11, 1918. There, he pursued a university education in physics and...

February 12, 1994 - Victoria Matthews from 2018-02-12T07:01

Anglican Church of Canada appoints first female bishop: Reverend Victoria Matthews. The Anglican church has allowed women priests since November 30, 1976. However, 1993 was a breakthrough year when...

February 11, 1975 - Margaret Thatcher from 2018-02-11T07:01

British Conservative Party chooses Margaret Thatcher as leader. The British Conservative Party was not known for being the most progressive. However, on February 11, 1975 the Tories made what was ...

February 10, 1988 - U.S. Army's Homosexual Ban from 2018-02-10T07:01

U.S. Court of Appeals overturns Army’s ban on homosexuals. The United States Army had a policy of banning gay men from its ranks. The Army took its lead from the British Articles of War of 1775 and...

February 9, 1971 - Archie Bunker from 2018-02-09T07:01

Archie Bunker’s All in the Family debuts television’s first gay-themed episode. With the exception of television comedian Ernie Kovacs poking fun at an effeminate character he played in the 1950s, ...

February 8, 1949 - Cardinal Mindszenty from 2018-02-08T07:01

Hungarian Cardinal Mindszenty sentenced to life imprisonment for treason. József Pehm was born on March 29, 1892 in Mindszent, Hungary. Years later he would take the name Mindszenty, from his place...

February 7, 1971 - Women of Switzerland from 2018-02-07T07:01

The women of Switzerland got the vote well behind women of most Western nations. In a referendum in 1959, male voters soundly defeated the idea of sharing the vote. However, the next decade spelled...

February 6, 1921 - Laurier Saumur from 2018-02-06T07:01

Jehovah’s Witness crusader Laurier Saumur born in Gatineau, Quebec. In 1940, two countries had banned the Jehovah’s Witness religion: Nazi Germany and Canada. The man who relentlessly fought the op...

February 5, 1983 - Klaus Barbie from 2018-02-05T07:01

“Butcher of Lyon” Klaus Barbie is extradited to France for crimes against humanity. Klaus Barbie, born in Germany in 1913 and a member of the Hitler Youth, became known as the “Butcher of Lyon” for...

February 4, 1906 - Gladys Strum from 2018-02-04T07:01

Gladys Strum, pioneer in Saskatchewan and Canadian politics, was born. Gladys Grace Mae Lamb was born on February 4, 1906 in Gladstone, Manitoba. At 16, she became a teacher in Saskatchewan, where ...

February 3, 1960 - Winds of Change in Africa from 2018-02-03T07:01

British prime minister speaks of “winds of change” in Africa. On February 3, 1960, when British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan addressed the Houses of Parliament in South Africa, he said “winds of...

February 2, 1989 - Bill White from 2018-02-02T07:01

Bill White becomes the first black president of baseball’s National League. William DeKova White had an extraordinary baseball career both on and off the field. He spent 13 years as a major-league ...

February 1, 1994 - Jewish Teachers from 2018-02-01T07:01

Supreme Court hears case regarding paid time off for Jewish teachers. In 1985, three Jewish teachers by the names of Joseph Kadoch, Louise Elbraz and Jacob Lahmi took an approved, unpaid day's leav...

January 31, 1958 - James Gladstone from 2018-01-31T09:01

James Gladstone becomes Canada's first aboriginal senator. James Gladstone’s aboriginal name was Akay Namuka, which translates to “Many Guns.” Born May 21, 1887 near Mountain Hill, Northwest Territ...

January 30, 1948 - Mahatma Gandhi from 2018-01-30T07:01

India's "father of the nation," Mahatma Gandhi, assassinated. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, born on October 2, 1869, went to England to study law at the age of 19, where he was shunned by fellow stud...

January 29, 1939 - Germaine Greer from 2018-01-29T07:01

Author of the Female Eunuch, Germaine Greer is born in Melbourne. Germaine Greer became known as one of the defining authors and speakers of the feminist movement in the 1970s due to her first book...

January 28, 1916 - Manitoba Women from 2018-01-28T07:01

Manitoba becomes Canada’s first province to give women the vote. The mostly upper-class women involved in the early days of Canada’s women’s movement viewed universal suffrage (the vote) as a tool ...

January 27, 1959 - Maurice Duplessis from 2018-01-27T07:01

Supreme Court rules against Premier Duplessis for punishing Jehovah’s Witness. Years ago, many people regarded the Witnesses of Jehovah as a radical Christian sect, especially in Quebec, where they...

January 26, 1990 - Donald Marshall from 2018-01-26T07:01

Racism caused 11 years of wrongful imprisonment for Donald Marshall, judge rules. When he was 17 years old, a Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq First Nations named Donald Marshall Jr. and his friend Sandy Seale ...

January 25, 2007 - Quebec "Standards" from 2018-01-25T07:01

Quebec town adopts popular “standards” that challenge religious differences. Although in 2007 all residents of Hérouxville, Quebec had been born in Canada, the town council decided the community wo...

January 24, 1965 - Sir Winston Churchill from 2018-01-24T09:01

Sir Winston Churchill dies at age 90. Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England on November 30, 1874. Known as one of the great statesmen of the 20th century, he was als...

January 23, 1996 - Religious School Funding from 2018-01-23T09:01

funding. Susie Adler argued what she felt was a legitimate case: If Ontario fully funds Catholic and Protestant schools, why are schools that are run by other religions in the province not entitle...

January 22, 1979 - Edward Schreyer from 2018-01-22T09:01

Former Manitoba Premier Edward Schreyer becomes Canada’s governor general. Edward Schreyer was Manitoba’s NDP premier between 1969 and 1977. A strong advocate of social democratic principles, he wa...

January 21, 2004 - Juliet O'Neill from 2018-01-21T09:01

RCMP raids home of journalist Juliet O’Neill, prompting widespread condemnation. Ottawa Citizen reporter Juliet O’Neill was writing about the imprisonment and torture of Canadian Maher Arar, who sp...

January 20, 2005 - Norman Kwong from 2018-01-20T09:01

Norman L. Kwong of Calgary installed as Alberta’s 16th lieutenant governor. Norman Kwong was born in Calgary, 1929 to parents who had immigrated to Canada from China years earlier. In high school, ...

January 19, 1966 - Indira Gandhi from 2018-01-19T09:01

woman prime minister. Indira Gandhi was born into a political family. Her father, Jawaharlal Nehru, was India’s first prime minister, following independence from British rule in 1947. She was schoo...

January 18, 2001 - Robert Latimer from 2018-01-18T09:01

Supreme Court upholds Robert Latimer’s 10-year sentence for murdering daughter Tracy. When Robert Latimer killed his daughter on October 24, 1993, some called him compassionate while others called ...

January 17, 1974 - Pauline McGibbon from 2018-01-17T09:01

Ontario’s Pauline McGibbon is appointed the Commonwealth’s first woman lieutenant governor. Pauline Emily Mills was born in Sarnia, Ontario on October 20, 1910. She married her high school lov...

January 16, 1979 - Shah of Iran from 2018-01-16T09:01

Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi flees Iran as Islamic Ayatollah takes control. In 1941, Britain and the Soviet Union invaded Iran to replace the Iranian monarch, the shah of Iran, with his son, Mohammed...

January 15, 1973 - Richard Nixon from 2018-01-15T09:01

U.S. President Richard Nixon orders ceasefire in Vietnam. With the deaths of more than 900,000 North Vietnamese, 180,000 South Vietnamese, 5,000 foreign Allies and 45,000 Americans, President Richa...

January 14, 1963 - George Wallace from 2018-01-14T09:01

Segregationist George C. Wallace is sworn in as governor of Alabama. George Corley Wallace was born in Clio, Alabama in 1919 and graduated from the University of Alabama Law School in 1942. Followi...

January 13, 1984 - Ann Cools from 2018-01-13T09:01

Ann Cools becomes Canada’s first black senator. Born in Barbados in 1943, Anne Cools moved to Montreal at the age of 13. She graduated from McGill University with a bachelor of arts and worked at v...

January 12, 1959 - Helen Vanderburg Shaw from 2018-01-12T09:01

Synchronized swimmer Helen Vanderburg Shaw is born in Calgary, Alberta. Helen Vanderburg Shaw was born in Calgary, Alberta on January 12, 1959. From an early age, she showed amazing talent as a syn...

January 11, 2001 - Jehovah's Witness from 2018-01-11T09:01

B.C. Human Rights Tribunal rules that a Jehovah’s Witness not required to display Christmas décor at work. Ray Jones worked for a Victoria, B.C.’s Shoppers Drug Mart store for 16 years. As a Jehova...

January 10, 2004 - Spalding Gray from 2018-01-10T09:01

Actor, screenwriter, monologist Spalding Gray kills self during a depression. On January 10, 2004, Spalding Gray was to have flown to Aspen, Colorado from New York, but his flight was cancelled. In...

January 9, 1979 - "Fetal Viability" from 2018-01-09T09:01

U.S. Supreme Court rules that doctors, not legislators, determine “fetal viability.” The heated debate in the United States regarding the rights of fetuses and pregnant women was fought on many fr...

January 8, 1998 - Newfoundland Public Schools from 2018-01-08T09:01

Newfoundland moves into a non-denominational public school system. For many years, Newfoundland’s public school system was controlled by religious institutions. In fact, when Newfoundland joined Co...

January 7, 1991 - Frank Iacobucci from 2018-01-07T09:01

Justice Frank Iacobucci appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. Frank Iacobucci was born the son of Italian immigrants in Vancouver, British Columbia on June 29, 1937. Although he initially aspir...

January 6, 1936 - Barbara Hanley from 2018-01-06T09:01

Barbara Hanley becomes Canada’s first woman mayor. Barbara McCallum Smith was born in 1882 in Magnetewan, Ontario. She became a public school teacher, working in a few communities before settling i...

January 5, 1982 - Elizabeth Bagshaw from 2018-01-05T09:01

Elizabeth Bagshaw, one of Canada’s first women doctors, dies at age 100. Elizabeth Catherine Bagshaw was born on a farm in Victoria County, Ontario in October 1881. A bright student with an excelle...

January 4, 1932 - Moses Alexander from 2018-01-04T09:01

United States’ first Jewish governor, Moses Alexander, dies. Moses Alexander was born in 1853 in Bavaria, the youngest of eight children. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1867, settling in with two sis...

January 3, 1992 - Miss Canada Pageant from 2018-01-03T09:01

Miss Canada pageant comes to an end. The Miss Canada beauty pageant kicked off in 1946 with a swimsuit contest in Hamilton, Ontario. For years, the pageant featured only contestants from Ontario, b...

January 2, 1938 - Norman Bethune from 2018-01-02T09:01

Norman Bethune leaves Vancouver for China. Born in Gravenhurst, Ontario on March 3, 1890, Norman Bethune interrupted his education when he enlisted in World War I. Following his experience there as...

January 1, 1919 - Canadian Women Given Vote from 2018-01-01T09:01

White Canadian women given federal vote. The right to vote in Canada evolved like a two-steps-forward, one-step-back dance. The government allowed, then rescinded the vote before deciding to grant...

December 31, 2004 - "Tugboat Annie" from 2017-12-31T09:01

Lucille Johnstone, known as "Tugboat Annie," dies. Lucille Johnstone was born in 1924 in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she lived her whole life. She became a certified general accountant at a ...

December 30, 1994 - Israel and the Vatican from 2017-12-30T09:01

Israel and the Vatican establish diplomatic relations

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December 22, 2006 - Thomas Shoyama from 2017-12-22T07:01

Top Saskatchewan and Canadian bureaucrat Thomas Shoyama dies. Thomas Shoyama was born in Kamloops, British Columbia on September 24, 1916. Shoyama graduated from the University of B.C. with economi...

December 21, 2004 - Newfoundland Same-Sex Marriage from 2017-12-21T07:01

Newfoundland court brings province in line with others on same-sex marriage. As Canadian politicians debated the merits of same-sex marriage, Canada’s judges were holding up existing laws to the eq...

December 20, 1924 - Judy LaMarsh from 2017-12-20T07:01

Canadian lawyer, politician and broadcaster Judy LaMarsh is born in Chatham, Ontario. Judy Verlyn LaMarsh was born on December 20, 1924 in Chatham, Ontario and was brought up in Niagara Falls. Betw...

December 19, 1984 - Britain Hands Back Hong Kong from 2017-12-19T07:01

Margaret Thatcher hands Hong Kong back to China, effective 1997. Fearing an end to their freedoms and capitalist way of life, the six million residents of Hong Kong were hoping the British would le...

December 18, 1988 - Quebec Language Law from 2017-12-18T07:01

Quebec invokes the “notwithstanding clause” to protect French language on outdoor signs. In response to Quebecers’ concerns about the erosion of the French language in Quebec, the province introduc...

December 17, 1985 - Theresa O'Malley from 2017-12-17T07:01

Seventh Day Adventist Theresa O'Malley wins the right to take Saturdays off. Theresa O’Malley worked in ladies’ wear for the Simpsons-Sears department stores in Kingston, Ontario for a number of ye...

December 16, 2000 - Colin Powell from 2017-12-16T07:01

Colin Powell becomes first African American U.S. Secretary of State. Born in New York City, Colin Powell graduated from City College of New York in 1958 before receiving a commission as a second li...

December 15, 1973 - Mental Disorders List from 2017-12-15T07:01

American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from mental disorders list. Only after a literature review and consultation process did the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA’s) board o...

December 14, 1995 - Yugoslavia Signs Accord from 2017-12-14T07:01

Former Yugoslavia leaders sign Dayton Peace Accord. After Yugoslavia’s communist dictator Marshal Tito died in 1980, ethnic differences generated chaos. Ethnic and religious factions pitted Albania...

December 13, "unknown" - Gerrie Hammond from 2017-12-13T07:01

Manitoba politician and feminist Gerrie Hammond is born. Born Geraldine Rose McLean, Gerrie Hammond began her public service career as a member of the Manitoba Police Commission. She later served a...

December 12, 1996 - Lise Thibault from 2017-12-12T07:01

Lise Thibault becomes Quebec’s first woman lieutenant governor, and first ever in a wheelchair. In 1996, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was faced with a dilemma when his recently appointed Quebec lie...

December 11, 1994 - Russia Invades Chechnya from 2017-12-11T07:01

Russian troops invade Chechnya, sparking years of terrorism and unrest. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, many states declared independence from Russia, including Chechnya. Only three years la...

December 10, 1948 - Declaration of Human Rights from 2017-12-10T07:01

UN adopts Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Human rights has been a vital part of the United Nations’ work from the moment its charter was signed in San Francisco in 1945. Knowing what took pl...

December 9, 1992 - Marg Schott Apologizes from 2017-12-09T07:01

Cincinnati Reds’ CEO apologizes for racist comments. Marg Schott was one of baseball’s most outspoken and outrageous owners when she bought the Cincinnati Reds and became president and CEO of the t...

December 8, 1941 - Japanese Canadians rights denied from 2017-12-08T07:01

Japanese Canadians rights denied in declaration of war. Immediately following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Canada declared war against Japan, having earlier declared war on Hungary, Finl...

December 7, 1975 - Indonesia invades East Timor. from 2017-12-07T07:01

Indonesia invades East Timor. Portugal settled East Timor in the 1500s and eventually took control of the eastern end of the island in a treaty with the Dutch in 1859. During World War II, about 60...

December 6, 1989 - 14 Women Murdered in Montreal from 2017-12-06T07:01

Fourteen women murdered at Montreal’s l’École Polytechnique in Montréal. On December 6, 1989, Marc Lépine burst into an engineering class at École Polytechnique, an engineering school affiliated wi...

December 5, 2002 - U.S. Senate Leader Resigns from 2017-12-05T07:01

U.S. Senate majority leader makes racist comments, leading to resignation. At a time when Republicans controlled the White House, Senate and House of Representatives, it seemed that Senate majori...

December 4, 1961 - Britain Funds Birth Control Pill from 2017-12-04T07:01

Britain’s national health plan to fund birth control pill. British Health Minister Enoch Powell announced in the House of Commons on December 4, 1961 that the birth control pill would be made widel...

December 3, 1992 - International Day of Disabled Persons from 2017-12-03T07:01

UN declares International Day of Disabled Persons. More than a half billion people worldwide have some form of disability, and the greatest barriers they face are typically created unintentionally ...

December 2, 1989 - Audrey McLaughlin from 2017-12-02T07:55:04

Audrey McLaughlin becomes Canada’s first woman to lead a national political party. Audrey McLaughlin was born in Dutton, Ontario on November 7, 1936. The first in her family to earn a university de...

December 1, 1988 - World AIDS Day from 2017-12-01T07:01

World AIDS Day begins. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. Every year, millions of people acquire HIV, and thousands die from it daily. In January of 1988, health ministers from 140 countr...

November 30, 1952 - Jackie Robinson from 2017-11-30T06:01

Jackie Robinson charges New York Yankees with racism. U.S. baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis opposed integration of black and white players. But after his death in 1944, Brooklyn Dodger...

November 29, 1977 - Palestinian Solidarity from 2017-11-29T07:01

UN creates the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that partitioned Palestine to create an independent Je...

November 28, 1909 - Lotta Hitschmanova from 2017-11-28T07:01

November 28, 1909 Canadian humanitarian Dr. Lotta Hitschmanova is born. Many Canadians remember the voice of Lotta Hitschmanova on television commercials as she appealed for donations on behalf of ...

November 27, 1952 - Sheila Copps from 2017-11-27T07:01

Sheila Copps, Canada’s first female deputy prime minister, is born. Sheila Copps was born in Hamilton, Ontario on November 27, 1952. A year after her father completed 14 years as the city’s mayor, ...

November 26, 1968 - Race Relations Legislation from 2017-11-26T07:01

Britain improves race relations legislation. Up until the 1960s, Britain – like so many Western countries – was known for its practice of banning non-white people from public places. That changed i...

November 25, 1999 - Elimination of Violence Against Women from 2017-11-25T07:01

UN declares International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. On November 25, 1960, Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo had three political activists brutally murdered. These...

November 24, 1947 - Hollywood 10 from 2017-11-24T07:01

The Hollywood 10 jailed for contempt during the Red scare. As a U.S. Congress committee sought out “un-American activities” in the late 1940s and early 1950s, even Hollywood unions came under scrut...

November 23, 1959 - "Father of Rock and Rock" from 2017-11-23T07:01

“Father of rock and roll” fired in payola scandal while promoting black musicians. At a time when racial segregation was the norm in America, Alan Freed was promoting the music of black singers lik...

November 22, 1963 - John F. Kennedy from 2017-11-22T07:01

President John F. Kennedy assassinated in Dallas, Texas. On November 22, 1963, United States President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Texas Governor John Connally, riding in the...

November 21, 1988 - Svend Robinson from 2017-11-21T07:01

Canada’s first openly gay MP, Svend Robinson, re-elected in B.C. Svend Robinson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 4, 1952, but grew up in Burnaby, B.C. before studying science and law at ...

November 20, 1959 - Universal Children's Day from 2017-11-20T07:01

UN proclaims Universal Children’s Day. In 1954, the United Nations General Assembly encouraged all countries to create a Universal Children’s Day to celebrate children and promote their welfare. On...

November 19, 1977 - Anwar Sadat from 2017-11-19T07:01

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visits Israel. Anwar al-Sadat rose from humble beginnings to the presidency of his country, Egypt. When Egypt was locked in battle with Israel over Suez Canal rights,...

November 18, 1797 - Sojourner Truth from 2017-11-18T07:01

Preacher Sojourner Truth is born. Isabella Baumfree was born into slavery on November 18, 1797 in New York state, one of 13 children. She was first sold for $100 and subsequently sold other times b...

November 17, 1994 - Somalia Public Inquiry from 2017-11-17T07:01

Defence Minister announces a public inquiry into Somalia Peacekeepers. The Canadian Airborne Regiment was modeled after the American Green Berets – an elite fighting force, ready for deployment dur...

November 16, 1916 - Margaret Sanger from 2017-11-16T07:01

Authorities shut down Margaret Sanger’s birth control clinic permanently. As a midwife, Margaret Sanger witnessed too much mutilation and death amongst poor New York women trying to administer thei...

November 15, 1955 - Religious Freedom from 2017-11-15T07:01

Supreme Court of Canada upholds religious freedom. One Sunday afternoon in 1949, approximately 30 Jehovah’s Witnesses took part in a religious service at the house of Esymier Chaput in Chapeau, Que...

November 14, 1935 - New Nuremberg Laws from 2017-11-14T07:01

New Nuremberg laws set forth severe restrictions of the rights of Jews. At a Nazi Party convention in Nuremberg, Germany on September 15, 1935, participants adopted The Nuremberg Laws of Citizenshi...

November 13, 1956 - Rosa Parks from 2017-11-13T07:01

U.S. Supreme Court declares segregation on buses unconstitutional. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a bus run by the Montgomery Bus Co...

November 12, 1974 - UN Suspends South Africa from 2017-11-12T07:01

UN suspends South Africa from General Assembly. After years of resolutions, restrictions and embargoes against South Africa and its state-sanctioned racist system of apartheid, the United Nations w...

November 11, 1919 - Remembrance Day from 2017-11-11T07:01

Remembrance Day established the year after first world war’s end. On Monday, November 11, 1918 at 11:00 a.m., the fist world war came to an official end. The following year, the Commonwealth establ...

November 10, 1995 - Ken Saro-Wiwa from 2017-11-10T07:01

Nigeria hangs human rights activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. Kenule “Ken” Saro-Wiwa was born on October 10, 1941 in Bori, Nigeria, a member of the Ogoni ethnic minority. The homelands of the Ogoni are in the...

November 9, 1989 - Berlin Wall Comes Down from 2017-11-09T07:01

When Mikhail Gorbachev took control of the Soviet Union in 1985, he brought about change well beyond his own borders. In East Germany, the Berlin Wall symbolized the divide between East and West, f...

November 8, 1990 - Mary Robinson from 2017-11-08T07:01

Ireland elects first woman president. Mary Robinson served as an Irish senator for 20 years, simultaneously working as a civil and human rights lawyer. She ran unsuccessfully for Parliament under t...

November 7, 1967 - Everett Klippert from 2017-11-07T07:01

Supreme Court of Canada upholds decision to imprison a homosexual as a "dangerous sex offender." Everett George Klippert unwittingly woke Canadians up to injustices against homosexuals, and inspire...

November 6, 1979 - Action Travail des Femmes from 2017-11-06T08:01

Women’s group files discrimination complaint against CNR. On November 6, 1979, the Quebec group Action Travail des Femmes filed the first of 155 complaints against the Canadian National Railway (CN...

November 5, 1996 - Resignation for Wearing Swastika from 2017-11-05T06:01

Quebec’s new lieutenant governor resigns for wearing swastika during student protest. On September 12, 1996, Prime Minister Jean Chretien appointed Jean-Louis Roux as lieutenant governor for Quebec...

November 4, 1990 - Italian Canadian WW2 Internment from 2017-11-04T06:01

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney apologizes to Italian Canadians for World War II internment. While Canada’s mistreatment of Japanese Canadians before, during and after World War II became well known...

November 3, 1989 - Visitation Rights from 2017-11-03T17:47

Canadian court allows gay inmates family-visitation rights. Timothy Veysey, an inmate at the Warkworth Institution in Ontario, wanted his partner, Leslie Beau, to participate in the facility’s priv...

November 2, 1957 - Martha Black from 2017-11-02T06:01

Former Yukon MP Martha Black dies. Martha Munger, born in Chicago in 1866, left a life of privilege, as well as a husband, to join the Klondike gold rush in 1898. Her journey involved a rugged 92-k...

November 1, 1987 - René Lévesque from 2017-11-01T06:01

Separatist and former Quebec Premier René Lévesque dies. For years, French-speaking Quebecers were treated like minorities in their own province. Then the “quiet revolution” of the 1960s fuelled th...

October 31, 1997 - Treatment pf Pregnant Women from 2017-10-31T06:01

The Supreme Court of Canada refuses to force treatment on glue-sniffing pregnant woman. “Ms. G” was so addicted to glue sniffing that she was deemed unable to care for her children. All three of th...

October 30, 1957 - Women Allowed into British House of Lords from 2017-10-30T06:01

Women allowed into the House of Lords through hereditary titles. The British system of peerage for the aristocracy meant that titles and other privileges always passed from father to son. This trad...

October 29, 1969 - Immediate End to School Segregation from 2017-10-29T06:01

U.S. Supreme Court orders an immediate end to school segregation. In 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States made it clear that schools segregating blacks from whites were in the wrong. In the...

October 28, 1998 - Glen Murray from 2017-10-28T06:01

Winnipeg’s Glen Murray becomes Canada’s first openly gay mayor. Glen Murray was born in Montreal on October 27, 1957. After graduating from Concordia University in Quebec, he worked for Canada Post...

October 27, 1992 - Canadian Military to Protect Lesbians and Gay from 2017-10-27T09:01

Court ruling forces Canadian Army to protect gay and lesbian members of the military. When air-force lieutenant Michelle Douglas was forced out of the Canadian military for being a lesbian, the Fed...

October 26, 1952 - Hattie McDaniel from 2017-10-26T06:01

Hollywood’s first black Oscar-winner, Hattie McDaniel, dies. Very few African American actresses have been nominated for Academy Awards, even today. The second black woman to win an Oscar was Whoop...

October 25, 1983 - Mary Eugenia Charles from 2017-10-25T06:01

Prime Minister Eugenia Charles stands with Ronald Reagan announcing Grenada invasion. Mary Eugenia Charles was born on May 15, 1919 in the village of Pointe Michel, Dominica, an island nation of 29...

October 24, 1945 - United Nations Founded from 2017-10-24T06:01

United Nations founded. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill used the term “United Nations” in reference to the Allies fighting Germany, Italy and Japan...

October 23, 1981 - Pearl McGonigal from 2017-10-23T06:01

Pearl McGonigal named Manitoba’s first female lieutenant governor. The Honourable Pearl McGonigal was a part of the Winnipeg political scene for many years. She was the first woman elected to the S...

October 22, 1958 - Margaret Meagher from 2017-10-22T06:01

Canada appoints world’s first woman ambassador, Margaret Meagher. Margaret Meagher was a Nova Scotia teacher who entered Canada’s foreign service before women were formally allowed to do so. In fac...

October 21, 1959 - Human Rights Violations in Tibet from 2017-10-21T06:01

UN speaks out against human rights violations in Tibet. Ever since China invaded the country of Tibet in 1949, the world has been calling for Tibet’s independence. When the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s poli...

October 20, 1904 - "Father of Medicare" from 2017-10-20T06:01

Tommy Douglas, Canada’s “Father of Medicare,” is born. Tommy Douglas was born in Scotland on October 20, 1904. When he was seven, his family moved to Manitoba. As an adult, he settled in Weyburn, S...

October 19, 1995 - Mandatory Retirement from 2017-10-19T06:01

Supreme Court Upholds mandatory retirement for police. There was no question that Stratford Ontario police officer Albert Large had to retire at the age of 60; both the police board and his union h...

October 18, 1929 - Women are "Persons" from 2017-10-18T06:01

Canadian constitution finally deems women “persons” able to hold public office. Until 1929, the Canadian constitution did not regard women as “persons” under our constitution for appointment to the...

October 17, 2002 - Hitting Children from 2017-10-17T06:01

Supreme Court of Canada agrees to hear appeal of criminal exemption for hitting children. Canadian adults have protections from assault. The criminal code of Canada makes an offence of using force ...

October 16, 2000 - Claude Pattemore from 2017-10-16T06:01

Claude Pattemore was born in Athens, Ontario in 1927. In 1948, a construction explosion at work blinded and nearly killed the 21-year-old. He underwent rehabilitation in Toronto and Hamilton before...

October 15, 1993 - Mandela & de Klerk from 2017-10-15T06:01

Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. On October 15, 1993, two very different men shared the Nobel Peace Prize: former prisoner Nelson Mandela, and South African President...

October 14, 1964 - King Awarded Peace prize from 2017-10-14T06:01

Dr. Martin Luther King awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. A dedicated activist who worked to end discrimination against African Americans, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King became the symbolic leader of ...

October 13, 1984 - Kathy Sullivan from 2017-10-13T06:01

Challenger brings home the first American woman to walk in outer space. Kathy Sullivan was born October 3, 1951, in Paterson, New Jersey, but spent most of her life in California. After receiving a...

October 12, 1998 - Matthew Shephard from 2017-10-12T06:01

Victim of violent gay-bashing, Matthew Shepard dies in Laramie, Wyoming. Two male thugs with a hatred for gay men lured Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old gay freshman at the University of Wyoming, fro...

October 11, 1983 - James Keegstra from 2017-10-11T06:01

Alberta teacher James Keegstra’s license revoked for racist teachings. James Keegstra taught students at Eckville Junior-Senior High School in Alberta starting in 1968. In 1982, a parent objected t...

October 10, 1995 - Christine Silverberg from 2017-10-10T06:01

Christine Silverberg becomes the first female police chief of a major Canadian city. Christine Silverberg became the first woman police chief of a major Canadian city when she was sworn in as Calga...

October 9, 2002 - Maher Arar from 2017-10-09T06:01

Maher Arar begins ten months of detention, beatings and torture in Syrian jail. Maher Arar was born in Syria in 1970 before his family moved to Canada in 1987. He obtained bachelors and masters deg...

October 8, 1984 - Anne Murray from 2017-10-08T06:01

Anne Murray becomes the first woman and first Canadian to win a country music award. Anne Murray was one of Canada’s first country singers to gain international notoriety. Born June 20, 1945 in Spr...

October 7, 1991 - Anita Hill from 2017-10-07T06:01

Anita Hill offers to testify against U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. On October 7, 1991, a U.S. Senate judiciary committee was scheduled to meet in Washington, DC to decide on whether t...

October 6, 1917 - Fannie Lou Hamer from 2017-10-06T06:01

Mississippi’s black civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer is born. Fannie Lou Hamer – born in Montgomery County, Mississippi on October 6, 1917 – became known as the woman who was “sick and tired of...

October 5, 2000 - Robin Blencoe from 2017-10-05T06:01

Supreme Court allows B.C. cabinet minister to be fired for sexual harassment. The British Columbia government received two complaints of sexual harassment against cabinet minister Robin Blencoe: on...

October 4, 1988 - CIA Settles out of court from 2017-10-04T06:01

The U.S. CIA settled out of court with “brain-washed” Canadians. Did the U.S.’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) finance “brain-washing” experiments during the 1950s and 1960s? When nine Canadians...

October 3, 1990 - East & West Germany Reunite from 2017-10-03T06:01

East and West Germany reunite. After World War II, Germany was divided into four zones controlled by the United States, Britain, France and the Soviet Union. In 1949, however, the Western countries...

October 2, 1958 - Guinea Declares Independence from 2017-10-02T06:01

Guinea declares total independence from France. When the French colony of Guinea declared independence from France on October 2, 1958, both the U.S. and the Soviet Union eyed it as a place to exert...

October 1, 1951 - Charlotte Whitton from 2017-10-01T06:01

Dr. Charlotte Whitton becomes Canada’s first full-time woman mayor. Dr. Charlotte Whitton joined politics after a distinguished career as an academic at Queen’s University. An expert on child welfa...

September 30, 1993 - Sue Rodriguez from 2017-09-30T15:01

Sue Rodriguez loses bid for legally sanctioned assisted suicide. In August 1991, a Vancouver a doctor told Sue Rodriguez that she had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disea...

September 29, 1988 - UN Peacekeepers from 2017-09-29T06:01

UN Peacekeepers awarded Nobel Peace Prize. The United Nations attempts to settle, or support those who are trying to settle, conflicts as they arise in various parts of the world. Part of that proc...

September 28, 1996 - Taliban Takes Control from 2017-09-28T06:01

Taliban take control of Kabul and most of Afghanistan. In the early 1980s, America’s Central Intelligence Agency and Pakistan’s Interservices Intelligence Agency supported any group fighting the So...

September 27, 1991 - Ukrainian Canadians from 2017-09-27T06:01

Ottawa acknowledges its unjust treatment of Ukrainian Canadians during World War I. When World War I started, the Canadian government worried about the allegiance of Canadian citizens who had come ...

September 26, 2002 - Spouse's Status from 2017-09-26T06:01

Can’t fire an employee based on spouse’s status, Saskatchewan’s top court rules. Heather Ennis was hired to manage the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Elks Club – then she was fired two weeks later whe...

September 25, 1957 - 1000 Soldiers from 2017-09-25T06:01

One thousand soldiers escort nine black students into Little Rock Central High. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregating schools based on race was unconstitutional. Just days later th...

September 24, 1993 - Please Lift Sanctions from 2017-09-24T06:01

Nelson Mandela asks the UN to lift sanctions against South Africa. When Nelson Mandela addressed the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, 1993, he boldly asked the world to lift sanctio...

September 23, 1992 - Manon Rheaume from 2017-09-23T06:01

Manon Rheaume becomes the first woman to play for the NHL. Manon Rheaume was born in Lac Beauport, Quebec on February 24, 1972. She began skating at the age of three and joined hockey games as a go...

September 22, 1988 - Prime Minister Apologizes from 2017-09-22T06:01

Prime Minister Brian Mulroney apologizes to Japanese Canadians. During World War II, the Canadian government moved Japanese Canadians away from the west coast, confiscated their land without compen...

September 21, 1918 - Kay Rex from 2017-09-21T06:01

Early Canadian female reporter Kay Rex born in Woodstock. Kathleen Amelia Rex was born on September 21, 1918 in Woodstock, Ontario. “Kay,” as she was called, had an interest in writing from a young...

September 20, 1973 - Billie Jean KIng from 2017-09-20T06:01

Billie Jean King wins “battle of the sexes” in tennis. No woman player was a match for him, declared 55 year-old tennis star Bobby Riggs. His overtly chauvinist claim drew an estimated 50 million v...

September 19, 1893 - Kate Sheppard from 2017-09-19T06:01

New Zealand becomes first country to grant women the vote. Although women in Wyoming and Utah were allowed to vote starting in 1869 and 1870 respectively, New Zealand was the first country to grant...

September 18, 2003 - Collective Workplace Agreements from 2017-09-19T06:01

Workplace collective agreements must be based on human rights legislation, Canadian Supreme Court rules. When Joanne O’Brien went on maternity leave before she’d completed her probationary work per...

September 16, 1974 - Women RCMP Officers from 2017-09-17T06:01

RCMP swears in 32 women police officers. One of Canada’s most notable icons is the Mountie – and people expect to see a man. Traditionally, of course, Mounties were male. But the RCMP, like all wor...

September 17, 1987 - Japanese Compensation from 2017-09-17T06:01

during World War II. After the Japanese bombed the American naval fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941, the American government and military became concerned about the loyalties of its...

September 15, 1999 - Louise Arbour from 2017-09-15T06:01

Louise Arbour appointed to Supreme Court before heading world human rights. Louise Arbour was born on February 10, 1947 in Montreal, Quebec. Her distinguished career started at the University of Mo...

September 14, 1936 - Dorothy Palmer from 2017-09-14T06:01

Dorothea Palmer arrested for distributing information on birth control. In the early 1900s, Canadian women had no access to information about birth control. Most religious and medical leaders even ...

September 13, 1990 - Religious protections from 2017-09-13T06:01

Canada’s Supreme Court expands religious protections. Easter Monday is an important religious day for members of the Worldwide Church of God. So one of those members, Jim Christie, felt it was reas...

September 12, 1920 - Alice Stebbins Wells from 2017-09-12T06:01

Alice Stebbins Wells becomes first American police woman with the power to arrest. In 1909, Alice Stebbins Wells petitioned Los Angeles Mayor George Alexandra and the city council to allow women to...

September 11, 1975 - Nicole Juteau from 2017-09-11T06:01

Nicole Juteau becomes Quebec’s first woman provincial constable. Nicole Juneau was born in Laval in 1954 to a father who was a fire fighter. Her desire to do police work was not easy to fulfill, as...

September 10, 1939 - Canada Declares War from 2017-09-10T06:01

Canada declares war on Germany. Soon after Hitler secured a non-aggression pact with Russia, he invaded Poland. The British and French governments reacted by issuing an ultimatum to Germany to with...

September 9, 1953 - "Operation Snatch" from 2017-09-09T06:01

“Operation Snatch” takes Doukhobor children from their families. In 1899, Russia decided to rid itself of the Doukhobors, a pacifist religious sect that refused to serve in the Russian Army. Many D...

September 8, 1965 - International Literacy Day from 2017-09-08T06:01

International Literacy Day is established. Literacy does more than boost citizens’ working credentials; it benefits their personal growth and financial well-being. Hoping to persuade countries to e...

September 7, 1943 - Beverly McLachlin from 2017-09-07T06:01

Madam Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin is born. Beverly McLachlin was born in Pincher Creek, Alberta on September 7, 1943. Before becoming a law professor at the University of British Columbia in 19...

September 6, 1870 - Louisa Ann Swain from 2017-09-06T06:01

Louisa Ann Swain becomes first U.S. woman to vote in nearly a century. Except for a brief period of New Jersey’s history around 1807 – a constitutional loophole quickly closed, rather than a progre...

September 5, 1972 - Terrorists Raid Olympics from 2017-09-05T06:01

Palestinian terrorists raid Munich Olympics and kill 11 Israeli athletes. On September 5, 1972, 11 days into the 1972 summer Olympic Games in Munich, eight Palestinians raided the Israeli team head...

September 4, 1986 - Jacques Marchand from 2017-09-04T06:01

School board required to pay costs for French language dispute. The two daughters of Jacques Marchand attended French language schools in Penetanguishene, Ontario. Four primary schools served the t...

September 3, 2002 - Mukhtar Mai from 2017-09-03T06:01

Mukhtar Mai uses compensation money after vicious attack to establish schools. On June 22, 2002, a 13-year-old boy named Abdul Shakoor was abducted from his home in Pakistan due to allegations from...

September 2, 1998 - Rwandan mayor from 2017-09-03T02:13

Rwandan mayor takes brunt of international tribunal’s first genocide conviction. Although the United Nations Genocide Convention was established in 1948, not until 1998 did an international tribuna...

September 1, 1951 - Nellie McClung from 2017-09-01T06:01

Pioneer Canadian suffragist Nellie McClung dies. One of Canada’s most famous champions of women’s rights, Nellie McClung died in Victoria, B.C. on September 1, 1951. McClung was born Nellie Letitia...

August 31, 1977 - End White Rule from 2017-08-31T06:01

Pledge to end white rule wins Rhodesia Prime Minister Ian Smith a landslide victory. White rule of Rhodesia started in 1889 with British colonization by businessman Cecil John Rhodes. Eventually, i...

August 30, 1967 - Thurgood Marshall from 2017-08-30T06:01

Thurgood Marshall becomes first African American Supreme Court justice. Thurgood Marshall wanted to be a dentist but ended up a U.S. Supreme Court judge. Born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 2, 1908...

August 29, 1991 - Aboriginal Justice System from 2017-08-29T06:01

Aboriginals need separate justice system, says Manitoba inquiry. Questionable circumstances surrounding the 1971 murder of Betty Osborne, a First Nations woman in The Pas, Manitoba, prompted concer...

August 28, 1963 - "I Have a Dream" from 2017-08-28T06:01

Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his “I have a dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. When U.S. President John F. Kennedy proposed the Civil Rights Bill to Congress, Southern representa...

August 27, 1973 - Jeannette Lavell & Yvonne Bedard from 2017-08-27T06:01

When Indian women marry non-Indians, they lose band rights, Supreme Court rules. Jeannette Lavell and Yvonne Bedard were both deprived of their Indian status when they married non-Indian men. The I...

August 26, 1920 - 19th Amendment to U.S. Constitution from 2017-08-26T06:01

The 19th amendment gives American women the vote. In July 1848, approximately 260 women and 40 men met in Seneca Falls, New York “to discuss the social, civil and religious condition and rights of ...

August 25, 1944 - Allies Liberate Paris from 2017-08-25T06:01

Allies liberate Paris from Nazis. On June 6, 1944 – later known as D-Day – British, American and Canadian soldiers stormed five beaches along Normandy, France. Initially, Canadian soldiers encounte...

August 24, 1954 - Communist Control Act from 2017-08-24T06:01

McCarthyism era. The United States’ short-lived alliance with the Soviet Union to defeat the Nazis chilled once World War II ended. And that chill turned into fears of communism throughout the worl...

August 23, 1939 - Soviet & Nazi Non-Agression Pact from 2017-08-23T06:01

Soviets and Nazis sign a non-aggression pact that leads to World War II. World War I came to a close with Germany signing the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919. Many a historian has written about t...

August 22, 1965 - David "Brenda" Reimer from 2017-08-22T06:01

David Reimer, raised as “Brenda,” is born. Twins Bruce and Brian were born to Ron and Janet Reimer on August 22, 1965 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Six months later, when a failed circumcision severely da...

August 21, 1990 - Gay & Lesbian Ordination from 2017-08-21T06:01

United Church of Canada reaffirms the ordination of gay & lesbian ministers. In 1972, the United church’s general council commissioned a study on human sexuality that went toward helping its me...

August 20, 1869 - Real Klondike Kate from 2017-08-20T06:01

Katherine Ryan, “the real Klondike Kate,” is born in New Brunswick. When people think of Klondike Kate, they conjure up images of a dance-hall entertainer or gold mine prostitute. The real Klondik...

August 19, 1965 - Auschwitz Officials Guilty from 2017-08-19T06:01

Trials find 17 former Auschwitz SS officials and guards guilty. During World War II, Nazi Germany had dozens of prisons, often referred to as “camps” in various countries. They were used to hold pr...

August 18, 1963 - James Meredith from 2017-08-18T10:01

James Meredith becomes first African American student to graduate from the University of Mississippi. After many years in the military and two years at the all-black Jackson State College, James Me...

August 17, 1962 - Berlin Wall from 2017-08-17T06:01

Berlin Wall casualty rate reaches 50 as another German tries to jump it. In 1961, the Soviet Union-controlled government of East Germany built the Berlin Wall as a “barrier to Western imperialism.”...

August 16, 1980 - Lois Wilson from 2017-08-16T06:01

The United Church of Canada appoints its first woman moderator, Lois Wilson. Born April 8, 1927, Lois Wilson attained her bachelor of arts and bachelor of divinity degrees from United College in Wi...

August 15, 1947 - India Gains Independence from 2017-08-15T07:01

India gains independence. India came under direct British rule in 1858, following a failed uprising. From that point forward, citizens’ resentment grew towards the rulers; the Indian people wanted ...

August 14, 1980 - Polish Workers Strike from 2017-08-14T06:01

Polish workers stage a massive strike for rights. In the 1970s, Poland was part of the Soviet Bloc, but its citizens had a knack for flexing their political muscle in a way that distressed Russians...

August 13, 1992 - No Forced Prayers from 2017-08-13T06:01

Children can’t be forced to pray in school, Manitoba court rules. In 1986, Chris Tait was given a week’s suspension at Macgregor High School in Manitoba for refusing to stand during the Lord’s Pray...

August 12, 1930 - Gwen O'Soup Crane from 2017-08-12T07:01

Canada’s first woman aboriginal chief, Gwen O’Soup Crane, was born. Gwendolyn Lucy O’Soup was born on August 12, 1930 in the Key First Nation, Saskatchewan, a small community 220 kms northeast of R...

August 11, 1931 - Tim Buck from 2017-08-11T06:01

Canadian Communist Party leader Tim Buck arrested for left-wing beliefs. Not many politicians hold a post for 35 years, but Timothy Buck did exactly that. Born on January 6, 1891 in England, the ma...

August 10, 1960 - Canadian Bill of Rights from 2017-08-10T06:01

Queen approves Canadian Bill of Rights. The Canadian Bill of Rights became law under Progressive Conservative Prime Minister John Diefenbaker on August 10, 1960. It protected human rights based on ...

August 9, 1994 - Indigenous People from 2017-08-09T06:01

UN urges world to recognize issues of indigenous people. Every August 9th, the United Nations celebrates indigenous people’s rights. The designation grew from the formation of a UN working committe...

August 8, 1988 - 1000 Students Killed from 2017-08-08T06:01

More than 1,000 protesting students in Rangoon killed by Burma’s military. Burma, today called Myanmar, is a country with a long history of political turmoil. The last outsiders to rule the country...

August 7, 1946 - Booker T. Washington from 2017-08-07T06:01

Commemorative coin honours black activist Booker T. Washington. Booker T. Washington was born into slavery on April 5, 1856 in Hales Ford, Virginia. When his family was freed in April 1865 by the E...

August 6, 1945 - Hiroshima from 2017-08-06T06:01

Americans drop atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Although the war in Europe ended in May 1945, it continued to rage in Asia. The Allies expected to win, but knew it would take a long time and involv...

August 5, 1940 - Camilien Houde from 2017-08-05T06:01

Montreal Mayor Camilien Houde arrested for sedition. While most Canadians take pride in the role their country played during both world wars, many Quebecers saw the wars as unnecessary British colo...

August 4, 2005 - Michaëlle Jean Becomes Governor General from 2017-08-04T06:01

Michaëlle Jean becomes Canada’s first black governor general. Michaëlle Jean was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti in 1957. When Jean was 10 years old, her father was arrested and tortured for his oppo...

August 3, 1966 - South Africa Bans the Beatles from 2017-08-03T19:18

John Lennon’s comments get Beatle records banned in South Africa. Sometimes artists joined governments and human rights organizations in pressuring the South African government to end its apartheid...

August 2, 1988 - Rekindle the Light Festival from 2017-08-02T06:01

Commonwealth foreign ministers join festival seeking to end apartheid. Canada was actively involved in proposing sanctions against South Africa for its apartheid system, which legally denied basic ...

August 1, 1885 - Louis Riel from 2017-08-01T06:01

Métis leader Louis Riel found guilty of treason. Louis Riel was born in the Red River settlement of St. Boniface on October 22, 1844. The young Métis returned there in 1868 after studies in Montrea...

July 31, 1941 - Final Solution from 2017-07-31T06:01

Hermann Goering initiates “final solution” plan for Europe’s “Jewish question.” Under Nazi control, the Jews of Europe suffered increasing hardship. Many were enslaved and killed, but Hitler’s ulti...

July 30, 1992 - Preferential Treatment of Married Men from 2017-07-30T06:01

Preferential treatment of married men violates human rights, says Ontario court. It’s not easy persuading senior employees with families to work in remote job locations, but three engineering and c...

July 29, 2004 - Ugandan Atrocities from 2017-07-29T06:01

International criminal court investigates Ugandan atrocities. The Republic of Uganda in east Africa has been affected by the violence of military dictatorships of one kind or another since its inde...

July 28, 1755 - Acadians Deported from 2017-07-28T06:01

Nova Scotia governor orders French-speaking Acadians deported. French people first landed in Acadia – later to become Nova Scotia – in 1604. In 1713, the English took control of the territory under...

July 27, 1962 - Martin Luther King Jr. Arrested from 2017-07-27T06:01

Anti-segregation protests get Martin Luther King Jr. arrested in Georgia. Future Nobel prize winner Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. His work as a Baptist pr...

July 26, 1940 - Alexander Denny from 2017-07-26T06:01

Mi’kmaq leader Alexander Denny is born. Alexander Denny was born July 26, 1940 on the Eskasoni reserve of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, where he became an elder, activist and teacher of his peop...

July 25, 1943 - Benito Mussolini from 2017-07-25T06:01

Italian king arrests Benito Mussolini. On October 31, 1922, Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini became Italy’s youngest prime minister. King Victor Emmanuel III appointed him to prevent civil war betw...

July 24, 1967 - "Vivre Le Quebec Libre!" from 2017-07-24T06:01

French President Charles de Gaulle shouts “Vivre le Quebec libre!” in Montreal. In 1967, Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson invited French President Charles de Gaulle to Canada on a journey ...

July 23, 1914 - Komagata Maru from 2017-07-23T06:01

Ship defying discriminatory Canadian immigration law turned back. The first East Indians to enter Canada suffered hardship and racism sharpened by a concerted effort to keep them out. In 1910, the ...

July 22, 1965 - Ernest and Cornelia Bergsma from 2017-07-22T06:01

Ontario Court of Appeal grants citizenship to Dutch atheists Ernest and Cornelia Bergsma. Dutch immigrants Ernest and Cornelia Bergsma had been living in Canada for nine years when they applied to ...

July 21, 1960 - Sirima Bandaranaike from 2017-07-21T06:01

Ceylon introduces world’s first woman prime minister, Sirima Bandaranaike. When Ceylon’s prime minister was assassinated in 1959, his wife Sirima Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike took the helm of her hus...

July 20, 1991 - Rita Johnston from 2017-07-20T06:01

Rita Johnson becomes Canada's first woman premier. Rita Johnston was born in Melville, Saskatchewan on April 22, 1935. After moving to Surrey, British Columbia, she and her husband operated a mobil...

July 19, 1994 - Rwanda Government from 2017-07-19T06:01

Rwanda forms new, multi-ethnic government in wake of slaughter. When the Dutch colonized Rwanda in 1916, they favoured the minority Tutsis over the majority Hutus, giving the Tutsis better jobs and...

July 18, 1979 - Vietnamese "Boat People" from 2017-07-18T06:01

Canada accepts immigration of 50,000 Vietnamese “boat people.” Two years after the Vietnam war ended, the country’s communist government began stripping the rights of its ethnic Chinese citizens. H...

July 17, 1991 - "Cruel and Unusual" Conditions from 2017-07-17T06:01

Jailed youths in Toronto subjected to “cruel and unusual” conditions, court rules. On April 19, 1990, an incident took place at a holding cell in Toronto, Ontario that resulted in three youths bein...

July 16, 1880 - Emily Howard Stowe from 2017-07-16T06:01

Emily Howard Stowe becomes Canada’s first licensed woman doctor. Emily Stowe was born in Norwich, Ontario in 1831 to parents of the Quaker faith who believed strongly in the equality of men and wom...

July 15, 1960 - Harry Jerome from 2017-07-15T06:01

Harry Jerome sets world record for 100 metre race in Saskatoon. Henry “Harry” Winston Jerome was born on September 30, 1940 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. When he was 12, his family moved to North...

July 14, 1976 - Canada Abolishes Capital Punishment from 2017-07-14T06:01

Canadian Parliament abolishes capital punishment. Between 1867 and 1962, Canada executed 710 criminals, while commuting the death sentences of another 400 to life in prison. As early as 1914, parli...

July 13, 1960 - JFK Nominated President from 2017-07-13T06:01

John F. Kennedy is nominated first Catholic U.S. president. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born to Rose and Joseph Kennedy in Brookline, Massachusetts on May 29, 1917, one of nine children. After grad...

July 12, 1960 - Louis Joseph Robichaud from 2017-07-12T06:01

Louis Joseph Robichaud becomes first Elected Acadian premier of New Brunswick. Louis Robichaud was born into a large Acadian family on October 21, 1925 in the village of Saint-Antoine, New Brunswic...

July 11, 1906 - Lord's Day Act from 2017-07-11T06:01

No business on Sundays as Canada’s Senate Passes Lord’s Day Act. Canada’s early immigrants were mostly Christians whose biblical beliefs led them to shun work on Sundays, the religion’s Sabbath. Ev...

July 10, 1920 - Sister Sally Liota from 2017-07-10T06:01

Sister Sally Liota, supporter of Canadian immigrants to Halifax, is born. Salvatrice (Sally) Liota was born on July 10, 1920 in Hamilton, Ontario. Her parents had left Italy years before, coming th...

July 9, 1969 - Officially Bilingual from 2017-07-09T06:01

Royal Assent means Canada goes officially bilingual. For generations, the power struggle between Canada’s Anglophones and Francophones proved a divisive force. Canada was founded, of course, by peo...

July 8, 1974 - Andy Hogan from 2017-07-08T06:01

Roman Catholic priest Andy Hogan becomes Canadian MP. An economist and Roman Catholic priest before entering politics, Andrew Hogan was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia on October 28, 1923. The New D...

July 7, 1981 - Sandra Day O'Connor from 2017-07-07T06:01

Sandra Day O’Connor becomes first woman appointed to U.S. Supreme Court. The daughter of Arizona ranch owners, Sandra Day was born on March 26, 1930 in El Paso, Texas and educated by a mother and g...

July 6, 1942 - Anne Frank from 2017-07-06T06:01

Jewish diarist Anne Frank and her family hide from Nazis in Amsterdam. Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929 to parents Otto and Edith Frank. After Anne and her older sister Margot were born in Germ...

July 5, 1997 - Sarah McLachlan from 2017-07-05T06:01

First all-women’s Lilith Fair concert opened by Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan. God created Eve only after Adam’s first wife, Lilith, stomped out of the Garden of Eden to protest Adam’s order that...

July 4, 1939 - Lou Gehrig Day from 2017-07-04T06:01

Yankee Stadium holds Lou Gehrig Day to honour baseball star affected by ALS. Lou Gehrig went to Columbia University on a football scholarship, but it was his baseball talents that inspired the New ...

July 3, 1964 - Civil Rights Act from 2017-07-03T06:01

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the U.S. Civil Rights Act. President John F. Kennedy’s 1960 campaign for a new American civil rights act met with such heavy opposition from Southern Democrats, it...

July 2, 1974 - Ralph Steinhauer from 2017-07-02T06:01

Ralph Steinhauer becomes Alberta’s first aboriginal lieutenant governor. Ralph Garvin Steinhauer was born June 8, 1905 in Morley, Alberta, which at that time was part of the Northwest Territories. ...

July 1, 1983 - Canada Day from 2017-07-01T06:01

Dominion Day becomes Canada Day. Almost a year after Canada became a federal country, Governor General Lord Monck called for a celebratory day. Years later, July 1st became known as Dominion Day. I...

June 30, 1923 - Chinese Immigration Act from 2017-06-30T06:01

Chinese Immigration Act aimed at excluding Chinese immigrants gets royal nod. Since Chinese immigrants were seen as cheap labour, some politicians feared that if B.C. had too many of them, it could...

June 29, 1969 - Stonewall Riots from 2017-06-29T06:01

End to New York’s Stonewall Riots heralds start of modern gay rights. Before the 1970s, the sexual activities of American gays and lesbians were either illegal or socially shunned. Few legal protec...

June 28, 2004 - Steven Fletcher from 2017-06-28T06:01

Steven Fletcher becomes Canada’s first quadriplegic elected to House of Commons. Steven Fletcher was born on June 17, 1972 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where his father was working as an engineer. Fl...

June 27, 2002 - Multiculturalism Day from 2017-06-27T06:01

Canada proclaims Multiculturalism Day. While the United States prides itself on being a “melting pot,” Canadians prefer the term “mosaic” when boasting of the country’s multicultural nature. Canada...

June 26, 1893 - Clara Brett Martin from 2017-06-26T06:01

Clara Brett Martin becomes “student-at-law” with Toronto law firm. Clara Brett Martin was born in Toronto in 1874, the youngest of 12 children. Along with her siblings, Martin was schooled at home ...

June 25, 1993 - Kim Campbell from 2017-06-25T06:01

Kim Campbell named Canada’s first woman prime minister. Avril Phaedra Douglas Campbell was born in Port Alberni, British Columbia on March 10, 1947. She changed her name to Kim when she was just 12...

June 24, 1834 - St. Jean Baptiste Day from 2017-06-24T06:01

Quebec’s Saint Jean Baptiste Day gets its origins. The pagan celebrations of the summer solstice turned into a religious celebration during the reign of King Clovis of France in the 5th century. He...

June 23, 1990 - Elijah Harper from 2017-06-23T06:01

Aboriginal Manitoba MLA Elijah Harper stops controversial Meech Lake Accord. In 1981, the Canadian federal and provincial governments agreed to take control of their own constitution, find a way to...

June 22, 1906 - Anne Morrow Lindbergh from 2017-06-22T06:01

Aviator and writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh is born. Anne Morrow – born on June 22, 1906, in Englewood, New Jersey – met the famous aviator Charles Lindbergh while her father was ambassador to Mexico....

June 21, 1996 - National Aboriginal Day from 2017-06-21T06:01

Canada’s governor general proclaims National Aboriginal Day. Canada’s aboriginal population has experienced many hardships, and typically found its own celebrations ignored by most non-aboriginals....

June 20, 2006 - Mayann Francis from 2017-06-20T06:01

Mayann Francis becomes Nova Scotia’s first black Lieutenant-Governor. Mayann Francis was born in the Whitney Pier district near Sydney on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. As an adult, she received ...

June 19, 2003 - Ukrainian Genocide from 2017-06-19T06:01

Canada urged to recognize Ukrainian famine of 1932-33 as genocide. In 1932, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin starved millions of Ukrainians to death in his quest to force his farm collectives scheme on ...

June 18, 1983 - Sally Ride from 2017-06-18T06:01

Sally Ride becomes first woman on a space shuttle mission. Sally Ride was born in Los Angeles, California on May 26, 1951. After attaining her bachelor of science, bachelor of arts, masters of scie...

June 17, 1963 - Mandatory Bible Readings from 2017-06-17T06:01

U.S. Supreme Court outlaws mandatory Bible reading and prayer in public schools. For years, many American public schools held Bible readings and prayer sessions, some of which were mandatory, and s...

June 16, 1976 - 152 Children - Soweto from 2017-06-16T06:01

152 children killed during peaceful demonstration in Soweto, South Africa. During South Africa’s years of white minority rule under its apartheid system, many people protested the inhumane and disc...

June 15, 1988 - Pregnancy Discrimination from 2017-06-15T06:01

Supreme Court hears case to decide if pregnancy discrimination is sex discrimination. Stella Bliss went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada when she was denied benefits under the Unemploymen...

June 14, 2007 - Chinese Slaves from 2017-06-14T06:01

Chinese police announce recovery of hundreds of slaves. In the communist regime of China, where dissent is given short shrift and freedom of the press is anything but, the internet has proven to be...

June 13, 1986 - Henry Vlug from 2017-06-13T06:01

Henry Vlug called to the bar, becoming Canada’s first deaf lawyer. Henry Vlug was born in 1944 in Nieuwer Amstel, Netherlands. He moved to Powell River, B.C. in 1952. He became deaf just before gra...

June 12, 1984 - Catholic Schools from 2017-06-12T06:01

Ontario Premier William Davis announces full funding for Catholic schools. While Canada’s constitution has long allowed for some public schools to serve Quebec’s Protestant and Ontario’s Catholic c...

June 11, 1969 - Special Olympics from 2017-06-11T06:01

Canada holds first Special Olympics to inspire fitness and competition amongst mentally disabled. Research in the early 1960s showed that mentally disabled children were only half as fit as non-dis...

June 10, 1957 - Douglas Jung from 2017-06-10T06:01

Douglas Jung becomes Canada’s first Chinese Canadian member of Parliament. Douglas Jung was born in Victoria, British Columbia on February 24, 1924. Following World War II service in the Pacific Co...

June 9, 1793 - Canada Partially Abolishes Slavery from 2017-06-09T06:01

Upper Canada partially abolishes slavery. Canada, like other Western countries in the 18th century, allowed its citizens to own slaves. In fact, for many Canadians, slave ownership was fashionable,...

June 8, 2006 - David Ahenakew from 2017-06-08T06:01

Ruling overturned for disgraced aboriginal leader David Ahenakew. David Ahenakew was a distinguished member of the Saskatchewan First Nations community. He’d given years of service at the helm of t...

June 7, 1939 - Captain Gustav Schroeder from 2017-06-07T06:01

Captain of St. Louis informs Jewish passengers they must return to Europe. In Germany on November 9 and 10, 1938, Nazi troops went on a rampage, killing 91 Jews, arresting 30,000, sending many to c...

June 6, 1829 - Shanawdithit from 2017-06-06T06:01

Shanawdithit, Newfoundland’s last surviving Beothuk aboriginal, dies. Hundreds of years before European settlers arrived, groups of aboriginals crossed the Strait of Belle Isle to live in what beca...

June 5, 1972 - World Environment Day from 2017-06-05T06:01

United Nations creates World Environment Day. In response to growing concern about the planet’s sustainability, the United Nations held the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment from June 5...

June 4, 1919 - Susan B. Anthony & Lucretia Mott from 2017-06-04T08:01

U.S. Senate gives women the vote. It was in 1848 that American suffragists Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott first proposed that women be able to vote. Little did they know it would take seven dec...

June 3, 1989 - Tiananmen Square from 2017-06-03T08:01

Chinese government deploys troops that massacre citizens in Tiananmen Square. In 1981, Hu Yaobang became China’s leader when he was appointed the Communist Party’s general secretary. Hu was deposed...

June 2, 1924 - Native American Citizenship from 2017-06-02T08:01

U.S. Congress grants Native Americans citizenship. Native Americans were deprived of most of the rights that non-native Americans took for granted. Worse, they were resettled on unproductive land. ...

June 1, 2001 - Stephen Lewis from 2017-06-01T08:01

Canada's Stephen Lewis appointed UN special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa. Stephen Lewis was born into a politically active family on November 11, 1937. His father, David Lewis, led the federal New ...

May 31, 1988 - Tobacco Control Act from 2017-05-31T08:01

Tobacco advertising and smoking in federal buildings slapped with severe restrictions. Canadians’ addiction to cigarettes has been well documented for generations. However, tobacco companies’ money...

May 30, 1926 - Christine Jorgensen from 2017-05-30T08:01

Transsexual American celebrity is born. George William Jorgensen was born to Danish American parents on May 30, 1926, in the Bronx, New York. After graduating from Christopher Columbus High School ...

May 29, 1948 - First UN Peacekeeping from 2017-05-29T08:01

First United Nations peacekeeping operation leads to annual day of recognition. The United Nations officially came into existence on October 24, 1945. Its Universal Declaration of Human Rights, rat...

May 28, 1961 - Amnesty International from 2017-05-28T08:01

Amnesty International begins with simple letter-writing campaign. British lawyer Peter Benenson was horrified when he read a story about two Portuguese students sentenced to seven years in jail for...

May 27, 1990 - Suu Kyi from 2017-05-27T08:01

Burma’s military dictatorship refuses to recognize landslide election results. Aung San Suu Kyi was born on June 19, 1945 to Ma Khin Kyi and General Aung San, a commander in the Burmese Independenc...

May 26, 1989 - Gay Marriage Rights from 2017-05-26T08:01

Denmark becomes first country to legalize gay and lesbian relationships. Gay men, lesbians and bisexuals have been breaking down barriers for decades, especially in Western nations. Many countries ...

May 25, 1995 - James Egan & John Nesbit from 2017-05-25T08:01

Gay couple denied spousal benefits, but sexual orientation added to charter protections. James Egan and John Nesbit were a gay couple that had lived together since 1948. In 1986, when Egan reached ...

May 24, 1924 - Chief Peguis from 2017-05-24T06:01:14

Chief Peguis honoured with monument erected in Winnipeg’s Kildonan Park. Chief Peguis was born in 1774 near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. At age 16, the young leader resettled his Saulteaux tribe wher...

May 23, 1997 - Liam Donnelly from 2017-05-23T06:01:04

University swim coach wrongfully loses his job for sexual harassment.On May 23, 1997, Simon Fraser University (SFU) fired swim coach Liam Donnelly for “severe sexual harassment” against student Rac...

May 22, 1987 - Rick Hansen from 2017-05-22T06:01:32

Rick Hansen completes his Man in Motion world tour.Rick Hansen was 15 years old the summer of 1973 when an automobile accident left him a paraplegic. Despite the setback, Hansen went on to become a...

May 21, 1961 - Freedom Riders from 2017-05-21T06:01:07

Marshall law imposed in Alabama after “freedom riders” attacks.When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a White man in 1955, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public transit wa...

May 20, 1932 - Amelia Earhart from 2017-05-20T06:01:06

Amelia Earhart begins solo flight across the Atlantic.Amelia Earhart was born on July 24, 1897 in Atchison, Kansas, later moving to California. Six months after her first flying lesson she bought h...

May 19, 1993 - Janice Berg from 2017-05-19T06:01:07

Supreme Court of Canada says mentally challenged deserve same services.In 1979, Janice Berg was accepted into the master’s program in the School of Family and Nutritional Sciences at the University...

May 18, 2000 - Southern Baptist Convention from 2017-05-18T06:01:33

No women pastors for us, say U.S. Southern Baptists.The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) was founded in Augusta, Georgia in 1845. One hundred and fifty years later, with 16 million members in more...

May 17, 2001 - Trinity Western University from 2017-05-17T06:01:14

Supreme Court upholds Christian university’s right to train teachers with an anti-homosexual bias.Trinity Western University is a private institution in Langley, B.C. associated with the Evangelica...

May 16, 1987 - Douglas Parisian from 2017-05-16T06:01:15

Restaurants not required to allow guide dogs in, case rules.
Douglas Parisian, accompanied by his guide dog Iggy, attempted to have lunch in Winnipeg’s Hermes restaurant on June 19, 1985. Located n...

May 15, 1919 - Winnipeg General Strike from 2017-05-15T06:01:49

Winnipeg general strike begins 40 days of social unrest.Canadian soldiers returned from World War I to find war factories shutting down and bankruptcies triggering massive unemployment and rapid in...

May 14, 2004 - Fahima Osman from 2017-05-14T06:01:39

Fahima Osman becomes first Somali doctor trained in Canada.Fahima Osman was born in 1978, one of nine children born to Somalians Adam and Zahra Osman. She was 11 when her family, like thousands of ...

May 13, 1959 - Barclay's Motel from 2017-05-13T06:01:10

“Coloured” Albertan is refused hotel room.On May 13, 1959, a young man trying to reach a friend phoned Barclay’s Motel in Calgary, only to be told, “We don’t allow coloured people here.” What the h...

May 12, 1820 - Florence Nightingale from 2017-05-12T15:01:38

Florence Nightingale, nurse and mathematician, is born in Florence, Italy.Her British parents were touring Europe when Florence Nightingale was born in Florence, Italy on May 12, 1820. Early on, th...

May 11, 1958 - Ellen Fairclough from 2017-05-11T06:01:07

Canada’s first woman federal cabinet minister completes her first portfolio.Ellen Fairclough was born in Hamilton, Ontario on January 28, 1905. As an adult she ran her own accountancy business for ...

May 10, 1995 - Andre Cyr and Todd Armstrong from 2017-05-10T06:01:46

Ontario Court allows gay couple to adopt non-biological child.André Cyr and his same-sex partner Todd Armstrong wanted to be legal parents of children, but Ontario’s Child and Family Services Act (...

May 9, 2003 - Barbara Turnbull from 2017-05-09T06:01:31

Toronto cinemas ordered to become wheelchair accessible.When Toronto’s major cinema chain, Famous Players, decided not to make all its facilities wheelchair accessible, it excluded Barbara Turnbull...

May 8, 1945 - VE Day from 2017-05-08T06:01:13

Victory in Europe Day (VE-Day) commemorates World War II’s end in Europe.Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, and with his band of Nazi thugs and murderers, gradually turn...

May 7, 2004 - Todd Ducharme from 2017-05-07T06:01:54

Todd Ducharme becomes Canada’s first Métis judge.Todd Ducharme was a lawyer with an impressive record when he was appointed to the Superior Court of Justice in Ontario. Educationally, he held a BA ...

May 6, 1993 - French-Only Signs from 2017-05-06T06:01

Quebec government introduces bill that would ease up on French-language-only stance.The use of English in Quebec has been a contentious issue for decades. Governments of all stripes have worked to ...

May 5, 1992 - Olive Patricia Dickason from 2017-05-05T06:01:42

Mandatory retirement reasonable, says Supreme Court of Canada.As a professor at the University of Alberta, Dr. Olive Patricia Dickason had signed a contract agreeing to the university’s employment ...

May 4, 1989 - Dianna Janzen and Tracy Govereau from 2017-05-04T06:01:09

Supreme Court of Canada declares sexual harassment a form of sex discrimination.When Dianna Janzen and Tracy Govereau worked at Pharos restaurant in Winnipeg the fall of 1982, they endured outrageo...

May 3, 1990 - Angelique Lyn Lavallee from 2017-05-03T17:43:29

Supreme Court of Canada allows battered-woman syndrome as a murder defence.In the early hours of August 31, 1986, Winnipeg citizen Angelique Lyn Lavallee shot and killed her common-law partner, Kev...

May 2, 1993 - Steve Juba from 2017-05-02T06:01:32

Former Winnipeg Mayor Stephen Juba dies.Stephen Juba was born in Winnipeg on July 1, 1914 to immigrants from the Ukraine. When his father’s business fell on hard times in 1929, Juba was forced to q...

May 1, 1996 - Betty-Lu Clara Gibbs from 2017-05-01T16:01:10

Supreme Court of Canada weighs case to support employees with mental disabilities.Betty-Lu Clara Gibbs was working for Battlefords and District Co-operative Ltd in Saskatchewan in 1987, when she be...

April 30, 1905 - John Humphrey from 2017-04-30T06:01:33

Future Canadian human rights champion John Humphrey is born.John Humphrey was born in Hampton, New Brunswick on April 30, 1905. He became a lawyer and taught law at McGill University before being t...

April 29, 1992 - Rodney King from 2017-04-29T06:01:23

Acquittal of L.A. police in Rodney King beating case prompts murderous riots.When Los Angeles police tried to stop Rodney King for speeding on March 3, 1991, he kept driving. When they finally caug...

April 28, 2002 - Heinrich Gross from 2017-04-28T06:01:02

Vienna apologizes for World War II deaths of disabled children.Between 1940 and 1945, children with mental and physical disabilities were sent to the Am Spiegelgrund children's clinic in Vienna, Au...

April 27, 2007 - World War Two Sex Slaves from 2017-04-27T06:01:31

Sex Slaves denied compensation by Japan’s Supreme Court.During World War II, the Japanese Imperial Army held approximately 200,000 women as sex slaves to service Japanese soldiers. Most of the wome...

April 26, 1986 - Chernobyl from 2017-04-26T06:01:47

Chernobyl nuclear power plant explodes.The Chernobyl nuclear power plant, located 80 miles north of Kiev in the Ukraine, was the site of the world’s worst nuclear power disaster. On April 26, 1986 ...

April 25, 1979 - Georges Forest from 2017-04-25T06:01:20

Manitoba top court rules that English-only laws are unconstitutional.In 1976, Georges Forest was issued a parking ticket in Winnipeg, Manitoba and fined $5. Instead of paying this, he challenged th...

April 24, 1915 - Armenian Genocide from 2017-04-24T06:01

Genocide strikes Armenian people.During World War I, the Ottoman Empire (most of that area is now Turkey) worried about a Russian invasion. Ottoman Turks felt threatened by Russia’s support for Ott...

April 23, 1975 - Vietnam Wars Ends from 2017-04-23T06:01:19

U.S. President Gerald Ford declares Vietnam War over.The Vietnamese War, a war that defined a generation, was coming to an end in the early 1970s. As casualties mounted, so did pressure on Nixon’s ...

April 22, 1970 - Gaylord Nelson from 2017-04-22T06:01:42

U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson starts first Earth Day.Troubled by the state of the environment, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin convinced U.S. President Kennedy to initiate a five-day, 11-sta...

April 21, 1995 - David Lam from 2017-04-21T06:01:47

David Lam, Canada’s first Chinese Canadian lieutenant governor, retires.David See-Chai Lam was born in Hong Kong in 1923 where, as the grandson of a Baptist minister, he was brought up Christian. L...

April 20, 1887 - Margaret Newton from 2017-04-20T06:01:21

Future research scientist Margaret Newton is born.Margaret Newton was born on April 20, 1887 in Montreal, Quebec. Four of the five Newton children, including Margaret, earned a Ph.D in agriculture....

April 19, 1907 - Tom Longboat from 2017-04-19T06:01

Tom Longboat wins Boston Marathon and breaks record by five minutes.In 1999 MacLean’s magazine named Tom Longboat the top Canadian sports figure of the 20th century. Born on the Six Nations Reserve...

April 18, 1906 - Bertha von Suttner from 2017-04-18T06:01:36

Baroness Bertha von Suttner becomes first woman to win Nobel Peace prize.Baroness Bertha Felicie Sophie von Suttner was born into aristocracy and a military family as the Countess Kinsky on June 9,...

April 17, 1982 - Charter of Rights and Freedoms from 2017-04-17T06:01:52

Canada’s new constitution puts Charter of Rights and Freedoms into effect.For decades, Canadian politicians who wanted to cut constitutional ties with England made unsuccessful attempts to amend th...

April 16, 1992 - David Milgaard from 2017-04-16T06:01:29

David Milgaard, wrongfully convicted for murder, released after 22 years in prison.When 20-year-old Gail Miller was raped and stabbed to death in January 1969 in Saskatoon, a 16-year-old who’d been...

April 15, 1998 - Pol Pot from 2017-04-15T06:01

Former Cambodian dictator Pol Pot dies.Pol Pot was born Saloth Sar on May 19, 1925 in Cambodia. Though he did not graduate from high school, he studied in Paris, where he developed a strong interes...

April 14, 1865 - Abraham Lincoln from 2017-04-14T06:01:43

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln shot.Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 in a one-room log cabin on Nolin Creek, Kentucky. Between supporting his family and himself, he found little time f...

April 13, 1964 - Sidney Poitier from 2017-04-13T06:01:14

Sidney Poitier becomes first black male actor to win an Oscar.When Sidney Poitier became the first black man to win an Academy Award for best actor, it was not without controversy. Just for pecking...

April 12, 1980 - Terry Fox from 2017-04-12T06:01:02

Terry Fox begins his cross-Canada run for cancer research.Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on July 28, 1958, and raised in Port Coquitlam, B.C. His last year of high school, he shared the A...

April 11, 1940 - Joseph Adelard Godbout from 2017-04-11T06:01:34

Quebec Premier Godbout grants women the vote.The man who granted Quebec women the right to vote was a former agronomist: Joseph Adélard Godbout, born in Saint-Éloi, Quebec in 1892 and elected to th...

April 10, 1950 - Nancy Hodges from 2017-04-10T06:01:51

Nancy Hodges, B.C. MLA, becomes British Empire’s first legislative woman Speaker.Nancy Hodges was born in London, England in 1888, the ninth of 10 children. After university and work as a journalis...

April 9, 1017, Vimy Ridge from 2017-04-09T06:01:42

Canadian troops begin battle to reclaim Vimy Ridge in France.On a ridge 12 kilometres northeast of Arras, France, in September 1914, the German Army constructed and fortified a site with bunkers, c...

April 8, 1953 - Jomo Kenyatta from 2017-04-08T06:01:21

Kenya’s future president, Jomo Kenyatta, sentenced to seven years’ hard labour.White Europeans controlled Kenya, like much of Africa, from the early 1900’s onward. (Kenya officially became a Britis...

April 7, 1837 - Anderson Ruffin Abbott from 2017-04-07T06:01:14

Canada’s first black doctor, Anderson Ruffin Abbott, is born.Wilson Ruffin Abbott and Ellen Toyer lived in Alabama before moving to Toronto, Ontario, where they acquired property and Wilson became ...

April 6, 1895 - Oscar Wilde from 2017-04-06T06:01:08

Oscar Wilde arrested for sodomy and gross indecency.Renowned poet Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde was born on October 16, 1854 in Dublin, Ireland. An avid and award-winning scholar, he excelle...

April 5, 1917 - British Columbia Women Vote from 2017-04-05T06:01:51

British Columbia women granted the right to vote.Canadian women were never formally and legally denied the right to vote until the 1867 British North America Act spelled out the exclusion. It was n...

April 4, 1968 - Martin Luther King from 2017-04-04T06:01:54

Civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated.Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. A bright student, he skipped grades nine and 12 and entered...

April 3, 1992 - Congregation of Christian Brothers from 2017-04-03T06:01:02

A 25-year wait for apology ends for orphanage’s abuse victims.The Roman Catholic lay order of the Congregation of Christian Brothers began running an orphanage in St. John’s, Newfoundland in 1892. ...

April 2, 1998 - Delwin Vriend from 2017-04-02T18:55:06

Sexual orientation is “read in” to Alberta’s human rights legislation.Delwin Vriend worked as a laboratory coordinator for King’s College in Edmonton, Alberta, until fired when the institution disc...

April 1, 1990 - Yukon Aboriginals from 2017-04-01T06:01:02

Yukon aboriginals sign massive land claim deal with Ottawa.Fourteen aboriginal bands, through the Council for Yukon Indians, negotiated with the federal government to settle land claims in the Yuko...