On Jan. 10, Canada joined the League of Nations. The League was an organization of 63 countries and Canada was a founding member. The organization established a new model for international organizations, and it brought Canada its first official contact with foreign governments and helped the country establish its position as a sovereign state separate from the United Kingdom.
Also on Jan. 10, the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto St. Pats combined for a record 21 goals in a single NHL game. Montreal defeated Toronto 14 to 7. In the game, Reg Noble had three goals for the St. Pats, while Newsy Lalonde had six goals for Montreal. The record has only been equalled once, by the Edmonton Oilers and Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 11, 1985 when Edmonton defeated Chicago 12 to 9.
On Feb. 1, the Royal Northwest Mounted Police and Dominion Police merged to form the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. By 1920, the Royal North West Mounted Police was considered obsolete, while the Dominion Police were responsible for parliamentary security and federal law enforcement. The merger established the new organization that exists to this day.
On Feb. 26, the Indian Act amended to give Canadian First Nations the right to vote in band elections. Prior to this, chiefs and other band officials were chosen only by the federal government. While First Nations could now vote in band elections, the government still decided who could run and women were not allowed to vote. That would not change until the 1950s.
On March 3, James Doohan was born in Vancouver. After moving to Sarnia, Doohan enlisted with to fight for Canada during the Second World War. It was in the war that he stormed Juno Beach on D-Day, where he shot two snipers.
During D-Day, he was shot 4 times in the leg, once through the finger and in the chest from friendly fire. A silver cigarette case in his pocket saved his life. After the war, he began to act, appearing on CBC programs in the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1966, he gained the role of Montgomery Scott on Star Trek. He chose the name to honour his grandfather, and the character became a fan favourite. Along with building the role of Scotty, he also helped develop the Klingon & Vulcan languages. He passed away on July 20, 2005.
On March 24, Bill Irwin was born in Winnipeg. A gifted skier, he competed in the 1948 Winter Olympics in downhill, slalom, combined, 18 km, Nordic combined and ski jumping events. During the Second World War, he served with the Canadian Army and taught Scottish Commandos how to ski after the war.
In 1956, he founded Loch Lomond ski area and club near Thunder Bay, which he owned and operated for 23 years. In 2000, he was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame. Over the course of his career, he won over 200 trophies. His brother Bert was also an Olympic skier and his son Dave competed at the 1976 and 1980 Winter Olympics and was one of the famous Crazy Canucks.
On April 26, the Winnipeg Falcons won the first Olympic Gold in hockey. The Winter Olympics did not exist yet, so the competition was at the Summer Olympics in Belgium.
In a display of sportsmanship, before each game, the Falcons coached and assisted their opponents in hockey to help train them for the upcoming game. The Toronto Globe wrote,
“Whenever the Canadians played, we had a large gallery watching us and the members of the European teams would then take to the ice and try to do what they were taught in our play.”
In the first game, the Falcons easily pushed aside the Czech team by a score of 15 to 0. The Weekly Albertan wrote,
“The Falcons were clearly the superior team and played short passes at a terrific speed.”
In the second game against the United States, it was a much closer affair with no scoring in the first half of the game before Frederickson scored to put the Canadians up by one goal. The British in the audience gave him a standing ovation. Throughout the rest of the game, the Americans attempted to get past the strong defence of the Falcons, failing each time before the second goal for the Falcons to put the team up by two. Wally Byron, the goalie for the team suffered a broken finger in the game but kept playing.
In the third game, the team absolutely dominated the Swedish team. The goal for Sweden was scored in the first 10 minutes of play, causing some surprise to the Canadians who had not been scored on yet.
Halfway through the game, it was five to one for the Falcons and they would close out the game in the last half of the game. By the end of the game, the Falcons had won 12 to 1.
With that one goal, the Swedish team celebrated doing what no other team in Europe had done, score on the Canadians.
Frederickson said,
“I guess it is safe to confess that we gave it to them. The Swedes went wild. They were yelling and cheering, shaking hands with themselves, shaking hands with us. It was great.”
In a display of sportsmanship, the Falcons gave their sticks to the Swedish team.
The Vancouver Daily World wrote,
“The victory of the Canadian team was fully expected, it being regarded largely as a question of the size of the score the Canadians would run up against their sturdy but less experienced opponents.”
The team absolutely dominated on the ice outscoring their opponents 29 to 1 in three games.
Frederickson was the leading scorer for the team, recording 12 of the 29 goals scored by the team.
The Falcons came back to Canada on the SS Grampian. They were welcomed as heroes.
The Toronto Globe wrote that their performance was like,
“the gallantry of Canadian troops on Belgian soil in the defense of Ypres in the Great War.”
The House of Commons erupted in applause when news of the victory was announced.
A crowd of 2,000 people greeted the team in Toronto as they journeyed back home to Winnipeg.
On May 2, William Hutt was born in Toronto. Well known to Canadians of several generations, his acting career spanned 50 years. A veteran of the Stratford Festival, he acted on stages around the world and was seen on television and film screens for decades. One of his most famous roles was as Sir John A. Macdonald in The National Dream. He also appeared in Slings and Arrows as an ailing stage icon who wanted to play King Lear one last time. In his career, he received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, an honorary degree from McMaster University, the Order of Canada and a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. He died in 2007.
On May 5, Bill Hunter was born in Saskatoon. Known as Wild Bill Hunter, he became one of the most famous sportsmen in Canada. In 1950, he founded the first curling bonspiel on artificial ice, and from 1953 to 1956, he owned, managed and coached the Medicine Hat Tigers. He then owned, managed and coached the Edmonton Oil Kings. Under his watch, the team played for the Memorial Cup every year from 1960 to 1966 and won the Memorial Cup in 1963 and 1966. In 1971, he became one of the founders of the Western Hockey Association that completely changed hockey in North America. His team, the Alberta Oilers, were a charter member. His Alberta Oilers became the Edmonton Oilers, and were a dynasty in the NHL of the 1980s. Hunter received the Order of Canada and was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. He died in 2002.
On May 8, Barbara Howard was born. In September 1937, she completed a time trial, and broke the British Empire Games record in the process.
As a result, she was given a spot on the Canadian team for the British Empire Games in 1938. She is believed to be the 1st Black woman to represent Canada in an international athletic competition. It took 28 days to get to Australia for the games.
At the Games, she won a silver and a bronze. Unfortunately, the Second World War broke out, effectively ending her track career due to no international competitions. After high school, she trained as a teacher and began to teach in Port Alberni.
In 1941, Howard became the first visible minority hired by the Vancouver School Board. She spent the next 43 years teaching elementary school. She retired from teaching in 1984 & passed away on Jan. 26, 2017. She is a member of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
On June 15, 1920, Sam Sniderman was born in Toronto. Sniderman began selling records out of his brother’s store Sniderman Radio Sales and Service in 1936. He continued to sell records out of the store until he opened his first store in 1959 on Yonge Street.
With rock and roll growing, his store became incredibly popular among music lovers. In 1961, he opened his famous flagship store at 347 Yonge Street. Throughout the 1960s, the store became the place to go to buy music in Toronto.
The first spinning record, measuring 7.5 metres wide and 8 metres tall, was added in 1969. The second was not added until 1987. That same year, 550 bulbs were installed to spell Sam above the records. By the 1970s, the store had expanded to three floors.
On Boxing Day, Sam the Record Man held huge sales. They were so popular the news often reported on them with people lining up for several city blocks to get records discounted by 20 to 25%, or videotapes reduced by 50% in cost.
Sam Sniderman was a major promoter of Canadian music and talent. He featured many Canadian artists early in their career at his store. Musicians such as the Barenaked Ladies, k.d. lang and Ron Sexsmith had their first recordings stocked at his flagship store.
Sniderman also played a role in the implementation of Can-Con requirements on Canadian radio stations in the 1970s that allowed many Canadian musicians to gain a voice in the country and get their music heard by a wide audience coast-to-coast.
Through the years, many famous artists, Canadian and international, appeared at the store to meet fans. By the 1980s, through expansions, Sam the Record Man had franchised out to 130 stores. Unfortunately, the landscape of music sales began to change in the late-1990s.
In 2001, Sam the Record Man declared bankruptcy and several of its stores closed. On June 30, 2007 the flagship store closed. Today, the last Sam the Record Man is located at a mall in Belleville (for now).
Sniderman died in 2012.
On July 8, 1920, Louis-Alexandre Taschereau became the premier of Quebec. He served until 1936, the longest uninterrupted stretch for a premier in Quebec’s history. As premier, he challenged the traditional agrarian society of Quebec and the dominance of the Roman Catholic Church. He also realized the hydroelectric potential of the province
On July 10, Arthur Meighen succeeded Sir Robert Borden as the prime minister of Canada. Meighen had served in Parliament since 1908, including in several cabinet positions such as Minister of the Interior and Solicitor General.
Meighen served until Dec. 29, 1921 when the Conservatives lost to the Liberals in the federal election. He briefly returned to the top job as prime minister in 1926 but only served for three months.
On July 11, British daredevil Charle Stephens went over Niagara Falls in an oak barrel using an anvil for ballast. He ignored warnings from advisors that he test the barrel. He strapped himself into the barrel and strapped his feet to the anvil. When he went over the falls, the anvil broke through the bottom of the barrel and dragged Stephens to the bottom. The only part of Stephens recovered was his severed right arm. In 1994, he received a Darwin Award.
On July 12, my favourite author and historian, Pierre Berton, was born in Whitehorse. His first years were spent living in Dawson City with his parents and sister. The family moved to Victoria, BC in 1932 because of better work opportunities for his father.
In 1942, Berton joined the Canadian Army and began training to become an officer. For the next several years, he took several military courses. Each time he was supposed to go overseas, his orders were cancelled, so he kept training in various courses.
He eventually started to train as an Intelligence Officer. In March 1945, he was finally sent overseas. He had to requalify as an Intelligence Officer in Britain. By the time he did, the war was over. Berton returned to Canada and began working as a journalist in BC.
In 1947, he went on an expedition to the Nahanni River with pilot Russ Baker. His travel account in the Vancouver Sun was picked up by the International News Service. This helped get him a new job writing for Macleans. Berton and his new wife Janet moved to Toronto.
One of his first articles for Macleans criticized the Canadian government for forcing Japanese-Canadians into internment camps during the war. In 1951, Berton began covering the Korean War for Macleans. He was highly critical of military leaders in his writing.
In 1953, Berton published his first book, The Royal Family, which covered several generations of the history of the Royals. It was a modest success. In 1956, a collection of his experiences in the Canadian North, was published as The Mysterious North.
The year 1957 was a life-changing year for Berton. He joined Front Page Challenge on CBC and he narrated the Oscar-winning NFB film City of Gold. One year later, he published Klondike. It was a best-seller and won the Governor General’s Award.
In 1958, he left Macleans to join the Toronto Star as a columnist. His column became extremely popular. Three years later, he wrote The Secret World of Og. The book sold 200,000 copies and became his personal favourite among all the books he wrote.
Throughout the 1960s, Berton wrote several best-selling books, mostly on contemporary issues. He also launched The Pierre Berton Show in 1962. On the show he interviewed many famous individuals including Malcolm X, Lenny Bruce and Bruce Lee.
In 1970, Berton wrote The National Dream, followed by The Last Spike. The books told the story of the construction of the CPR. Both were massive best-sellers and won him another Governor General’s Award. This began his history storyteller period.
The National Dream, a 1974 CBC miniseries, was narrated by Berton. It was a huge ratings hit for the network. From 1972 to 1992, Berton wrote 17 books, 13 of which were focused on Canadian history. The books covered a vast array of historical subjects.
In 1974, Berton was awarded the Order of Canada. He received his first honorary degree in 1973. He received 13 over the course of his life. In 1998, he became one of the first individuals inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame. In 1992, he received the Order of Ontario.
In 2004, Berton published his 50th, and last, book, Prisoners of the North. In October of that year, he appeared on Rick Mercer Report and showed Canadians how to properly roll a joint. He used his books as a rolling surface in the video.
Berton died on Nov. 30, 2004 in Toronto at the age of 84. The Governor General’s History Award for Popular Media: the Pierre Berton Award celebrates those who have brought Canadian history to a wider audience. Berton was the first recipient of the award.
His childhood home in Dawson City is now Berton House. It is used as a retreat for professional Canadian writers. They can stay there for three months in a subsidized residency. The deed of the house is owned by the Writers’ Trust of Canada, which Berton co-founded.
A school in Vaughn, Ontario was named for Pierre Berton in 2011. The Berton family visited for the official opening of the school.
On Aug. 24, Canadian painter Alex Colville was born in Toronto. When Colville was seven he moved with his family to Amherst, Nova Scotia. After studying under painters Stanley Royle & Sarah Hart, he graduated from Mount Allison University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. He also met his wife, Rhoda, at the university.
In 1942, he enlisted with the Canadian Army. As part of the infantry, he took part in the landings in Southern France, and reached the rank of lieutenant. In 1944, he was made an Official Second World War artist. In this capacity, he took part in Operation Market Garden.
After the war, Colville joined the Fine Arts department at Mount Allison University as a faculty member. He taught there from 1946 to 1963. Colville considered himself a Magic Realism painter, which he adapted into the style known as Maritime Realism.
Several of Colville’s students were influenced by him in the realism style including Tom Forrestall, Christopher Pratt, Mary Pratt and Suzanne Hill. In 1963, Colville left teaching to focus on painting and print-making at his home studio.
At his home, Colville used what was around him for subject matter. His wife Rhoda was his most frequent model in his works and he featured her swimming, skating, dancing and cycling in his art. The landscapes were inspired by the Annapolis Valley.
In 1967, Colville was awarded the Order of Canada, one of the first recipients. He also received a Doctor of Laws honorary degree from the University of Windsor in 1973. That same year, he and his family moved to his wife’s hometown of Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
From 1981 to 1991, Colville was the chancellor of Acadia University. In 1997, he received an honorary degree from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. His artwork was often featured in exhibitions across Canada. Colville died of a heart condition on July 16, 2013.
On Sept. 5, Agnes Macdonald, the widow of Sir John A. Macdonald, died in England. She had been married to Macdonald from 1867 to his death in 1891. They had one child together. She is best known for riding at the front of a cow catcher while taking the transcontinental train through the Rocky Mountains.
On Nov. 17, George Dunning was born in Toronto. In 1943, he was the second artist recruited by Norman McLaren at the National Film Board. He created Canada is My Piano, which was played in the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 67. He is best known for producing and directing the animated film Yellow Submarine. He died in 1979 at the age of 58.
