Today in History for June 18:
In 1464, Roman Catholic Pope Pius II organized a crusade against the Turks, but died before he could meet up with his allies. Soon after, the crusading mentality died out.
In 1812, the U.S. declared war on Britain following disputes over Maritime rights. It was the only major war, other than native wars, fought on Canadian soil.
In 1815, deposed French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo by British and Prussian troops.
In 1846, the first telegraph system was opened connecting Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara Falls, Ont.
In 1855, the rebuilding of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal was completed.
In 1873, suffragist Susan B. Anthony was found guilty by a judge in Canandaigua, N.Y., of breaking the law by casting a vote in the 1872 presidential election. The judge fined Anthony $100, but she never paid.
In 1908, parliamentarian Stanley Knowles was born in Los Angeles to Canadian parents. He spent nearly four decades in Parliament, championing the causes of veterans, the elderly, the poor and the disadvantaged. He died in 1997, nine days short of his 89th birthday.
In 1928, Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen died after a flying accident in the North Sea.
In 1940, during the Second World War, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill urged his countrymen to conduct themselves in a manner that would prompt future generations to say, "This was their finest hour."
In 1962, a federal election left the Conservatives under John Diefenbaker with a minority government after they lost 100 seats from their 1958 landslide. The Tories were defeated in both the Commons and a general election the following year.
In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space as she and four colleagues blasted off aboard the shuttle "Challenger." The mission included the deployment of Canada's "Anik C2" communications satellite.
In 1985, an Ontario election led to the end of 42 years of Conservative rule in the province. David Peterson's Liberals took power through an alliance with the New Democrats.
In 1996, 47-year-old Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in as Israel's youngest prime minister after he formed a six-party governing coalition.
In 1999, Adam Leboucan became Canada's youngest dangerous offender when a B.C. judge sentenced the 17-year-old to an indefinite prison term for the brutal sexual assault of an infant.
In 2000, Tiger Woods romped to a record 15-stroke victory in the U.S. Open golf championship at Pebble Beach, Calif.
In 2002, a joint U.S.-Canadian military inquiry found that American pilot Maj. Harry Schmidt mistakenly dropped a bomb on Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, killing four and wounding eight because he did not take time to properly assess the threat.
In 2003, Inuvik-based Aboriginal Pipeline Group signed a landmark deal with Trans-Canada Corp. and four natural gas producers, giving natives in the Northwest Territories one-third ownership of a $5 billion Arctic pipleline project.
In 2008, Ontario joined Quebec in banning the cosmetic use of pesticides across the province.
In 2010, the inquiry report into the death of Robert Dziekanski concluded that RCMP officers were not justified in using their Taser on him at Vancouver's airport in October 2007, and that their explanations of the events that unfolded the night he died were "patently unbelievable."
In 2013, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai announced Afghan forces took over the lead from the U.S.-led NATO coalition for security nationwide, a significant milestone in the 12-year war.
In 2015, Manitoba became the first province to formally apologize for the '60s Scoop, when child-welfare agents removed aboriginal children from their families and placed them for adoption in non-Indigenous homes. A few days later, Alberta also apologized.
In 2017, 19-year-old Canadian Brooke Henderson won the Meijer LPGA Classic for her fourth LPGA Tour title.
In 2017, Brooks Koepka tied a U.S. Open record at 16-under in capturing his first major title.
In 2017, a raging forest fire in central Portugal sent flames sweeping over roads, killing at least 62 people, many of them trapped in their cars as they tried to flee.
In 2018, Conservative Richard Martel stole the federal Quebec riding of Chicoutimi-Le Fjord from the Liberals in a byelection precipitated by the resignation of rookie MP Denis Lemieux.
In 2019, Justin Trudeau gave Canada's controversial Trans Mountain pipeline expansion a second lease on life. The decision to approve the project a second time came nine months after the Federal Court of Appeal ripped up the original approval, citing incomplete Indigenous consultations and a faulty environmental review. The decision came the day after the Liberals passed a motion in the House of Commons declaring climate change a national emergency that would require more cuts to emissions than have already been promised. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he was sympathetic to concerns about the environment and the need to transition to cleaner sources of energy, but Canada needed to take advantage of its natural resources while they are still needed in order to fund that transition.
In 2020, Canada officially recorded more than 100,000 cases of COVID-19 over the length of the pandemic.
In 2021, Canada reached a grim milestone in the COVID-19 pandemic with the death toll climbing to 25,000. The country's first COVID-19 death was recorded on March 9th of 2020.
In 2021, the former Quebec Superior Court justice who led the inquiry into the federal sponsorship scandal in 2004 died. John Gomery was 88. The revelations of kickbacks and illegal fundraising while Jean Chretien's government was in power ultimately helped lead to the defeat of the Liberals under his successor Paul Martin.
In 2023, Red Bull's Max Verstappen led from start to finish and cruised to victory at the Canadian Grand Prix for a second year in a row. The two-time reigning world champion held off the competition over 70 laps at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes placed second and third.
In 2023, the president of a Sikh gurdwara was shot dead outside a temple in Surrey, B.C. Officials with a national Sikh organization said Hardeep Singh Nijjar was alone in his pickup truck when he was attacked. They said Nijjar had received death threats because of his support for a separate Sikh state of Khalistan in India.
In 2024, Canada's Natalie Spooner was voted the International Ice Hockey Federation's Female Player of the Year for 2024. The Toronto forward had a league-leading 20 goals and 27 points for the team in the inaugural season of the Professional Women's Hockey League. The 33-year-old who is also from Toronto had already been named the league's Most Valuable Player and top forward.
In 2024, Sikh activists held a mock murder trial for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in front of the Indian consulate in Vancouver to mark the anniversary of the killing of a B.C. temple leader. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a key organizer for an overseas referendum on an independent Sikh state in India, before he was shot and killed outside a Surrey temple. Members of Parliament observed a moment of silence in memory of Nijjar, to mark what Speaker Greg Fergus said was the "assassination'' of the temple leader.
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The Canadian Press