March 31 - Easter Sunday

Today is Easter Sunday! If you're religious, that means celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. If you're not religious, it means a well-deserved break to spend time with family. If you're neither, it's just another day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- University of McGill College (forerunner of McGill University) received its charter in 1821
- Québec City and Montréal were incorporated as cities in 1831
- Mining executive Noah Timmins, for whom the town of Timmins, Ont, is named, was born in Mattawa in 1867
- The First issue of the Toronto Mail was published in 1872
- The Eiffel Tower officially opened - commemorating the French Revolution - in 1889
- The Manitoba School Act abolished publicly funded support for separate schools for Catholics in 1890. The aggrieved French minority argued that the Act violated the agreements under which Manitoba entered Confederation.
- A city-wide survey revealed that there were 45 cars in Montréal in 1904. That number would increase to 102 the next year, forcing the Québec government to change its law on cars.
- Hockey player Gordon (Gordie) Howe was born in Floral, Saskatchewan in 1928
- The Motion Pictures Production Code is instituted, imposing strict guidelines on the treatment of sex, crime, religion and violence in film for the next thirty eight years in 1930
- 150 swans died in the Niagara waterfall in 1932
- Newfoundland entered the Dominion of Canada as the 10th province through an Act of Westminster in 1949. The first session of the legislature was held at St John's on July 13.
- Jimi Hendrix burned his guitar for the first time in London in 1967
- Explorer 1 re-entered the Earth's atmosphere after 12 years in orbit in 1970. Also in 1970, the federal government banned the sale and export of all perch and pickerel from Lake Erie because of mercury contamination of the fish.
- "Carol & Company", starring Carol Burnette, premiered on NBC-TV in 1990
- Perrin Beatty was appointed president and chief executive of the CBC, accepting a mandate to absorb a 25% cut in the corporation's funding in 1995

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History". Happy Easter, everyone!

March 30 - Grass is Aways Browner on the Other Side of the Fence

Today we celebrate, "Grass is Aways Browner on the Other Side of the Fence": This holiday was created to honour those who never left their "old" life just because they thought the grass might be greener on the other side. It was created to inspire people to see the positives in their lives, rather than be envious of what others have.

While wanting more, dreaming big, and imagining what might be are not bad things, sometimes it's good to stop and take a moment to appreciate what you have.

Which side of the fence do you live on?

Today is also Doctor's Day, and Pencil Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- The first recorded perihelion passage of Halley's comet occurred in 240 BC
- The Labrador Act gave Labrador to Newfoundland in 1809
- The Bank of Nova Scotia was incorporated in 1832
- Ether was used as as anaesthetic for the first time by Dr. Crawford Long in 1842
- Russia signed the Peace of Paris, ending the Crimean War in 1856
- Hyman L. Lipman patented the "pencil with attached eraser" in 1858
- 200 Cree laid siege to the fort at Battleford, NWT in 1885
- Gandhi announced his resistance against the Rowlatt Act in 1919
- The Victoria Cougars became the last non-NHL team to win the Stanley Cup in 1925, beating the Montreal Canadiens by 3 games to 1.
- The first subway line in Canada (Yonge Street Subway) was opened by the Toronto Transit Commission in 1954
- Celine Dion, well-known Canadian singer, was born in 1968
- Bertha Wilson became Canada's first female Supreme Court Justice in 1983; appointed on March 4th, sword in on March 30th
- Marcos Pontes became the first Brazilian astronaut in space in 2006
- Mastercard and Visa announced a massive breach in security in 2012; over ten million compromised credit card numbers. Also in 2012, American Mega Millions lottery hit a world record amount of $640 million.

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History"!

March 29 - National Mom and Pop Business Owner's Day!

Today is National Mom and Pop Business Owner's Day! Time to shop small, shop local!

What are some of your favourite local places to shop/eat at?

Today is also Knights of Columbus Founders Day, National Day of Unplugging, and Texas Loves the Children Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- France recovered Québec from England in the Treaty of Saint-Germain in 1632, along with compensation for goods seized when Champlain surrendered Québec
- Niagara Falls stopped flowing for 30 hours due to an ice jam in 1848
- The British North America Act (Canadian Constitution) passed in 1867
- Allan Dafoe, who achieved worldwide fame for his successful delivery of the Dionne quintuplets in 1934 was born in Madoc, Ontario in 1883
- Jacques Brault, a major poet of contemporary Québec , was born in Montreal, Québec  in 1933
- A ceremony in Ottawa marked the closing of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in 1945. One of Canada's major contributions to the Second World War, the plan trained 130 000 pilots
- Yuichiro Miuru The Man Who Skied Down Everest won the Academy Award for best feature-length documentary in 1976. The Crawley Films production became the first Canadian feature film to win an Oscar
- Ten airmen were killed when 2 C-130 Hercules transport planes collided in midair and crashed at CFB Edmonton in 1985. The planes were flying in formation during a ceremonial flypast at the base.
- Soviet hockey players were first permitted to play for the NHL in 1989
- Catherine Callbeck became the first woman to be elected Premier when she won the election in Prince Edward Island in 1993
- The Republic of Ireland became the first country in the world to ban smoking in all work places, including bars and restaurants, in 2004

Stay tuned for our next, "On This Day in History"!

March 28 - Barnum and Bailey Day

On this day in history in 1881, James Anthony Bailey and P.T. Barnum combined their two circuses, becoming "The Greatest Show on Earth". They ran the circus together until 1891, when Barnum died. Bailey purchased the circus from Barnum's widow. Bailey toured the eastern United States before taking the show to Europe from 1897-1902.
The Ringling Brothers had started touring their circus at that time, forcing Bailey to take the show west of the Rocky Mountains for the first time in 1905. He died the following year, and the circus was sold to the Ringling Brothers.

Check out their site here: http://www.ringling.com/

If you like circuses, check out these books at the library:

"Water for Elephants", by Sara Gruen

 

"The Night Circus", by Erin Morgenstern

 

Today is also Weed Appreciation Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- Though officially opened since August, the Louvre opened to the public in 1794
- Nathaniel Briggs patented the washing machine in 1997
- The capital of the North-West Territories (the future Alberta and Saskatchewan) shifted from Battleford to Pile O' Bones (Regina) in 1883
- The US Salvation Army was officially organized in 1885
- Hus Nelson was installed as BC's 4th lieutenant-governor in 1887
- Anti-conscription riots began in Quebec City in 1918
- Francis M. Rattenbury, architect of BC's provincial parliament and the Empress Hotel, was murdered in Bournemouth, England, by his wife and her lover in 1935
- Astrid Lindgren sprained her ankle and began writing Pippy Longstocking in 1944
- Dancer Karen Kain was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1951
- The Canadian Council was established by the government of Louis St-Laurent as an independent body to encourage the development of the arts and social sciences in Canada in 1957
- Gilles Lamontagne was appointed Quebec’s 24th lieutenant-governor in 1984, serving until Aug 9, 1990.
- The North American Soccer League suspended operations in 1985
- At least 1 million union members, students and unemployed take to the streets in France in protest at the government's proposed First Employment Contract law in 2006

Stay tuned for the next "On This Day in History"!

March 27 - Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day!

Just in case you didn't get it from the title, today is "Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day"!

 



I think we've all heard enough country songs on the radio to know some of the titles are ... shall we say, inspired!

There's the ever catchy, "Billy Broke My Heart at Walgreens and I Cried All the Way to Sears", or the fun-loving, "Cow Cow Boogie (Moo Moo My Love)". How about the sickly sweet, "I Fell in a Pile of You and Got Love All Over Me"?

If you liked any of those, check out this website: http://www.downstream.ca/country1.htm

Let us know if there are any good ones you can think of!

Today is also Celebrate Exchange Day, Viagra Day, and World Theatre Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- Louis XIV set up the Council of Quebec, providing the first political constitution of New France in 1647
- France and Spain signed the Treaty of Madrid in 1721
- The modern shoestring was invented in England in 1790
- Abraham Gesner patented kerosene in 1855
- M. L. Byrn patented the corkscrew in 1860
- Andrew Rankin patented the urinal in 1866
- Calvin "Kelly" Gotlieb, a computer scientist instrumental in founding the Computing and Data Processing Association of Canada was born in Toronto in 1921
- The Edmonton Grads beat the Seattle Ferry Lines by 59 points over two games to retain the Underwood Trophy and the Women's International Basketball title in 1930
- Operation Starvation (aerial mining of Japan's ports and waterways) began in 1945
- Jann Arden, award winning Canadian singer/songwriter, was born in Calgary in 1962
- Venera 8 was launched to Venus in 1972
- Mount St. Helens became active after 123 years in 1980
- 21 died in Karagpur, India when a bus accidentally touched a high voltage wire in 1990
- Tom Hanks was an Academy Award for his outstanding role in "Forest Gump" in 1995; also in 1995, Bell Canada announced that it would cut 10 000 jobs (22% of its total workforce); again in 1995, Parliament passed a back-to-work legislation, forcing about 30 000 rail workers to return to their jobs (the 9-day strike was causing severe economic repercussions).

Stay tuned for our next "On This Day in History"!

Big Read 2013- March Part 2

The Big Read 2013

The month is almost over. I haven't been reading toooo much. Here is my list for the rest of March. How are you doing on your reading?

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress. This is a Young Adult book- steampunk for your lovers out there.  It is a pretty good. I would recommend it to teens.

Lord's Fall by Thea Harrison. This book is not in the system. It is an adult fluffy romance featuring dragons and vampires and griffons etc. Part of a series. Not bad but not great. Again once I start a series I must continue, it is a failing ;)

Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs. Sooo happy to have the new Patricia Briggs in my sweaty little hands. It must be number 7 in her Mercy Thompson series. It was very good. Lucky number 7. Paranormal urban fantasy.

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd. Another Young Adult book. It is a take on the Dr. Moreau story. Recommend to the teens. A bit of romance but not much.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. Adult fiction, it was very good. Features Google, secret societies and hackers. What more could you ask for in a book!

The Vegetable Gardener's Book of Building Projects. I'm getting the itch!

I may get finished one more book before the end of the month, but I can include it in April's list.
I hope everyone is enjoying the challenge. Leave comments if you would like to share your reading with us!
Have a happy Easter!

March 26 - Purple Day

On this day in history (in 2008), Purple Day was founded by then-nine-year-old Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, Canada, with the help of the Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia.

Cassidy chose the colour purple after the international colour for epilepsy, lavender. The lavender flower is also often associated with solitude, representing the feelings of isolation many people affected by epilepsy and seizure disorders often feel. Cassidy's goal is for people with epilepsy everywhere to know they are not alone.

For more information about Cassidy and Purple Day, go here: http://www.purpleday.org/

Today is also Legal Assistants Day, American Diabetes Association Alert Day, and Make Up Your Own Holiday Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- William Caxton printed his translation of Aesop's Fables in 1484
- 20 000 died in an earthquake responsible for the destruction of 90% of Caracas, Venezuela in 1812
- Vulcan, a planet thought to orbit inside Mercury (sadly, not Spock's home planet) was first sighted in 1859
- Thomas J Martin patented the first extinguisher in 1872
- Leif Crozier, with a force of 98 NWMP, was routed by Métis under Gabriel Dumont at Duck Lake, Sask, marking the outbreak of the North-West Rebellion in 1885
- Daniel Yanofsky, one of only 3 Canadians to hold the international grandmaster title in chess, was born at Brody, Poland in 1925
- William H. Hastie became the first black federal judge in 1937
- Ojibwas artist Benjamin Chee Chee was born in Temagami, Ontario in 1944
- Martin Short (comedian/actor) was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1950
- Roch Voisine, a popular award-winning Quebec singer, was born in St. Basile, New Brunswick in 1963
- Queen Elizabeth II sent out the first royal email, from the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment, in 1976
- Mike Tyson was sentenced to 10 years (6 in prison, 4 on probation) for the rape of Desiree Washington in 1992. He ended up serving three years.
- Dr. Jack Kevorkian was found guilty of second-degree murder for administering a lethal injection to a terminally ill man in 1999
- Canadian filmmaker James Cameron became the first person to visit Challenger Deep, the deepest point on Earth, in over 50 years in 2012

Stay tuned for our next "On This Day in History"!

March 25 - Tolkien Reading Day

On this day in history in 2003, Tolkien Reading Day was launched. This event sparked interest in reading and reading groups across several nations and ages, from primary schoolchildren to university students and library users of all ages.

March 25th is a particularly important day to Tolkien's readers, as it is the day of the Downfall of Sauron at the conclusion of the 'War of the Ring' in The Lord of the Rings.

Check out these titles by Tolkien at the library:

The book of lost tales / J.R.R. Tolkien ; edited by Christopher Tolkien.
The fellowship of the ring: being the first part of The Lord of the rings / by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The hobbit, or, There and back again / by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The legend of Sigurd and Gudrún / by J.R.R. Tolkien ; edited by Christopher Tolkien ; [illustrations, Bill Sanderson].
The lord of the rings, the fellowship of the ring : visual companion / Jude Fisher.
The lord of the rings official movie guide / Brian Sibley.
The return of the king : being the third part of The Lord of the rings / by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Roverandom / by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The two towers: being the second part of The Lord of the rings / by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Unfinished tales of Numenor and Middle-earth / by J. R. R. Tolkien ; edited with introd., commentary, index, and maps by Christopher Tolkien.
The war of the jewels : the later silmarillion, part two : the legends of Beleriand / J.R.R. Tolkien ; edited by Christopher Tolkien.

Today is also International Day of Remembrance of the victims of Slavery and The Transatlantic, National Medal of Honor Day, Pecan Day, and Vaffeldagen (Waffle Day)!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- Sir Walter Raleigh renewed Humphrey Gilbert's patent to explore North America in 1584
- Percy Bysshe Shelley was expelled from the University of Oxford for his publication of the pamphlet The Necessity of Atheism in 1811
- The Bank of New Brunswick was incorporated in 1820
- The first Workman's Compensation Act was passed in Ontario in 1886
- A Toronto magistrate fined a cab driver $2 or 10 days in jail for "driving a lady on a Sunday" in 1893
- Wilfrid Eggleston, considered the founder of journalism education in Canada, was born in Lincoln, England in 1901
- Alan Plaunt, co-founder of the Canadian Radio League in 1930, was born in Ottawa in 1904
- The supersonic jet fighter ACRO CF-105 Arrow flew for the first time in 1958
- Martin Luther King Jr. led 25 000 to the state capitol in Montgomery, Alabama in 1965
- Kurt Browning of Canada became the first skater to land a quadruple jump in 1986

Stay tuned for our next "On This Day in History"!

March 24 - National Chocolate-Covered Peanuts Day!

Today is National Chocolate-Covered Peanuts Day! Yummy!!

The perfect day to splurge a little and pick up this sweet little treat! What are some other chocolate-covered treats you like?

Today is also World Tuberculosis Day, and Palm Sunday.

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England in 1603
- Sherlock Holmes's "Adventure of Wisteria Lodge" began in 1890
- The "Census of the British Empire" showed that England ruled 1/5 of the world in 1906
- Carl Klinck, literary historian and educator, was born in Elmira, Ontario in 1908
- Pluto received its name in 1930 (you know, when it was still a "planet"
- David Suzuki was born in Vancouver in 1936
- Corporal Frederick George Topham, a medical orderly with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, won the Victoria Cross for rescuing wounded men despite his own injuries in fighting east of the Rhine River in Germany in 1945
- Ethel Blondin-Andrews (the first Native woman elected to Parliament) was born in Fort Norman, NWT in 1951
- The Royal Commission of Inquiry on Education (Parent Commission) was created in Quebec in 1961
- The government banned commercial fishing on Ontario's Lake St. Clair because of contamination by mercy in 1970
- The beaver became the official symbol of Canada in 1975
- Exxon's Valdez spills 11.3 million gallons of oil off the coast of Alaska in 1989
- Thomas Mulcair succeeded Jack Layton as the leader of the NDP in 2012
- The African Union deployed a 5000-strong force with the aim of catching or killing warlord Joseph Kony in 2012

Stay tuned for our next "On This Day in History"! Don't forget to enjoy some chocolate-covered raisins today!

March 23 - National Puppy Day

On this day in history, in 2006, Colleen Paige (Pet Lifestyle Expert, Animal Behaviorist, and Author) founded National Puppy Day. (She is also the founder of National Dog Day, National Cat Day, and National Horse Day, which we featured earlier this month).

National Puppy Day is a day to celebrate the unconditional love puppies bring into our lives every day. It is a day to educate the public about puppy mills, animal abuse, and the mission to create a nation of puppy-free pet stores. National Puppy Day is a day to adopt an orphaned puppy (or dog), and save them from a harsh life of neglect and abuse.

For more information about National Puppy Day, or its founder Colleen Paige, go here: http://nationalpuppyday.com

Check out these books and more at the library:

 

"The New Puppy", by Anne Civardi

 



 

"Here's a Happy Puppy", by Colin and Jacqui Hawkins

 

 

"A Dog's Life: the Autobiography of a Stray", by Ann M. Martin

 

 

"Clifford the Small Red Puppy", by Norman Bridwell

 

 

"Charley's First Night", by Amy Hest

 

 

"The Poky Little Puppy", by Janette Sebring Lowrey

 

 

"Rescue Pup", by Jean Little

 

 

"Where's Spot?", by Eric Hill

 

 

"Your New Puppy Week-By-Week: a Weekly Guide From Birth to One Year Old", by Hugh Washington

 

Today is also World Meteorological Day, Near Miss Day, and Corn Dog Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- The 18th recorded perihelion passage of Halley's Comet occurred in 1066
- Samuel de Champlain set sail for his final voyage to Quebec at the age of 63 in 1633
- Canada's first newspaper, the "Halifax Gazette", by printed by John Bushell in 1752.
- 2 days after succeeding Zacharias, Pope Stephen II died in 1752
- The first recorded use of "OK" (oll korrect) happened in Boston's Morning Post in 1839
- E. A. Gardner patented the Streetcar in 1858
- The Wright brothers obtained their airplane patent in 1903
- Lomer Gouin became Quebec's 15th Premier in 1905
- The Dixie Cup was invented in 1912
- Sudan became independent in 1956
- Evel Kneivel broke 93 bones after successfully clearing 35 cars in 1972
- The International Bill of Rights went into effect in 1976
- Ernie Eves became Ontario's Conservative leader in 2002, instilled as Premier on April 15
- In Nasiriyah, Iraq, 29 soldiers were killed during the first major conflict of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Stay tuned for our next "On This Day in History"!

Greatest Books of All Time
Week 8

100 Greatest Books
of All Time.

What is your favourite book of all time? Cast your vote by commenting here at the bottom of this post, posting a note on our facebook page or adding it to our in-house ballot box.

Each Friday we will tabulate the votes and post them on our
Facebook, Twitter and Blog accounts.

One vote per visit please.

The final Top 100 will be announced at the end of December.

 

The Stand by Stephen King
has taken the lead this week.

Currently Pokemon and Little Women are tied for second place.

 

 
Votes for the week of March 22, 2013 are in! 
The nominees are:

Title Author Publication Date Harry Potter series J.K. Rowling 1997 Love You Forever Robert Munsch 1986 The Stand Stephen King 1978 Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand 1957 The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins 2008 Divergent Veronica Roth 2011 Velveteen Rabbit Margory Williams 1922 Why I Quit Zombie School R.L. Stine 2011

March 22 - International Goof-Off Day

Today is - you guessed it - International Goof-Off Day! A day made for kicking back, relaxing, and doing what makes you happy!

What's your idea of goofing off?

Today is also As Young As You Feel Day, Education and Sharing Day, International Day of the Seal, and World Water Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- The Gutenberg Bible became the first major book printed with movable type in 1457
- Joseph Priestly invented carbonated water in 1733
- Thomas Evans, outstanding Canadian soldier of his generation, was born in Hamilton, Ontario in 1860
- Slavery was abolished in Puerto Rico in 1873
- Elizabeth Smellie, the first woman promoted to Colonel in the Canadian Army (in 1944) was born in Port Arthur, Ontario in 1884
- Niagara Falls ran out of water due to a drought in 1903
- British court sentenced Mahatma Gandhi to 6 years in prison in 1922
- Foster Hewitt announced his first hockey game, over the Toronto Star's radio station CFCA, in 1923
- The Canadian schooner and rum-runner "I'm Alone" was sunk by the US Coast Guard in 1929. The captain and crew were taken to New Orleans as prisoners.
- Figure skater Elvis Stojko was born in Newmarket, Ontario in 1972
- Walt Disney World Shopping Village opened in 1975
- Mount Redoubt, a volcano in Alaska, began erupting after a prolonged period of unrest in 2009
- Australia's most wanted man, Malcolm Naden, was captured in Gloucester, New South Wales after seven years on the run in 2012.

Stay tuned for our next "On This Day in History". Don't forget to goof off!

March 21 - the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

On this day in history in 1960, police officers opened fire on a peaceful demonstration against apartheid pass laws in Sharpeville, South Africa, killing 69 people. In 1966, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the day "The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination", calling on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.

In South Africa, March 21 is Human Rights Day, commemorating the lives lost to the fight for democracy and equal human rights.

Here are some materials at the library that might interest you:

 

"Racial and Ethnic Equality", by Sean Connolly

 



 

"I Have a Dream", Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words, with illustrations by Kadir Nelson

 

 

"Viola Desmond Won't Be Budged!" by Judy Nyasha Warner & Richard Rudnicki

 

 

"A Light in the Darkness", by Aaron Zevy

 

 

"Connecting Kids: Exploring Diversity Together", by Linda D. Hill

 

 

"Colour-Coded: a Legal History of Racism in Canada, 1900 - 1950", by Constance Backhouse

 

Today is also Brain Injuries Awareness Day, Memory Day, Spring Fairy Fun Day, and World Down Syndrome Day.

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- In 1821, an agreement was reached to merge the North West Company and the Hudson's Bay Company as of June 1, effectively ending the fur trade out of Montreal and creating a near monopoly of the fur trade in British North America.
- The Sandfield Macdonald-Sicotte government was replaced by Tache-John A. Macdonald in the United Canadas in 1864
- Loretta Walsh became the first female US Navy Petty Officer in 1917
- John Edward Broadbent, leader of the federal NDP, was born in Oshawa, Ontario in 1936
- Alcatraz was officially closed in 1963
- Martin Luther King Jr. began marching from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965
- The first Earth Day proclamation was issued by San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto in 1970
- Time Magazine recalled all copies of the March 21, 1983 issue when a typo was discovered on the cover ("contol", instead of "control").
- Part of Central Park was named Strawberry Fields in honor of John Lennon in 1984
- Rick Hansen began his 26-month, 40 000 km "Man in Motion" tour to raise money for spinal-cord research in 1985.

Stay tuned for our next "On This Day in History".

March 20 - International Astrology Day

It's International Astrology Day! This event takes place on the Spring Equinox, which is considered to be the astrological new year! So, happy new year!

If you're interested in astrology, check out these books and more at the library:

 

"You and Your Future", by Georgia Nicols

 



 

"Who Do You Think You Are: 12 Methods for Analyzing the True You", by Tucker Shaw

 

 

"How to Tell the Future", by Sally Morningstar

 

 

"2012: Crossing the Bridge to the Future", by Mark Borax

 

Today is also Kiss Your Fiancee Day, Atheist Pride Day, National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and Snowman Burning Day (not the snowmen!).

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- The sixth recorded perihelion passage of Hailey's Comet took place in 141.
- The Jesse James Gang robbed a bank in Russelville, Kentucky of $14 000 in 1868
- Sherlock Holmes adventure "A Scandal in Bohemia" began in 1888
- Wilfred "Wop" May - one of Canada's leading bush flyers - was born in Carberry, Manitoba in 1896
- Novelist Hugh MacLennan - 5-time winner of the Governor General's Literary Award - was born at Glace Bay, Nova Scotia in 1907
- Acclaimed abstract painter Jack Bush was born in Toronto in 1909
- Martin Brian Mulroney, the 18th Prime Minister of Canada, was born at Baie-Comeau, Quebec in 1939
- Henry Duncan Graham Crerar was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the 1st Canadian Army in 1944. Also in 1944, Mount Vesuvius exploded.
- Robert (Bobby) Gordon Orr, a hockey player for the Boston Bruins who revolutionized the role of the defenceman with his end-to-end rushes, was born at Parry Sound, Ontario in 1948
- Peter Lougheed was elected leader of the Alberta PC Party in 1965
- Canada signed an agreement with 19 other countries to establish the Francophone International Cooperation Society, for cultural and technological exchange among French-speaking nations in 1970
- The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 1991 that employers couldn't exclude women from jobs where exposure to toxic chemicals could potentially damage a fetus.
- Stephen Harper became the first leader of the Conservative Party of Canada in 2004
- 50 people were killed, 240 injured in a wave of terror attacks across 10 cities in Iraq in 2012

Stay tuned for our next "On This Day in History".

March 19 - Operation Iraqi Freedom Day

On this day in history (2003), then President George W. Bush announced "Operation Iraqi Freedom", intended to rid Iraq of "tyrannical dictator" Saddam Hussein. Ten years later, we still celebrate and remember this day.

To learn more about Operation Iraqi Freedom and its fallout, check out this link: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bush-announces-the-launch-of-operation-iraqi-freedom

If this is something that interests you, check out these books we have in the library:

 

"A Pretext for War: 9/11, Iraq, and the Abuse of America's Intelligence Agencies", by James Bamford

 



 

"My Year in Iraq: the Struggle to Build a Future of Hope", by Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III

 

 

"Ignorant Armies: Sliding Into War in Iraq", by Gwynne Dyer

 

 

"Dancing in the No-Fly Zone: a Woman's Journey Through Iraq", by Hadani Ditmars

 

 

"Love in a Torn Land", by Jean Sasson

 

Today is also National Agriculture Day, National Chocolate Caramel day, and Swallows Return to San Juan Capistrano Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- The Hudson's Bay Company established For Vancouver on the Columbia, near present-day Portland, Oregon in 1825
- The SS Georgiana was destroyed on her maiden voyage in 1863, with a cargo valued over one million dollars. The wreck was discovered on the same day and month, exactly 102 years later by then teenage diver and pioneer underwater archaeologist E. Lee Spence.
- At Batoche, a provisional government of the North-West was proclaimed, with Louis Riel as President and Gabriel Dumont and Adjutant-General in 1885
- John Fauquier, the only Canadian airman to be awarded a second Distinguished Service Order bar, was born in Ottawa in 1909
- Pluto was photographed for the first time in 1916 (though it was unknown at the time).
- A Court of Appeal ruling legalized same-sex marriage in Quebec in 2004.

Stay tuned for our next "On This Day in History".

March 18 - Wellderly Day

Today is Well-Elderly (or Wellderly) Day! Do you have seniors in your life? Today is just the day to do a little something special for them to show how much you care!

Check out these books and more at the library:

 

"Strength Training for Seniors", by Michael Fekete

 



 

"The Caregivers Essential Handbook: More Than 1200 Tips to Help You Care for and Comfort the Seniors in Your Life", by Sasha Carr and Sandra Choron

 

 

"How Should Society Address the Needs of the Elderly?", edited by Tamara Thompson

 

Today is also Awkward Moments Day, Forgive Mom and Dad Day, and National Biodiesel Day!

Here are some interesting things that happened on this day in history:

- German emperor Frederick II crowned himself King of Jerusalem in 1229
- The Hudson's Bay Company steamer "Beaver" became the first steamer on the Pacific Coast, arriving at Fort Vancouver (near present-day Portland, Oregon) in 1836
- Psychiatrist Richard Burke, founder of the School of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario was born in 1837
- Amor De Cosmos' resolution calling for "the admission of BC into Confederation on fair and equitable terms" was given unanimous support by the colony's legislative council in 1867
- Made Abbott, who graduated from McGill but was barred from medicine because of her sex, was born at St. Andrews East, Quebec. in 1869
- Pickering discovers Phoebe, a moon of Saturn, in 1899
- Daylight Saving Time was introduced in Canada by the Federal Government as a measure for increasing war production in 1918, emulating legislation in Germany and Britain
- Jackie Robinson and Nate Moreland - two black baseball players - requested a tryout with the Chicago White Sox in 1942, and were allowed to work out.
- The Pillsbury Dough Boy was introduced in 1961
- Cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov became the first person to walk in space in 1965 when he left his spacecraft Vokshod 2 for 12 minutes.
- The first Indian reserve in the Northwest Territories was created at Hay River in 1973
- A 4400-year-old mummy was found in the Pyramid of Cheops in 1989
- British Sign Language was recognised as an official British language in 2003

Stay tuned for our next "On This Day in History"! Make a senior feel special today!