– by Valerie Green –
July 1st is a national holiday in Canada. Formerly known as Dominion Day, it initially commemorated the confederation of Upper and Lower Canada and some of the Maritime Provinces. This year it is Canada’s 148th birthday – certainly not a great age when compared to other countries and other cultures. However, back in July 1867, the country’s hopes and dreams were founded on a belief in a nation’s unity and a strong commitment to the future.
July 1 has also seen some other important events. Did you know, for instance, that on July 1 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed the first income tax bill in the US and on July 1 1863, the battle of Gettysburg began during the American Civil War?
Back here in Canada, John McDonald was signed in as Canada’s first Prime Minister on July 1 1867, and the following year on July 1 the first Dominion Day was formerly announced. The holiday was officially proclaimed in 1878 by the Governor General, Lord Monck, and was established by statute in 1879 under the name Dominion Day. In October 1982 the name was changed to Canada Day.
On July 1 1871 British Columbia joined Confederation and on July 1 1881 the Toronto Stock Exchange moved into its first permanent headquarters at 24 King Street East.
More recently, another Kennedy family tragedy occurred on July 16, 1999 when a small plane piloted by John F. Kennedy Junior took off from New Jersey heading for Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. His wife, Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and her sister Lauren were passengers aboard the plane. Five days later on July 21, following an extensive search, their bodies were recovered from the plane wreckage in 116 feet of water approximately seven miles off Martha’s Vineyard. The next day their cremated remains were scattered at sea from a US Navy ship near to where the plane had crashed.
Perhaps one of the most momentous July events occurred on July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 astronaut, Neil Armstrong, took his first step on the moon. As he stepped onto the moon’s surface, he proclaimed: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” But did you know that he omitted an “a” before “man” by accident, thus slightly changing the meaning?
July was named to honour Julius Caesar. But did you know that when Caesar died, Quintilis, his birth month, was renamed July? Quintilis meant “fifth month” in Latin which was where July originally fell in the Roman calendar. An interesting piece of trivia with which to impress your friends, perhaps?
Valerie Green is an author/historian and can be reached at valgee@shaw.ca
