Category: Éphémérides (anglais)

WHO grants the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine emergency authorization, paving the way for worldwide distribution.

Russian President Boris Yeltsin resigned. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was designated acting president.

Microsoft buys Hotmail email service for $400 million and re-launches it as MSN Hotmail.

Pittsburgh Penguins’ Mario Lemieux becomes the only National Hockey League player to score goals in five different ways: even strength, shorthanded, power play, penalty shot, and empty net, during an 8–6 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen loses his arm in a car crash.

Evel Knievel fails in his attempt to jump the Caesar’s Palace Fountain, Las Vegas, breaking his pelvis, femur, wrist, hip and both ankles

The Beach Boys play their debut gig under that name

U.S. President Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II.

Charles Darrow patents the board game Monopoly, goes on to be the 1st millionaire game designer.

In London, the BBC first broadcast the chimes of Big Ben.

Marie Curie receives her second Nobel Prize, this time in Chemistry, for her work with radioactivity

First New Year’s Eve celebration held in Times Square (then Longacre Square), in New York City.

Queen Victoria chooses the town of Ottawa as the new capital of Canada.

Former President of Iraq Saddam Hussein is executed.

Washington defenseman Al Iafrate becomes first player in NHL history to have his shot officially break 100 miles per hour; records 101.4 mph during the Capitals Superskills competition.

In the 39th game of his third NHL season, Wayne Gretzky scores five goals, giving him 50 on the year and setting a new NHL record previously held by Maurice Richard and Mike Bossy, who earlier had each scored 50 goals in 50 games.

Frank Sinatra first records “My Way” with lyrics were written by Paul Anka and based on the French song “Comme d’habitude”.

The first color TV sets went on sale for about $1,175.

Astronomer Edwin Hubble formally announces existence of other galactic systems at meeting of the American Astronomical Society.

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was formed.

Fire destroys Ursuline convent at Quebec.

7-time world F1 motor racing champion Michael Schumacher suffers a serious head injury in a ski accident in the French Alps; his condition still remains unclear.

The New England Patriots become the first team in NFL history to finish the regular season 16-0.

Hong Kong began killing 1.25 million chickens, the entire population, for fear of the spread of ‘bird flu’.

NHL star Wayne Gretzky named Male Athlete of the Decade by the Associated Press; Martina Navratilova the Woman Athlete.

Barbra Streisand’s 1st recording “You’ll Never Know” at age 13.

NHL officials wear new vertically striped black-and-white sweaters for the first time.

Canada recognizes Israel.

During World War II, Germany began dropping incendiary bombs on London.

The first performance of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth took place at the Lyceum Theatre.

Bowling ball invented.

Founding of the Mission Huronne de l’Ancienne-Lorette; many refugees from Huronia.

Andrea Bocelli makes his classical debut singing at a concert at Teatro Romolo Valli in Reggio Emilia.

Warner-Elektra-Atlantic raises price of 45 records from $1.68 to $1.98.

“The Hail Mary”, with 32 seconds left in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game, Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach throws a legendary 50-yard winning touchdown pass to Drew Pearson to defeat the Minnesota Vikings, and the “Hail Mary” play is born.

Paul Rose, his brother Jacques Rose, and Francis Simard captured in farmhouse near Montreal; suspected FLQ terrorists, kidnappers and murderers of Quebec Labour Minister Pierre Laporte.

Beatles’ “White Album” goes #1 & stays #1 for 9 weeks.

Canadiens’ right winger Maurice Richard the first player in NHL history to score eight points in one game.

Montreal’s Georges Vezina becomes the first NHL goalie to record an assist during the Canadiens’ 6-3 win over the Toronto Arenas.

“Cyrano de Bergerac,” the play by Edmond Rostand, premiered in Paris, France.

The Lumière brothers perform for their first paying audience at the Grand Cafe in Boulevard des Capucines, marking the debut of the cinema.

Mexico’s independence was recognized by Spain.

The World Health Organization says 208 countries, territories and communities have reported H1N1 cases, including at least 12,220 deaths.

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is assassinated by a suicide bomber in Rawalpindi.

Mario Lemeiux (Pittsburgh Penguins) returned to the National Hockey League (NHL) as a player after over 3 years of retirement.

Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers) scored his 100th point in the 34th game of the season.

Spain adopted a new constitution and became a democracy after 40 years of dictatorship.

Leonard Cohen releases his debut album “Songs of Leonard Cohen” on Columbia Records.

The Supremes 1st appear on “The Ed Sullivan Show” singing “Come See About Me”.

The World Bank was created with the signing of an agreement by 28 nations.

Shah of Persia Mohammad Reza Pahlavi declares Persia now Iran.

James Barrie’s play “Peter Pan” premiered in London.

Charles Darwin set out on a voyage to the Pacific aboard the HMS Beagle. Darwin’s discoveries during the voyage helped him form the basis of his theories on evolution.

American Colin O’Brady is the first person to cross Antarctica solo and unassisted after 54 days at the Ross Ice Shelf.

Under the Indian Ocean, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake sent 500-mph waves across the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. The tsunami killed at least 230,000 people in a dozen countries, including Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Sumatra, Thailand and India.

Doug Jarvis, 31, sets NHL record of 916 consecutive games.

Time’s Man of the Year is for the first time a non-human, the personal computer.

Horror film “The Exorcist” based on book by William Peter Blatty, starring Linda Blair, premieres – 1st horror film to be nominated for Best Picture

The Beatles’ “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “I Saw Her Standing There” are released in the United States, marking the beginning of Beatlemania on an international level.

Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox is sold to the New York Yankees by owner Harry Frazee.

First known performance of William Shakespeare’s tragedy “King Lear” before the court of King James I at Whitehall, London.

New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara equals Ernie Nevers 1929 NFL record of 6 touchdowns in a match.

Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev went on television to announce his resignation as leader of a Communist superpower that had already gone out of existence.

Ousted Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were executed following a popular uprising.

Opening of the Boulevard Métropolitain for traffic; Montreal’s cross-town artery.

Richard Starkey (later better known as Ringo Starr) receives his first drum set

New cross on Mount Royal first illuminated.

Astronomer Anders Celsius introduces Centigrade temperature scale.

Samuel de Champlain dies at Quebec, age 68.

1st definite date Christmas was celebrated on Dec 25th

Panama’s dictator, Manual Noriega, seeks asylum at Vatican embassy.

Soviet troops invaded Afghanistan in support of the country’s Marxist government.

Walt Disney’s “Aristocats” is released.

For the first time ever, a midnight Mass was broadcast on television. It was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.

Henry Ford completes his first useful petrol / gasoline fuelled engine

Giusseppi Verdi’s “Aida” opera premieres in Cairo.

Several veterans of the Confederate Army formed a private social club in Pulaski, TN, called the Ku Klux Klan.

Franz Gruber of Oberndorf, Germany composed the music for “Silent Night” to words written by Josef Mohr.

Sieur de Maisonneuve climbs Mount Royal and plants a cross on the summit.

16 plane crash survivors rescued from Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 after 72 days on the Andean Mountains, after only surviving through cannibalism

NYC World Trade Center reaches highest point (411 m).

Quebec government creates Loto-Québec.

Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders become the 1st men to orbit the Moon (Apollo 8)

The first human kidney transplant is performed by Dr. Joseph E. Murray at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Walt Disney movie “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” was released.

A National Football League (NFL) championship game was televised nationally for the first time. The Los Angeles Rams beat the Cleveland Browns 24-17.

The Engelbert Humperdinck opera “Hansel und Gretel” was first performed, in Weimar, Germany.

Following a quarrel with Paul Gauguin, Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh cut off part of his own earlobe.

Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi scores his 644th goal for FC Barcelona during 3-0 win over Real Valladolid to break Pele’s record for most goals for one club; Pele, 643 goals for Santos 1956-74.

Scotty Bowman’s Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins, 4-2 giving him 200 wins with Detroit, and making him the first NHL coach to record 200 wins with 3 different teams; also Montreal and Buffalo

Brett Hull scores his 500 career goals; with father Bobby Hull, first father/son combo to each record 500 goals

Lech Walesa was sworn in as Poland’s first popularly elected president.

Romania’s hard-line Communist ruler, Nicolae Ceausescu, was overthrown in a popular uprising.

Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” single goes #1 for 6 weeks.

Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers 1st joint movie “Flying Down to Rio,” directed by Thornton Freeland, premieres in NYC.

German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen made the first X-ray, of his wife’s hand.

Claude Debussy’s first orchestral masterpiece “Prélude à l’apres-midi d’un faune” premieres in Paris

1st string of Christmas tree lights created by Thomas Edison.

Formerly a branch of the Université Laval de Québec, the Université de Montréal officially opened its door.

Ludwig van Beethoven conducts and performs in concert at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, with the premiere of his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto (performed by Beethoven himself) and Choral Fantasy (with Beethoven at the piano).

The French Academy of Sciences, founded by Louis XIV with Jean-Baptiste Colbert first meets in the Kings Library