Alexander Cameron Rutherford (1857–1941) was the first premier of
Alberta. Born in Ormond, Canada West, he became a lawyer in Ottawa
before moving to the North-West Territories in 1895. He won a seat in
the North-West Legislative Assembly, and in 1905 he was asked to form
the new province's first government. As premier, with a majority in the
Legislative Assembly of Alberta, he created the apparatus of government
and supported the controversial selection of Edmonton as capital. Faced
with labour unrest in the coal mining industry, the government
established a commission to examine the problem. A project to develop
new railways led to the Alberta and Great Waterways Railway scandal;
Rutherford eventually resigned but kept his legislative seat. He was
defeated in the 1913 election by Herbert Crawford, a Conservative, but
was made King's Counsel afterwards. After leaving politics, he continued
his law practice and became chancellor of the University of Alberta
until his death by a heart attack.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Cameron_Rutherford>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1776:
American Revolutionary War: The Great Fire of New York
(depicted) broke out during the British occupation of New York City,
destroying up to 1,000 buildings.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_New_York_%281776%29>
1934:
The Muroto typhoon, the strongest in Japanese history at the
time, made landfall on the mainland, killing more than 3,000 and leaving
around 200,000 homeless.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_Muroto_typhoon>
1937:
J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy children's novel The Hobbit, which
later served as a prelude to The Lord of the Rings, was first published.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hobbit>
1968:
The Soviet Union's Zond 5 landed in the Indian Ocean, becoming
the first spacecraft to safely return to Earth after circling the Moon.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zond_5>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
cheeselet:
1. (chiefly Malta) A small, usually roundish lump of cheese; a baby
cheese; specifically, a particular type made with sheep's milk in Malta.
2. (US, archaic) A baked dish of bread and cheese covered with a mixture
of eggs and milk.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cheeselet>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
Oh the sisters of mercy, they are not departed or gone. They
were waiting for me when I thought that I just can't go on. And they
brought me their comfort and later they brought me this song. Oh I hope
you run into them, you who've been travelling so long.
--Leonard Cohen
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Leonard_Cohen>
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