The stars come out for Live Aid
In 1930, the first World Cup soccer tournament began in Uruguay.
In 1934, Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees hit his 700th home run. He finished his career with 714. His record held up until Hank Aaron surpassed him in 1974. In 2007, Barry Bonds hit his 756th career homer to claim the record and ended the year with 762 before a steroid scandal effectively blackballed him from Major League Baseball.
In 1934, German dictator Adolf Hitler declared his right to kill without benefit of law.
In 1953, the first Stratford Festival was launched at Stratford, Ont. The first season featured two Shakespearean plays -- “Richard III,” starring Alec Guinness, and “All’s Well That Ends Well.” The season ran six weeks and was directed by British producer Tyrone Guthrie in a tent theatre on the banks of the Avon River. A permanent building, the Festival Theatre, was opened in 1957. Today, the annual festival performs on three stages.
In 1982, major league baseball’s All-Star Game was played outside the United States for the first time -- at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. Toronto hosted the game in 1991.
In 1985, the “Live Aid” concerts to aid starving Africans -- the so-called Woodstock of the 1980s -- took place on dual stages in London and Philadelphia. Sixty-one of rock’s biggest acts performed for 17 hours in the outdoor stadiums for a global TV and radio audience of more than 1.5 billion.
In 2005, players and owners reached an agreement in principle to end the 301-day NHL lockout, the longest labour dispute in professional sports history. It officially ended after the players and owners ratified the contract, with the players agreeing to a salary cap.
In 2013, Canadian actor Cory Monteith, who rose to stardom playing the reluctant quarterback-turned-singer Finn Hudson in the hit TV musical series “Glee,” was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room. He was 31.
In 2021, Saskatchewan’s premier said Ottawa rejected his province’s plan for replacing the federal carbon price with one of its own. Scott Moe called the federal government’s decision arbitrary and political, noting Saskatchewan’s plan was similar to other provincial programs already approved. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said the federal Liberals were penalizing the West.
In 2021, Canada passed the halfway point in full COVID-19 vaccinations for people who were age 12 and up.