November 8, 1873 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY WINNIPEG ! The City of Winnipeg, encompassing an area of three square miles and 1869 people, is incorporated.
This was the second attempt at incorporation, the first was so heated that Dr. Bird, the speaker of the Manitoba Legislature, was lured from his home at night, beaten unconscious and covered in tar. It was in protest of a procedural matter that he ruled on that led to the first bill's demise. (Also see.)
November 8, 1976 - Burton Cummings plays his first show as a solo artist at the Centennial Concert Hall in support of his self titled album.
November 8, 1990 - The official opening of the Pembina overpass at Bishop Grandin and the extension of Bishop Grandin to Waverley takes place.
November 8, 1906 - The Toronto Globe expresses concerns over Winnipeg's stench from "...poisonous vapours that pour from thousands of manholes and defile the otherwise exhilarating air of the western capital."November 8, 2005 - Winnipeg's Centennial Library reopens as the Millennium Library after a two-year, $18m renovation. For the grand opening ceremony. The new library gets over 4,000 visits per day or 1.5 million visits per year.
November 8, 1949 - John Norris dies at his tailor's shop on Garry Street.
Norris served as a Captain with the Winnipeg Grenadiers and was captured at the Battle of Hong Kong in 1939. Because of his rank, he was regularly beaten and tortured which left him permanently disabled. After returning to Winnipeg he served as the first president of the Hong Kong Veterans' Association. (See Remembrance: Captain John Norris.)
