July 21: Marshall McLuhan; City of Winnipeg Act passes; Joseph Hargave dies.

Image: Library and Archives Canada

July 21, 1911 - Marshall McLuhan is born in Edmonton. He grew up in Winnipeg, attending Kelvin High School,  Alice Leone Mitchell's School of Expression and the University of Manitoba. From here it was on to Cambridge and an academic career in which he studied the role of mass media on society. He died in December 1980.

Read his N. Y. Times obituary and writings for The Manitoban.

July 21, 1971 - The City of Winnipeg Act is enacted by the Province. It gave the green light for the creation of 'Unicity' - the amalgamation of the old city of Winnipeg, the temporary 'Metro Winnipeg' and her 11 surrounding municipalities.  The Unicity of Winnipeg legally come into being on January 1, 1972.

July 21, 1950 - For the first time Winnipeg police offers are allowed to work in shirt sleeves.

July 21, 1891 - Joseph Hargrave, former HBC chief trader and chronicler of early Manitoba history, dies. Hargrave Street is named for him.