On this day in history, Nelson Mandela — the world's most famous political prisoner — was freed

In 1765 , London wig-makers asked King George III to buy their products to spur sales.

In 1834 , William Lyon Mackenzie was forcibly ejected from Upper Canada’s legislature.

Patrick James Whalen , who murdered federal politician Thomas D’Arcy McGee the previous year in Ottawa , was hanged in 1869 .

Five-thousand people turned out in a snowstorm to witness Canada 's second -last public execution.

In 2002 , a major Olympic controversy was ignited at the Salt Lake City Games in pairs figure skating when a Russian couple was awarded the gold medal over Canadian skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier .

In 2009 , Zimbabwe Opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in as the country’s prime minister.

In 2010 , dozens of avalanches on Salang Pass in the Hindu Kush mountains of northern Afghanistan killed 167 people, including two women from Hamilton , Ont . In 2015 , longtime 60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon was killed in a car crash in New York .

Two years later , a court ruled the Senate ’s decision to suspend Duffy was protected by parliamentary privilege, effectively blocking his bid to sue for $7.8 million in damages. In 2021 , the federal government approved Air Canada’s $190-million purchase of Transat after the COVID-19 pandemic diminished the deal’s value. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said the deal would give greater stability to Canada ’s air transport market..