On This Day: October 11 — DoYou — History you didn't learn in school

Mario Lemieux scores on his very first NHL shift, Jean Béliveau becomes captain of the Canadiens, and Saturday Night Live goes on the air. Here’s what happened on October 11.

1984 — Mario Lemieux scores on his first NHL shift

Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1988 — Photo: Unknown author / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Montreal-born Mario Lemieux, the No. 1 pick in the 1984 draft, wasted no time. On his first shift of his first NHL game, he poked the puck past Boston star Ray Bourque, raced in alone and scored on his first shot, 2:59 into the game. The Penguins still lost 4–3 at Boston Garden, but a legend was born.

1961 — Jean Béliveau becomes captain of the Canadiens

Jean Béliveau in 2009 — Photo: US Embassy Canada / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Jean Béliveau was named captain of the Montreal Canadiens, succeeding Doug Harvey, who had been traded to the New York Rangers. Béliveau wore the “C” for a decade, until his retirement in 1971, and lifted the Stanley Cup as captain five times.

1924 — The Montreal Maroons and Boston Bruins join the NHL

A Montreal Maroons jersey at the International Hockey Hall of Fame — Photo: Alaney2k / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The NHL granted new franchises to the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Maroons, for $15,000 each. The Bruins became the league’s first team based in the United States, while the Maroons gave Montreal’s English-speaking fans a team of their own. The Maroons won two Stanley Cups before folding in 1938.

1984 — Kathryn Sullivan walks in space

Kathryn Sullivan putting on her spacesuit — Photo: NASA / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Astronaut Kathryn Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space, stepping outside the space shuttle Challenger for about three and a half hours. Aboard the same mission was Marc Garneau, who earlier that week had become the first Canadian in space.

1975 — Saturday Night Live debuts

Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels — Photo: David Shankbone / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

The sketch comedy and variety show Saturday Night Live made its debut on NBC. Created by Canadian producer Lorne Michaels, from Toronto, it became a landmark of American television and launched the careers of generations of comedians, including Canadians Dan Aykroyd and Mike Myers.

1971 — John Lennon’s Imagine is released as a single

John Lennon in 1971 — Photo: Peter Fordham / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Former Beatle John Lennon released Imagine as a single. A simple piano ballad dreaming of a world without borders or divisions, it became an iconic anthem of hope and peace, and is arguably the best-known song of Lennon’s solo career.

1899 — The South African War begins

Members of the Guelph contingent in the South African War — Photo: W. Burgess and Son / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

War broke out between Great Britain and the two Boer republics of southern Africa, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. More than 7,000 Canadians volunteered to fight, the first time Canada sent a sizable contingent of troops overseas.