June 24, 1880 –
The first performance of O Canada, the song that would become the national anthem of Canada, took place at the Congrès national des Canadiens-Français on on this date. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony.
The original lyrics were in French; an English translation was published in 1906.
Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which, words were written by the poet and judge Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier. An English translation was published in 1906. Multiple English versions ensued, with Robert Stanley Weir’s version in 1908 gaining the most popularity, eventually serving as the basis for the official lyrics enacted by Parliament.
The Haus of Dcaligari 