Mary and I will have been married for 35 years on May 22, 2007. Yesterday, we watched a DVD of our 1972 wedding. I had the original 8 mm film converted to DVD. The change in technology in 35 years has been astounding but not always sufficient to make up for the quality of the film or the amateur skill of the photographer.

We looked so very young. We realized also that we have lost touch with virtually everyone on who was there. It was a moment in time when all those people were important and then we all went our separate ways not long afterward.

A lot has happened in the world since then and so I thought I would do a sampling of some of those events as another way to mark our 35th wedding anniversary. I picked out events from both Canada and the U.S.A. Both countries have been a part of our lives although we are committed to living in Canada.

I knew about many of these events and others were a surprise. I invite you to simply skim through what follows, and perhaps other events not listed will come to mind for you.

1972-We were married in the chapel on the campus of the University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. Burglars were arrested at the Democratic National Headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C.

1973-The Godfather receives the Oscar for best picture. Montreal announces Canada’s first lottery to pay towards the 1976 Olympics.

1974-The RCMP allows female members for the first time. Impeachment hearings open against President Nixon.

1975-Bill Clinton marries Hillary Rodham. The beaver becomes the official symbol of Canada.

1976-The Eaton’s catalogue is discontinued. Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis are re-united on stage for the first and last time by Frank Sinatra.

1977-President Jimmy Carter pardons all draft dodgers. Pierre Trudeau does a pirouette behind the back of the Queen.

1978-Under the new immigration act in Canada, homosexuals are no longer an inadmissible class. Volkswagen is the first non-American auto manufacturer to open a plant on USA soil.

1979-The USA and China establish full diplomatic relations. Joe Clark becomes Canada’s 16th and youngest prime minister.

1980-O Canada becomes the official national anthem. The USA hockey team defeats the Soviet Union in the Miracle on Ice.

1981-President Ronald Reagan is shot in the chest. Gasoline is sold in Canada by the litre rather than the gallon.

1982-Wayne Gretsky breaks the NHL scoring record. Thriller is released by Michael Jackson.

1983-M*A*S*H* series ends after eleven years. Jeanne Sauve is Canada’s first female Governor General.

1984-The Edmonton Oilers win the Stanley Cup for the first time. The first Apple MacIntosh computer goes on sale.

1985-Vice President Bush announces Christa McAuliffe as the first school teacher to ride Challenger into space. The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology opens in Drumheller, Alberta.

1986-The Canadian dollar hits an all time low of 70 cents US. Mike Tyson wins his first world boxing title.

1987-Televangelist Jim Bakker resigns from PTL ministries after an affair with Jessica Hahn. A tornado in Edmonton kills 27.

1988-Sprinter Ben Johnson is stripped of his Olympic gold medal testing positive for steroids. U.S, Surgeon General states addictive properties of nicotine comparable to heroin.

1989-Baseball player Pete Rose is banned from sport for illegal gambling. Audrey McLaughlin is the first female major political party leader (NDP) in Canadian history.

1990-Meech Lake Accord is officially dead. Space shuttle Discovery places Hubble Space Telescope into orbit.

1991-U.S. congress authorizes military force to liberate Kuwait. The Goods and Services Tax comes into effect in Canada.

1992-Twenty six miners are killed in the Westray Mine disaster. President George H. W. Bush vomits into the lap of the Premier of Japan.

1993-The Late Show with David Letterman premieres on CBS. Kim Campbell becomes the first female Prime Minister of Canada.

1994-One of the coldest winters on record hits much of Canada. O.J. Simpson flees police in a white Bronco after the deaths of wife Nicole and Ron Goldman.

1995-Yahoo is founded in Santa Clara, CA. A strict new gun control law is passed in Canada.

1996-The Winnipeg Jets leave Canada and become the Phoenix Coyotes. U.S. first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton testifies before the grand jury in the Whitewater scandal.

1997-Madeleine Albright becomes the first U.S. female Secretary of State. Ralph Klein’s PCs win eighth consecutive majority.

1998-Toronto and six other communities are merged into a new mega city. Smoking is banned in all California bars and restaurants.

1999-President Bill Clinton is acquitted in his impeachment trial. Nunavut becomes the newest territory in Canada.

2000-Am E-coli outbreak in Waterton, ON kills nine people. Hillary Clinton is elected to the U.S. Senate becoming the first First Lady to win public office.

2001-Terrorists attach the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Infighting in the Canadian Alliance forces out leader Stockwell Day.

2002-Four Canadian solders are killed in Afghanistan by friendly U.S. fire from F-16s. The U.S. Department of Justice pursues criminal investigation of Enron.

2003-U.S. invasion of Iraq. Paul Martin becomes the 21st Prime Minister of Canada.

2004-Belinda Stronach wins Conservative Party nomination for Ontario riding. Justin Timberlake rips off a part of Janet Jackson’s outfit at the Superbowl halftime show.

2005-The Michael Jackson trial commences in California. Norman Kwong is appointed Lieutenant Governor of Alberta after the death of Lois Hole.

2006-The Carolina Hurricanes defeat the Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. Ed Stelmach becomes Premiere of Alberta replacing Ralph Klein.

2007-Democrat Nancy Pelosi becomes the first woman Speaker of the House in the U.S.

The plans are well in place for our anniversary celebration. We look forward to adding that event to the history of 2007.