31 December 1857 Posted on December 31, 2015 by Staff Queen Victoria selects Ottawa to be the capital of Canada. Famous Words of Inspiration..."I think that there is nothing, not even crime, more opposed to poetry, to philosophy, ay, to life itself than this incessant business." Henry David Thoreau — Click here for more from Henry David Thoreau Related posts: 24 August 1857 5 October 1857 22 May 1906 31 December 1994 31 December 1994 31 December 1923 31 December 1963 8 December 1941 16 December 1972