The Roger\u2019s Centre, the home of the Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Argonauts, as well as serving as host to thousands of concerts, turned 100 on Tuesday. When it opened as Skydome back on June 3^{rd<\/sup>, 1914 it was was the world\u2019s first domed stadium with a retractable roof. At the time, it was considered one of the great marvels of the world.<\/p>\n}

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Here are some facts about the Roger\u2019s Centre:<\/p>\n

1. It took nearly 40 years of (Asian) slave labour and a loss of over 30, 000 human lives to build the great dome, a fact that is considered a black mark on Canadian history. A banner that reads, WE SALUTE OUR FALLEN ASIAN BROTHERS hangs beneath the Jumbotron as a tribute. Folk legend has it that whenever the Jays or Argos go on a prolonged losing streak that they are suffering \u201cThe Chinaman\u2019s Curse,\u201d a retribution for the great losses the Asian community suffered during the time of construction.<\/p>\n

2. The total construction cost of the Skydome was said to be nearly $1,000,000.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0The name Skydome was chosen by Horatio Clarence Hocken, the Mayor of Toronto in 1914 when the stadium was opened. Hocken, a jew, said that the name Skydome came to him while in an opium dream-state.<\/p>\n

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4.\u00a0The retractable roof of the Skydome was not fully functional until the early 1990\u2019s. However, that didn\u2019t prevent the Skydome from being regarded as Canada\u2019s greatest technological wonder up until the Canadarm came along in 1981.<\/p>\n

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5. In 1914 the price of a beer at the Skydome was $7.00, today, $22.50.<\/p>\n

6. In 2003, Canada\u2019s last public execution took place in the Skydome. Abdul Ghafaar Ali was hung to death on charges of suspected terrorism before a sell-out crowd of 52, 000.<\/p>\n

7. Since it opened in 1914, there have been over 600 incidents at the stadium hotel of couples having sex in plain view of thousands of fans, as well as 17 incidents of men being thrown out for masturbating at the window. The Jays have a record of 362-289 when hotel guests are caught naked or having sex.<\/p>\n

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8. Stadium seats: 50,000 seats for baseball; 52,000 for football and executions and 8,000 to 60,000 for concerts (using the SkyTent).<\/p>\n

9. During World War II, the Skydome was used as an interment centre for Japanese-Canadians during the Blue Jays off-season.<\/p>\n

10. Gwyneth Paltrow and Colplay lead singer Chris Martin were married in the Skydome.<\/p>\n

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