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History of Toronto
History
Town of York (1793–1834)
City of Toronto (1834–1954)
Metropolitan Toronto (1954–1998)
Toronto (Amalgamated) (1998–present)
Events
Toronto Purchase 1787
Battle of York 1813
Battle of Montgomery's Tavern 1837
First Great Fire of Toronto 1849
Second Great Fire of Toronto 1904
Hurricane Hazel (effects) 1954
First Amalgamation 1967
Second Amalgamation 1998
Other
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This timeline of the history of Toronto documents all events that occurred in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, including historical events in the former cities of East York, Etobicoke, North York, Toronto, Scarborough, and York. Events date back to the early-17th century and continue until the present in chronological order. The timeline also includes events taken place in municipalities bordering Toronto.

In this timeline, the name Toronto refers to Old Toronto in events listed before 1998.

Pre-founding of Toronto

Year Date Events
Pre-European
1450s Several hundred Wyandot (Huron) live in about 21 longhouses within a fortified village located in what is now North Toronto (Castlefield Avenue, just west of Avenue Road).[1]
1450s A large Huron-Wendat village is located on a rise of land overlooking Black Creek.[2]
17th century
1615 Étienne Brûlé, with 12 Huron scouts, arrives at the mouth of the Humber River on the shores of Lake Ontario as the first European to set foot in the vicinity now known as Toronto.[3]
1650s–1700 Teiaiagon Seneca village exists on the bank of the Humber at today's Baby Point neighbourhood
1660s Ganatsekwyagon (Bead Hill) Seneca village exists on the bank of the lower Rouge River.[4]
18th century
1720 A magasin royal (fur trading post), known as Fort Douville, is established near the former site of Teiaiagon.[5]
1750 Fort Rouillé is established.
1759 Fort Rouillé is destroyed by its garrison.[6]
1787 The Toronto Purchase occurs.
1791 The lands of Etobicoke, York, and Scarborough are surveyed in preparation for settlement.[7]
1792 Joseph Bouchette is sent to Upper Canada to help survey the shores of Lake Ontario and produce maps.
1793 Fort York is established.
August 26 York (Upper Canada) is incorporated as a township.
1795 Etobicoke is named by John Graves Simcoe
1796 Scarborough is named by Elizabeth Simcoe.
1797 June 1 The first session of the parliament of York is held.

19th century

Year Date Events
1803 St. Lawrence Market public market is established[8]
1806 Lambton Mills is incorporated as a village.
1813 April 27 The Battle of York occurs.
July Second looting of York by American forces
1827 March 15 King's College (now University of Toronto) is established.[9]
1829 June 3 The York General Hospital is opened as the first public hospital in York.
1830 The York Mechanics' Institute is established.
1832 The first post office of Scarborough is opened in Scarborough Village.
1834 March 6 The City of Toronto is incorporated, replacing the township of York.
1837 December 7 The Battle of Montgomery's Tavern occurs.
1839 or 1840 The first Catholic school in Toronto is opened.[10]
1839 December St. James Church becomes the cathedral church of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto.[11]
1841 December 28 Several Toronto streets and stores illuminated by gas as a regular service for the first time.
1844 The Globe is established.
1846 December 19 First telegraph message transmitted from Toronto.
1847 Wave of over 30,000 Irish Immigrants arrive in Toronto to escape the famine in Ireland.
1849 April 7 The first Great Fire of Toronto occurs.
May 30 King's College is renamed as the University of Toronto.
The Williams Omnibus Bus Line is established as the first public transit system in Toronto.
1850 January 1 Etobicoke is incorporated as a township.
Scarborough is incorporated as a township.
York (Canada West) is incorporated as a township.
1853 May 16 First railway (Ontario, Simcoe and Huron) begins operation from Bay and Front St. depot.
Yorkville is incorporated as a village.
1856 October 27 The first passenger rail service between Toronto and Montreal begins.
The Armstrong, Beere and Hime panorama is created.
1858 April 13 The Toronto Islands sand formation modified by a storm.
The first Union Station is opened just west of York and Front Streets
1861 October 25 The Toronto Stock Exchange is formed.
September 11 Toronto Street Railway is established.
1869 Eaton's is established.
1872 The Toronto Mail is established.
1873 July 1 The second Union Station is opened.
1874 August 19 Establishment of an official fire department is approved by the city council.
1875 March 1 Hospital for Sick Children opens at its original site.[12]
September 26 The Jubilee Riots occur.
The Metropolitan Street Railway is established.
1879 June 8 Toronto's first telephone book published.
September 5 The first Canadian National Exhibition (then known as the Toronto Industrial Exhibition) is held.
1883 September 25 Toronto Electric Light Company is established.
1884 March 6 The Toronto Public Library officially opens following approval in 1883.[13]
Brockton Village is annexed into Toronto.
1887 The Toronto Empire is established.
1889 March 28 Parkdale is annexed into Toronto.
1890 The Toronto and Mimico Electric Railway and Light Company is established.
Toronto Railway is established.
1892 November 3 The Evening Star is established.
The Toronto and Scarboro' Electric Railway, Light and Power Company is established.
1893 April 4 Queen's Park and the Ontario Legislative Building opens.
1894 May 17 The University Avenue Armoury opens.
June 14 Massey Hall opens in 1894, holding its first concert on June 14.[14]
Toronto Suburban Railway is established.
The Toronto Mail and Toronto Empire merge to create The Mail and Empire
1896 August 31 The first motion picture in Toronto is screened at Robinson's Musee at 81 Yonge Street.
December 31 All toll gates are abolished in York County.
1897 September 26 Temple Building opens at Bay Street and Richmond Street as the tallest office building in Canada at the time.
1899 September 18 The Old City Hall opens.

20th century

Year Date Events
1900 January 24 The Evening Star is renamed as The Toronto Daily Star.[15]
The Art Museum of Toronto opens.[16]
1903 May 11 King Edward Hotel opens.[17]
1904 April 19 The second Great Fire of Toronto occurs.
December 12 First escalator in Toronto is installed at an Eaton's store on Queen Street West.
1905 December 2 The first Toronto Santa Claus Parade is held.
1906 November 19 Electricity generated at Niagara Falls begins to be supplied to Toronto.[18]
The Toronto Professional Hockey Club is established as the first professional ice hockey team in Toronto.[19]
1909 September 1 A fire damages the west wing of the Ontario Legislative Building, destroying the Legislative Library.[20]
October 28 The Central Reference Library opens at the intersection of College Street and St. George Street.
December 4 The first Grey Cup game is held at Rosedale Field.
1911 The Toronto Blueshirts are established.
1912 October 7 The Arena Gardens (later known as Mutual Street Arena) opens as the largest auditorium in Canada with the first artificial ice rink in Ontario.
Toronto Civic Railways is established.
1913 June 13 The Toronto General Hospital relocates to its present site at College Street.
1914 March 11 The Toronto Blueshirts win the first Stanley Cup by a Toronto team.
March 19 The Royal Ontario Museum opens.
"Ranelagh Park" estate home, later to be the Guild Inn opens.
1915 November 15 Chorley Park, Ontario's fourth and last Government House, opens.
1916 September 16 The 'Ontario Temperance Act takes effect.
1917 The Toronto Blueshirts are renamed as the Torontos.
1918 March 30 The Torontos are renamed as the Toronto Arenas.
October 18 The Prince Edward Viaduct officially opens.[21]
1919 December 8 A statue of Timothy Eaton is unveiled on Queen Street West.[22]
The Art Museum of Toronto is renamed as Art Gallery of Toronto.[23]
The Toronto Arenas are renamed as the Toronto St. Patricks.
1920 August 28 The Pantages Theatre opens as Canada's largest theatre.
1921 September 1 The Toronto Transportation Commission is established.
December 16 The Coliseum opens on the Exhibition grounds.
1922 June 13 North York is incorporated as a township.
June 28 Sunnyside Amusement Park opens.
November 22 The first Royal Agricultural Winter Fair opens.
1923 February 8 First radio broadcast of an ice hockey game is made from Arena Gardens.
1924 January 1 East York is incorporated as a township.
July 19 Telephone system begins switch from manual to automatic dialing.
1925 June 10 Arena Gardens hosts a worship service inaugurating The United Church of Canada.
1925 July 29 Sunnyside Pool opens at Sunnyside Amusement Park as the largest outdoor pool in the world.
August 8 First automatic traffic signal begins operation at the intersection of Yonge Street and Bloor Street.
1926 April 29 Maple Leaf Stadium opens as the Fleet Street Baseball Stadium.
1927 February 14 The Toronto St. Patricks renamed as the Toronto Maple Leafs.
June 1 First liquor stores in Toronto open following repeal of the Ontario Temperance Act.
August 6 The new (present-day) Union Station is open.
August 30 Edward, Prince of Wales and Prince George inaugurate the new Princes' Gates at the Exhibition Grounds
1928 November 3 First sound film in Toronto is shown at the Uptown Theatre.
1929 June 11 The Fairmont Royal York is opened as the Royal York Hotel.
October 29 The Toronto Stock Exchange suffers its worst loss in history.
1930 January 21 Cross Waterfront Railway Viaduct opens to elevate tracks from York Street to Queen Street West.
1931 January 31 Commerce Court North opens as the tallest building in the British Commonwealth.
June 4 The intersection of College Street-Carlton Street and Yonge Street opened.
1931 November 12 Maple Leaf Gardens opens with hockey game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Chicago Black Hawks.
1933 July 11 Anti-fascism march, from Bathurst and Wellington Streets, to Queen's Park.[24]
August 16 Christie Pits riot occurs.[25]
1934 Fort York Guard created.
March 6 Centennial of the City of Toronto
1936 The Globe and The Mail and Empire merge to create The Globe and Mail.
1938 August 29 Malton Airport opens.
1939 February 4 Toronto Island airport opens.
May 22 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother visit, marking the first visit of a reigning monarch to Toronto. The island airport is renamed Port George VI Island Airport in honour of the visit
June 7 Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) between Toronto and Niagara Falls, Ontario is opened.
1944 December 12 The Great Snowstorm, the worst winter storm in Toronto's history, ends with nine deaths and 57 cm of snow.[26]
1947 April 3 The Silver Rail opens as the first bar licensed by the LCBO .[27]
1949 January 18 Conversion of hydro in Ontario to 60 cycles from 25 cycles begins.
September 17 SS Noronic burns at the Toronto Harbour resulting in 118 fatalities.
1951 August 9 Canada Life Building's weather beacon begins operation.
October 11 The future Queen, Princess Elizabeth and husband Prince Philip visit Toronto as part of a cross-Canada tour.[28]
December 1 The Toronto-Barrie Highway opens.
1952 July 1 The Toronto-Barrie Highway is renamed as Highway 400
September 8 Ontario's first television station, CBLT, begins broadcasting in Toronto.
November 1 First English broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada is televised from Maple Leaf Gardens.
1953 January 20 The Metropolitan Toronto School Board, a school board with a federation of 11 school boards, is formed.
1954 January 1 Metropolitan Toronto is created.
March 30 The Yonge subway line opens as the first rapid transit line in Canada.
September 9 Marilyn Bell becomes the first person to swim across Lake Ontario.
October 15 Hurricane Hazel affects Toronto and kills a total of 81 people in Ontario.
1956 August 24 Highway 401's last section in Toronto from Bayview Avenue to Highway 2 opens.
1958 August 8 The Gardiner Expressway from Humber River to Jameson Avenue opens.
1960 October 1 The O'Keefe Centre opens.
1961 August 3 The Don Valley Parkway's first phase, from Bloor Street to Eglinton Avenue opens.
1964 February 26 The Yorkdale Shopping Centre opens.
1965 September 13 The Toronto City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square open.
November 10 Northeast Blackout of 1965 occurs.
1966 February 25 The Bloor-Danforth subway line (Line 2) opens.[29]
October 21 The Spadina Expressway opens.
1967 May 23 GO Transit is established.
Etobicoke, East York, North York, Scarborough, and York are incorporated as boroughs.
May 2 The Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup, their most recent win.
July 1 Official opening of 56-storey Toronto-Dominion Bank Tower.
1968 October 28 The McLaughlin Planetarium opens.
1969 September 26 The Ontario Science Centre opens.
1970 July 5 The Air Canada Flight 621 accident occurs as the deadliest aviation incident in Toronto.
1971 May 22 Ontario Place opens.
June 3 The Spadina Expressway project into downtown is cancelled to go no further than Eglinton Avenue.
November 6 The Toronto Daily Star is renamed as The Toronto Star.
1972 Toronto's first Gay Pride Week is held. It includes a dance, film night, and march to Queen's Park.[30]
1973 May 2 The Scarborough Town Centre opens.
1974 August 15 Toronto Zoo opens (originally called Metro Toronto Zoo).
October 26 Art Gallery of Ontario relocates to its present site on Dundas Street.
1975 May 18 The First Canadian Place opens as the tallest building in the Commonwealth of Nations.
The 519 Church Street Community Centre is established.[31] The 519 provides services to LGBTQ2S people.
1976 June 26 The CN Tower opens as the tallest freestanding structure in the world.
August 3 The opening ceremony of the 1976 Summer Paralympics is held at the Woodbine Racetrack.
February 11 The Toronto Eaton Centre opens.
November 2 Toronto Reference Library relocates to its present site at the intersection of Bloor Street and Yonge Street.
The first Toronto International Film Festival is held (originally called the Festival of Festivals)
1979 North York is incorporated as a city.
1981 February 5 Police raid four gay bathhouses in Operation Soap and arrest 286 people. The next day over 3,000 people demonstrate against the raids. Smaller raids and protests continue through 1981.
May 23 Canada's Wonderland opens.
1982 September 13 The Roy Thomson Hall opens.
1983 Etobicoke, Scarborough, and York are incorporated as cities.
1984 October 2 The Metro Toronto Convention Centre opens.
1985 March 22 The Scarborough RT line opens.
1988 March Canada's first stand-alone treatment facility for people with HIV/AIDS, Casey House opens its doors.
1989 June 5 Rogers Centre opens (originally known as SkyDome).
1991 The 1991 Toronto bomb plot is revealed.
1992 May 4 A riot occurs after a protest march after the police shooting of Raymond Lawrence, a young black man.
1993 May 23 The Princess of Wales Theatre opens.
1995 August 11 The Russell Hill subway accident occurs.
1998 January 1 East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, Old Toronto, York and Metro Toronto are amalgamated into the new City of Toronto.
1999 February 19 The Air Canada Centre opens.

21st century

Year Date Events
2002 November 22 The Sheppard Subway Line opens.
Toronto hosts World Youth Day.
2003 April 24 2003 Etobicoke gas explosion occurs.
August 14 Northeast Blackout of 2003 occurs.
2005 August 2 The Air France Flight 358 accident occurs.
December 26 The Boxing Day shooting occurs.
2006 June 2 The 2006 Toronto terrorism plot is thwarted.
June 14 The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts opens.
2008 August 10 2008 Toronto propane explosion occurs.
2010 June 8 Final resolution of Toronto Purchase between Government of Canada and Mississaugas
June 26 2010 G-20 Toronto summit is held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
September 12 Opening of TIFF Bell Lightbox permanent home for Toronto International Film Festival.
2011 June 25 12th International Indian Film Academy Awards are held at the Rogers Centre.
2012 July 16 Two people are killed and 22 wounded in the Danzig Street shooting.
2014 August 31 Flexity Outlook streetcars begin revenue service, debuting on Route 510 Spadina.
September 18 Aga Khan Museum is established.
2015 June 6 Union Pearson Express opens to connect Pearson Airport to Union Station.
July 4 Luminous Veil on Prince Edward Viaduct is unveiled.
July 10–26 Toronto hosts 2015 Pan American Games.
July 30 Pedestrian tunnel to the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport opens.
August 7–15 Toronto hosts 2015 Parapan American Games.
2016 December 31 Honest Ed's closes.
2017 September 20–23 Toronto hosts the Invictus Games.
December 9 Toronto FC win the MLS Cup.[32]
December 17 The Line 1 Yonge–University subway extension opens.
2018 April 23 10 people are killed and 16 wounded in a vehicle ramming attack on Yonge Street in North York.
July 22 Two people are killed and 13 wounded in the Danforth shooting.
2019 April 1 The first legal marijuana store opens in Toronto, six months after legalization of marijuana.[33]
June 13 The Toronto Raptors win the 2019 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors in Oakland, California.
2020 March 23 State of emergency declared in Toronto by mayor John Tory, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario.[34]

References

  1. ^ Ritchie, Don (1992). North Toronto. Toronto: Boston Mills Press. ISBN 1550460110.
  2. ^ "Parsons Site Historical Plaque".
  3. ^ "Biography – BRÛLÉ, ÉTIENNE – Volume I (1000-1700) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography". www.biographi.ca. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  4. ^ "The People of Scarborough: a history".
  5. ^ Robinson, Percy James (1965). Toronto during the French régime : a history of the Toronto region from Brûlé to Simcoe, 1615-1793. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
  6. ^ Peppiatt, Liam. "Chapter 31A: Fort Rouille". Robertson's Landmarks of Toronto Revisited. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2015-08-14.
  7. ^ "Toronto Chronology". Ontario Genealogy Society - Toronto Branch. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29.
  8. ^ "Read More St. Lawrence Market". www.stlawrencemarket.com. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  9. ^ Friedland, Martin L. (2002). The University of Toronto: a history. University of Toronto Press. p. 8. ISBN 0-8020-4429-8.
  10. ^ Peppiatt, Liam. "Chapter 42: The First Catholic School". Robertson's Landmarks of Toronto Revisited.
  11. ^ "History". St James Cathedral. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  12. ^ Jea, Andrew; Al-Otibi, Merdas; Rutka, James; Drake, James; Dirks, Peter; Kulkarni, Abhaya; Taylor, Michael; Humphreys, Robin (September 2007). "The History of Neurosurgery at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto" (PDF). Neurosurgery. 61: 612–625.
  13. ^ "History of Toronto Public Library". Toronto Public Library. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  14. ^ Filey, Mike (2008). Toronto: The Way We Were. Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 235. ISBN 978-1-55002-842-3.
  15. ^ Honderich, Beland. "History of the Toronto Star". The Toronto Star. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  16. ^ "Name/Legal Identity Fact Sheet". Art Gallery of Ontario. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  17. ^ "Early Arrivals at The King Edward Hotel". The Toronto Daily Star. May 11, 1903.
  18. ^ "Turning on Toronto: Harnessing the Power of Niagara". City of Toronto. City of Toronto. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  19. ^ Harper, Stephen (Dec 23, 2006). "Long before Leafs, T.O. had a team to call its own". The Star. Archived from the original on 2008-10-01. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  20. ^ "The Fire of 1909". Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
  21. ^ "Bridging the Don: The Viaduct Opens". City of Toronto. 2017-11-23. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  22. ^ "The T. Eaton Statue is Presented To-Day". The Toronto Daily Star. December 8, 1919. p. 21.
  23. ^ "Name/Legal Identity Fact Sheet". Art Gallery of Ontario. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  24. ^ Wencer, Dave (26 February 2017). "Historicist: Strike Against Hitlerism". Torontoist.
  25. ^ Filey, Mike (2008). Toronto: The Way We Were. Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 236. ISBN 978-1-55002-842-3.
  26. ^ "Remembering the "Great" Snowstorm of 1944: December 11-12: Snapshots in History". torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  27. ^ "Toronto's Silver Rail Tavern—closed 1998". Historic Toronto. 2016-10-10. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  28. ^ "Princess Elizabeth's 1951 royal visit to Canada". CBC. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  29. ^ "Bloor-Danforth Subway Official Opening, 1966". TTC - Coupler. Toronto Transit Commission. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  30. ^ "History". Pride Toronto. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
  31. ^ "A Historic Timeline of The 519 - The519". The 519. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
  32. ^ "Recap: Toronto FC vs Seattle Sounders". mlssoccer.com. December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  33. ^ Owram, Kristine. "Toronto opens first cannabis shop six months after legalization".
  34. ^ "Toronto declares state of emergency amid COVID-19 pandemic". March 23, 2020. Archived from the original on March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
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