Year |
Date |
Events |
17th century |
1610s |
|
Étienne Brûlé arrives on the shores of Lake Ontario as the first European to set foot in the vicinity now known as Toronto. |
18th century |
1750 |
|
Fort Rouillé is established. |
1759 |
|
Fort Rouillé is destroyed by its garrison.[1] |
1787 |
|
The Toronto Purchase occurs. |
1791 |
|
The lands of Etobicoke, York, and Scarborough are surveyed in preparation for settlement.[2] |
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. |
1797 |
|
The Cathedral Church of St. James is established. |
19th century |
1803 |
|
St. Lawrence Market public market is established |
1806 |
|
Lambton Mills is incorporated as a village. |
1813 |
April 27 |
The Battle of York occurs. |
1827 |
March 15 |
King's College is established. |
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 |
York is incorporated as a city and renamed as Toronto. |
1837 |
December 7 |
The Battle of Montgomery's Tavern occurs. |
1839 or 1840 |
|
The first Catholic school in Toronto is opened.[3] |
1841 |
December 28 |
Several Toronto streets and stores illuminated by gasoline as a regular service for the first time. |
1844 |
|
The Globe is established. |
1846 |
December 19 |
First telegraph message transmitted from Toronto. |
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 |
|
Yorkville is incorporated as a village. |
1856 |
October 27 |
The first commuter 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. |
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 is held. |
1883 |
September 25 |
Toronto Electric Light Company is established. |
|
The Toronto Public Library is established. |
1884 |
|
Brockton Village is annexed into Toronto. |
1887 |
|
The Toronto Empire is established. |
1889 |
|
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. |
|
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 |
1900 |
January 24 |
The Evening Star is renamed as The Toronto Daily Star |
|
The Art Museum of Toronto opens. |
1903 |
May 10 |
King Edward Hotel opens. |
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. |
|
The Toronto Professional Hockey Club is established as the first professional ice hockey team in Toronto. |
1909 |
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 |
Mutual Street Arena opens as Arena Gardens 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 of Toronto. |
March 19 |
The Royal Ontario Museum opens. |
|
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 opens. |
1919 |
December 8 |
A statue of Timothy Eaton is unveiled on Queen Street West. |
|
The Art Museum of Toronto is renamed as Art Gallery of Toronto. |
|
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. |
1924 |
January 1 |
East York is incorporated as a township. |
July 19 |
Telephone system begins switch from manual to automatic dialing. |
1925 |
June 10 |
United Church of Canada holds its first service at Arena Gardens. |
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. |
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 |
August 16 |
Christie Pits riot occurs. |
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 |
An airport on the Toronto Islands opens. |
May 22 |
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother visit, marking the first royal visit made in Toronto. |
June 7 |
Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) between Toronto and Niagara Falls, Ontario is opened. |
1944 |
December 12 |
Worst winter storm in Toronto's history ends as 20.5 inches of snow fell in 24-hours. |
1947 |
April 3 |
The Silver Rail opens as the first bar in Toronto. |
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 opens. |
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. |
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 opens. |
November 10 |
Northeast Blackout of 1965 occurs. |
1966 |
February 25 |
The Bloor-Danforth line opens. |
October 21 |
The Spadina Expressway opens. |
July 8 |
Art Gallery of Toronto is renamed Art Gallery of Ontario. |
1967 |
May 23 |
GO Transit is established as the first passenger rail system in Canada. |
|
Etobicoke, East York, North York, Scarborough, and York are incorporated as boroughs. |
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. |
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. |
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 |
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. |
1989 |
June 5 |
Rogers Centre opens (originally known as SkyDome). |
1991 |
|
The 1991 Toronto bomb plot is revealed. |
1992 |
|
The 1992 Toronto race riots occur. |
1993 |
May 23 |
The Princess of Wales Theatre opens. |
1995 |
August 11 |
The Russell Hill subway accident occurs. |
1996 |
|
The O'Keefe Centre is renamed as Hummingbird Centre. |
1998 |
January 1 |
East York, Etobicoke, North York, Scarborough, and York are amalgamated into Toronto. |
1999 |
February 19 |
The Air Canada Centre opens. |
21st century |
2001 |
July |
The Pantages Theatre is renamed as Canon Theatre. |
2002 |
November 22 |
The Sheppard Subway Line opens. |
2003 |
August 14 |
Northeast Blackout of 2003 occurs. |
2005 |
February 2 |
Skydome is renamed as Rogers Centre. |
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. |
September |
The Hummingbird Centre is renamed as Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. |
2008 |
August 10 |
2008 Toronto propane explosion occurs. |
2010 |
June 26 |
2010 G-20 Toronto summit is held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. |
2011 |
June 25 |
12th International Indian Film Academy Awards are held at the Rogers Centre. |
2014 |
August 31 |
Flexity streetcars debut on 510 Spadina Streetcar Line. |
2015 |
June 6 |
Union Pearson Express opens to connect Pearson Airport to Union Station. |
July 4 |
Luminous Veil on Prince Edward Viaduct (aka Bloor Viaduct) has its lighting unveiled. |
July 10–26 |
Toronto hosts 2015 Pan American Games. |
July 30 |
Tunnel to the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (aka Island Airport) opens. |
August 7–15 |
Toronto hosts 2015 Parapan American Games. |