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.
|
1650s–1700 |
|
Teiaiagon Seneca village exists on the bank of the Humber at today's Baby Point neighbourhood
|
18th century
|
1720 |
|
Fort Douville is established.
|
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.
|
July |
Second looting of York by American forces
|
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.
|
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.
|
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.
|
|
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 |
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 of Toronto.
|
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 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.
|
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 |
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.
|
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 |
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 |
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 |
Worst winter storm in Toronto's history ends as 20.5 inches (52 cm) 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.
|
October 11 |
The future Queen, Princess Elizabeth and husband Prince Phillip visit Toronto as part of a cross-Canada tour.[4]
|
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 |
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.
|
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 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.
|
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 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.
|
2017 |
September 23-20 |
Toronto hosts the Invictus Games.
|
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 1 |
The Air Canada Centre is renamed as the Scotiabank Arena.
|
July 22 |
Two people are killed and 13 wounded in the Danforth shooting.
|