Timeline of Toronto history

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]

• List of years in Canada