JANUARY 01, 985
Bjarni Herjolfsson sighted mainland North America, probably Newfoundland, southern Labrador and Baffin Island. Bjarni was likely the first European to visit North America, and his discovery led to a brief Norse colonization of Newfoundland.
JUNE 24, 1497
John Cabot landed on the Atlantic coast of North America, claiming it for England. Cabot's discovery led to England's interest in what is now Atlantic Canada, especially the fishery.
JANUARY 01, 1500
Estimates for the Indigenous population range from 200,000 to 500,000 people, though some suggest it was as high as 2.5 million, with between 300 and 450 languages spoken.
JULY 24, 1534
Jacques Cartier is one of the first Europeans to enter the Gulf of the St. Lawrence River. In 1535, while on his second of three voyages, Cartier hears the Iroquoian word for village, Kanata, , and documents the name in his journal. The name Canada subsequently appears on the 1547 Harleian world map, indicating land north of the St. Lawrence.
JANUARY 01, 1600
From the early 17th to the mid-19th centuries, the fur trade is a vast commercial enterprise across what is now Canada. Indigenous technology and knowledge are crucial to the competitive trade and to the survival of Europeans.
JULY 30, 1609
On July 30, Samuel de Champlain and his First Nations allies battle the Haudenosaunee, beginning 150 years of war between the Haudenosaunee and French colonial forces.
MAY 02, 1670
The Hudson Bay Company is established, forming a monopoly and increasing the volume of goods in the fur trade. For centuries to come, blankets are widely traded, including the iconic HBC Point Blanket first made in 1779 and still available today. Seen by some as an item of cultural importance, it reminds others of the forces of colonialism.
JUNE 21, 1749
Edward Cornwallis arrived in Chebucto harbour in advance of 2,567 settlers. Work began on the town of Halifax, which replaced Annapolis Royal as the capital of Nova Scotia and established a strong British foothold in Nova Scotia.
MAY 01, 1756
The Seven Years’ War is the first global war, fought in Europe, India, America, and at sea. In North America, Britain and France (aided by Indigenous allies) struggled for supremacy. With the Treaty of Paris, France formally cedes Canada to the British.
OCTOBER 02, 1758
At the first elected legislative assembly in what is now Nova Scotia, only property-owning Protestant men over the age of 21 are eligible to vote.
SEPTEMBER 13, 1759
Battle of the Plains of Abraham - On the night of Sept 12-13, General James Wolfe led his soldiers up an unguarded footpath and set for battle before the fortress walls. Montcalm attacked in the morning but his line broke, and Québec fell into British hands. Both generals perished.
DECEMBER 31, 1775
American forces laying siege to Québec launched a desperate night attack. American general Richard Montgomery was killed as the attack was repulsed with heavy casualties. The French habitants had failed to support the Americans and Canada remained British.
APRIL 01, 1776
The first United Empire Loyalists — 1,124 refugees from New England — arrived in Halifax, NS. Another 40,000 or so followed them to NS and to Québec. The immigration resulted in the formation of New Brunswick and Upper Canada.
JULY 21, 1793
Mackenzie Reaches the Pacific
Alexander Mackenzie party reached the Pacific via the Bella Coola River, the first explorer to complete the journey overland. Though a physical triumph, Mackenzie's achievement failed to provide the fur traders with a viable route.
JUNE 12, 1811
The HBC granted an area of about 185 000 km² to Lord Selkirk for formation of a colony at Red River. His first settlers arrived in the summer of 1812. Despite tribulations the settlement grew into the first European colony in the North-West.
FEBRUARY 15, 1815
The War of 1812 ends with the peace Treaty of Ghent. However, the First Nations allies of the British and Canadian cause suffered; they lost warriors (including the great Tecumseh), lost hope of halting American expansion in the west, and their contributions were quickly forgotten by their allies.
JANUARY 01, 1832
Cholera Epidemic Spreads: Grosse Île, near Québec, was opened as a quarantine station during the cholera epidemics and all ships stopped there for inspection. This station was a futile attempt by the government to control the disease that killed up to 10% of the population.
www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/timeline/100-great-events-in-canadian-history
