Many Torontonians love baseball and avidly follow the Toronto Blue Jays from Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Toronto Maple Leafs of the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL). Yet, if those of us interested in Toronto history and baseball history both go back in time over 100 years ago and stop at September 5, 1914, one […]
As one celebrates Labour Day on the first Monday in September each year, take a moment and go back in time to September 3, 1894 when the first official Labour Day was celebrated in Canada, Ontario, and Toronto. The federal Conservative government of Sir John Sparrow Thompson implemented the first Labour Day as a national […]
On August 14 and beyond, many Ontarians and Torontonians might wish to remind themselves where they were on Thursday August 14, 2003 at about 4:11 p.m. EDT (Eastern Daylight Time) in the afternoon when the power went out, and what they did in the hours and days ahead until the power was restored from the […]
On August 2 and beyond, take a step back into Toronto’s history to remember the anti-Greek riot that beset Toronto from August 2-5, 1918 and played a role in shaping the city’s future. The riot stemmed from an incident in an eating establishment and some inaccurate information circulating about Greece and Greek people living in […]
On July 25 and beyond, take a moment to reflect back on the War of 1812 and in particular the Battle of Lundy’s Lane (also known as the Battle of Niagara Falls) that took place on July 25, 1814. Earlier in July 1814, American forces attacked across the Niagara River near its source and captured […]
July 20 is International Chess Day! July 20 gained such recognition from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1966 to commemorate the founding of the World Chess Federation (known also as la Fédération Internationale des Échecs and by its French acronym FIDÉ) on July 20, 1924 in Paris, France. FIDÉ’s Latin […]
Take a moment to remember one-time World Champion sculler Edward (Ned) Hanlan (Born: 12 July 1855 in Toronto; Died: 4 January 1908 in Toronto). Ned Hanlan was the first Canadian athlete to become a world champion in a sporting event for individuals and the first individual Canadian athlete to be recognized internationally. Hanlan’s competitive bent […]
Note: This article includes historical materials from the collections of Toronto Public Library. Who tells the story, and how the story is told creates tensions when trying to present content written by settlers about Indigenous people. These materials can reflect offensive historic attitudes, and in some cases, were created by individuals directly involved in acts of […]
On May 10-11, take a moment to look back to 1968 when the Bloor-Danforth subway line (now known as Line 2 Bloor-Danforth), under the auspices of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), was extended to Islington Station in Etobicoke and to Warden Station in Scarborough. The official opening of the extensions happened on the afternoon of […]
On April 27 and beyond, Torontonians and others with an interest in Toronto’s history may wish to pause a moment and go back to April 27, 1813 when York (Toronto’s forerunner), the capital of Upper Canada (predecessor of the Province of Ontario), was invaded and sacked by American forces at the Battle of York during […]