Welcome to the Teachable Timeline

This is a collection of important dates in which to use as points of discussion and exploration of the weather data we are transcribing!

Browse the timeline, or select a specific year:

The timeline is also colour coded:

  • Red = Extreme Heat
  • Blue = Extreme Cold
  • Green = Extreme Precipitation
  • Black = Socio-Political Events
  • Purple = Severe Events

1824

  • Construction on the new Notre-Dame Basilica begins
  • March 17 -First Saint Patrick's Day Parade

1825

  • The Lachine Canal is opened

1842

  • Charles Dickens appears at Theatre Royal

1847

  • Bonsecours Market is opened

1852

  • Great Fire of Montreal, 20% of the city burns down

1863

  • McGill Observatory first established by Dr. Charles Smallwood

1866

  • First successful transatlantic telegraph cable is laid

1871

  • June 4 - Extreme Heat

1872

  • December 31 - Extreme Cold

1874

  • January 9 - Extreme Precipitation
  • January 31 - Extreme Cold
  • July 30 - Extreme Precipitation

1875

  • March 3 - First hockey game in Montréal
  • November 11 - Extreme Cold

1876

  • March 24 - Inauguration of Mount Royal Park
  • July 30 - Extreme Precipitation

1877

  • First telephone conversation in Quebec
  • April 20 - Worst first in Victorian Montréal
  • July 8 - Visit of John A. Macdonald to Montréal

1878

  • January 6 - Inauguration of the University of Montréal
  • January 7 - Extreme Cold
  • March 11 - Inauguration of new City Hall building
  • July 1 - Extreme Heat
  • July 12 - Mob violence following Orange Order Parade
  • July 23 - Extreme Precipitation
  • July 26-28 - Severe rain in the south of Montréal near Brome
  • December 12 - Extreme Precipitation

1879

  • February 9 - North shore railway between Montréal and Québec City completed
  • May 16 - First demonstration of electric light in Montréal
  • July 25 - Extreme Precipitation

1880

  • April 14 - Presentation of the first Spring Fair
  • April 29 - Bell Telephone Company of Canada founded in Montreal
  • July 22 - Extreme Precipitation

1881

  • December 8 - Mark Twain visits Montreal

1882

  • First Electric Lighting in Montréal
  • January 24 - Extreme Cold
  • March 3 - Extreme Precipitation
  • July 30 - Extreme Precipitation
  • August 5 - Extreme Heat

1883

  • January 11 - Extreme Cold
  • January 24 - Winter Carnival, First Ice Palace
  • February 18 - Mark Twain visits Montreal
  • July 9 - Extreme Precipitation

1884

  • August 20 - Extreme Heat

1885

  • Flooding, fires in Griffintown
  • March - Smallpox epidemic starts
  • April 24 - Flooding
  • September 28 - Anti-vaccination riots
  • October 22 - Flooding, especially in Montérégie
  • October 23 - Extreme Precipitation

1886

  • April 17 - Violent ice jam
  • April 17-28 - Catastrophic floods and three fires during the floods
  • June 28 - First transcontinental train leaves Montreal

1888

  • Opening of Lafontaine Park
  • August 15 - Extreme Precipitation

1889

  • July 22 - Extreme Precipitation
  • September 19 - Rock slide at Quebec City

1890

  • January 10 - Extreme Cold

1892

  • April 3 - Bonsecours Market Fire
  • June 19-23 - Heavy Rain
  • June 22 - Extreme Precipitation
  • June 25-30 - Heavy Rain
  • August 27 - Extreme Precipitation
  • September 21 - First electric streetcar in Montreal
  • December 25 - Extreme Cold

1893

  • June 29-30 - Tropical storm and heavy rain
  • July 28 - Extreme Precipitation
  • August 26 - Extreme Precipitation
  • August 31 - Extreme Precipitation

1894

  • March 22 - First Stanley Cup awarded
  • September 3 - First national Labour Day holiday

1895

Maisonneuve Monument unveiled in Place d'Armes

1896

  • June 23 - Laurier elected first French-Canadian Prime Minister
  • June 27 - First movie theatre opens in Montreal
  • July 6 - Extreme Precipitation
  • December 25 - Extreme Cold

1897

  • May 24 - Lion of Belfort unveiled in Dorchester Square
  • July 6-8 - Extreme Heat

1898

  • June 1 - Founding of the Sacre-Coeur Hospital
  • September 25 - Extreme Precipitation

1899

  • Construction of a dam in the Old Port to ensure no more flooding
  • March 10 - Incorporation of Loyola College (later Concordia University)
  • June 20 - Opening of first public library
  • October 30 - First soldiers sail for the Boer War
  • November 21/22 - First car in Montreal

1900

  • March 3 - Extreme Precipitation

1901

  • June 27-29 - Violent Storm

1903

  • February 6 - Tram Strike
  • April-June - Drought
  • Summer - Drought
  • Autumn - Drought
  • December - Drought and famine in places

1904

  • February 11 - Founding of Montreal Ski Club

1906

  • January 1 - First "Ouimetoscope" cinema
  • June 6-8 - Heavy rain and flood
  • June 10 - Extreme Precipitation
  • July 1 - First aviation in city

1907

  • May 24 - Boer War memorial unveiled
  • June 14 - Blue Bonnets horse race track inaugurated
  • November 30 - Opening of Sainte Justine Hospital

1909

  • March 17 - Runaway train crashes into Windsor station
  • September 2 - Jeanne Mance Monument unveiled
  • September 6 - Great Eucharist Congress (with many international attendees)
  • December 4 - Creation of the Hockey League of Canada and the Montreal Canadiens

1910

  • January 5 - First Montreal Canadiens hockey game

1911

  • July 10 - Extreme Heat

1912

  • January 27 - Extreme Cold
  • July 9-11 - Extreme Heat

1913

  • November 7 - Great Lakes Storm

1914

  • May 29 - Sinking of the Empress of Ireland
  • October 12 - Public gathering for the creation of the 22nd Regiment (Van Doos)

1916

  • August 21 - Extreme Heat

1917

  • July 31 - Extreme Heat
  • August 11 - Extreme Precipitation
  • August 29 - Riot over the Military Service Act (Conscription)
  • September 4 - Opening of the Montreal Civic Library
  • December 31 - Extreme Cold

1921

  • July 13 - Extreme Heat

1922

  • June - Drought and forest fire

1927

  • Montreal's first skyscrapers are built

1934

  • May - Drought
  • Summer - Drought, forest fires and low lake levels

1935

  • August - Drought and forest fires

1963

  • McGill Observatory demolished and replaced with the Leacock Building