Timeline of Quebec City History

Quebec City

The 16th Century

• -- 1535 -- Jacques Cartier arrives and later winters in the village of Stadacona.

The 17th Century

• -- 1608 -- L'Habitation (Quebec City) was founded by Samuel de Champlain, near the ruins of Stadacona.
• -- 1615 -- The first missionaries, the Recollets, arrived in the city.
• -- 1629-32 -- The city briefly passed into possession of the English.
• -- 1629 -- The Recollets leave New France, but later return in 1670.
• -- 1632 -- Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
• -- 1635 -- The Jesuits arrive and found the Collège de Québec.
• -- 1636 -- Charles Huault de Montmagny becomes the settlement’s governor, he presides over expansion of the settlement and construction of its first church, Notre Dame de la Paix.
• -- 1639 -- The Ursulines arrive; Ecole des Ursulines de Quebec established.
• -- 1639 -- The Augustinians arrive; Hôtel-Dieu de Québec founded by the Augustinians. It is administered by the Augustinian order until 1962.
• -- 1647 -- The first Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral is constructed.
• -- 1648 -- The first Chateau St. Louis is built under the direction of Charles de Montmagny.
• -- 1663 -- Quebec becomes the capital city of New France, the population of Quebec and its surrounding farm lands reaches 1,950 people.
• -- 1663 -- Petit Séminaire of Quebec founded.
• -- 1673 -- The construction of the Citadelle of Quebec is begun.
• -- 1687-1723 -- Notre-Dame-des-Victoires is constructed.
• -- 1690 -- The Battle of Quebec occurs during King William's War.
• -- 1693-95 -- The Old Parliament Building is built.

The 18th Century

• -- 1711 -- The Quebec Expedition.
• -- 1754-63 -- The French and Indian War was the North American chapter of the Seven Years' War, known in Quebec as the War of the Conquest.
• -- 1758 -- The Siege of Louisbourg.
• -- 1759 -- The Battle of Beauport.
• -- 1759 -- In the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, the city was permanently lost by France.
• -- 1760 -- The Battle of Sainte-Foy.
• -- 1763 -- The Treaty of Paris -- France formally cedes its claims to Canada, and Quebec City's French-speaking, Catholic population falls under the rule of Protestant Britain.
• -- 1774 -- The Quebec Act.
• -- 1775 -- The Battle of Quebec.
• -- 1791 -- The Constitutional Act of 1791.
• -- 1791 -- Anglican Diocese of Quebec is created.

The 19th Century

• -- 1804 -- Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral completed.
• -- 1807 -- The construction of St. Andrew's Church begun.
• -- 1805-63 -- The Quebec Mercury published.
• -- 1819 -- The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec established.
• -- 1824 -- The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec founded.
• -- 1840 -- La Maison Simons founded.
• -- 1848 -- Institut Canadien de Québec founded.
• -- 1848 -- The last Canadian Récollet - Brother Louis dies in Quebec City.
• -- 1850s -- The Quebec Skating Rink opens.
• -- 1855 -- The Brunet Pharmacy is founded.
• -- 1857-59 -- Cimetière Notre-Dame-de-Belmont is constructed.
• -- 1862 -- Morrin College is founded and located at Morrin Centre.
• -- 1864 -- The Quebec Conference.
• -- 1877-86 -- The New Parliament Building is constructed.
• -- 1879 -- The Old Quebec Funicular opens.
• -- 1885 -- Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church is constructed.
• -- 1885-88 -- The Quebec City Armory is built.
• -- 1889 -- The year of the Quebec Rock-slide.
• -- 1893 -- The Château Frontenac opens for business.
• -- 1896 -- Le Soleil is founded.
• -- 1900 -- The Desjardins Group is founded.

The 20th Century

• -- 1902 -- The Orchestre Symphonique de Québec is founded.
• -- 1908 -- The Plains of Abraham Park becomes the first historic site to be protected by the federal government, acting as a catalyst for the establishment of the National Historic Site of Canada system in 1919.
• -- 1912 -- The creation of the Quebec Boundaries Extension Act.
• -- 1915 -- The Gare du Palais built.
• -- 1917 -- The construction of the Quebec Bridge, connecting the North and South banks of the St. Lawrence River, is finished.
• -- 1926 -- The Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré is built.
• -- 1928 -- The Quebec Aces are founded.
• -- 1930-31 -- The Édifice Price is constructed in Old Quebec.
• -- 1931 -- The Édifice Jean-Antoine-Panet is built.
• -- 1933 -- The Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec inaugurated within the Gérard-Morisset building.
• -- 1935-37 -- The Édifice André-Laurendeau is built.
• -- 1939 -- The Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport is established.
• -- 1943 -- The Quebec Conference of 1943 establishes the Quebec Agreement.
• -- 1944 -- The Second Quebec Conference. The conferences are held at the Citadel and nearby Château Frontenac.
• -- 1944 -- The Université du Québec is established.
• -- 1955 -- The Quebec Winter Carnival is established.
• -- 1968 -- The Quebec City Summer Festival is established.
• -- 1969 -- The École Nationale D'administration Publique and Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique is established.
• -- 1971 -- The Grand Théâtre de Québec opens featuring l'Orchestre Symphonique de Quebec and concertmaster Hidetaro Suzuki.
• -- 1972 -- The Edifice Marie-Guyart is completed.
• -- 1984 -- The Opération Nez Rouge is founded in Quebec City.
• -- 1984 -- The Musée de la Civilisation is established.
• -- 1985 -- The Ramparts of Quebec City are declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO.
• -- 1985 -- The Shamrock Summit.
• -- 1987 -- The Flag of Quebec City is adopted.
• -- 1994 -- The Quebec Biker War.
• -- 1995 -- The Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec is created.
• -- 1998 -- The Quebec City International Festival of Military Bands.