Category Archives: Fact du jour

Fact du jour — First newspaper in Canada published on this day in history

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Gail Dever

On March 23, 1752, John Bushell started publishing Canada’s first regular newspaper, the Halifax Gazette. At the time, Halifax had a population of 4,000, and Bushell had recently arrived from Boston. The two-page tabloid featured news from Britain, Europe, New … Continue reading →

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Fact du jour — North America’s first census conducted 350 years ago today

Posted on March 21, 2016 by Gail Dever

Perhaps because it was spring, intendant Jean Talon began conducting a census of New France on March 21, 1666 — 350 years ago. That was the first time an official census had been conducted in North America. Talon had been … Continue reading →

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Fact du jour — Irish in Quebec

Posted on March 17, 2015 by Gail Dever

From 1816 to 1860, it is estimated that over a million immigrants – 60% of them Irish – passed through the ports of Quebec City and Montreal. Source: The Irish in Quebec: fast facts. School of Canadian Irish Studies, Concordia … Continue reading →

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Tip du jour — Sending enquiries to the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Gail Dever

Did you know you can submit a question in English or French to the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) and receive a reply soon afterward? A friend of mine, who is an experienced researcher, emailed a question in … Continue reading →

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Fact du jour — 1698 census in New France

Posted on October 14, 2014 by Gail Dever

On October 14, 1698, the New France census revealed the following tallies: • 32,524 arpents* under cultivation, with 994 sheep, 5,147 pigs, 684 horses, 10,209 cattle; • 2,310 houses (1,460 in Quebec City, 639 in Montreal, 211 in Trois-Rivières); • … Continue reading →

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Fact du jour — This day in history

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Gail Dever

On July 31, 1755, the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia Charles Lawrence announced the order to arrest Acadians in order to purge the province of those “dangerous subjects.” He gave his instructions for the deportation to Lieutenant Colonel Robert Monkton. The total … Continue reading →

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Fact du jour — This day in history

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Gail Dever

On July 30, 1776, the British governor Guy Carleton commissioned three judges to hold an inquest into the damages caused during the siege of Quebec City by Americans the previous fall and winter.

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Fact du jour — This day in history

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Gail Dever

On July 26, 1874, Alexander Graham Bell first described his idea for the telephone to his father at the family home in Brantford, Ontario. He then built the first telephone in Boston, Massachusetts in 1875, and in 1876, he made … Continue reading →

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Fact du jour — Today in history

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Gail Dever

On July 24, 1534, Jacques Cartier landed at rocky Penouille Point on the Gaspé coast and erected a 10-metre high cross, bearing the fleur-de-lys and motto “Vive le Roy de France,” taking possession of the mainland of Canada in the name … Continue reading →

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Fact du jour — This day in history

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Gail Dever

On July 3, 1608, French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City at the site of a long abandoned St. Lawrence Iroquoian settlement, Stadacona. Today, Quebec City is one of the oldest European settlements in North America. National Geographic published … Continue reading →

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