St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador - Historical Events

• St. John's goes back to the time of John Cabot, who according to Tradition sailed into St. John's Harbour on June 24, 1497 on St. John's Day
  
  
• A West Colony merchant named Bute formed a colony in St. John's in 1528 and established the first permanent residence there.
  
  
• Jacques Cartier, the French explorer, visited St. John's many times.
  
  
• From the early 1500s St. John's has been a haven and supply base for European fishermen, because of its close proximity to the rich cod fisheries on the Grand Banks.
  
  
• By the early 1700s St. John's was probably the largest settlement in Newfoundland, with about 700 permanent inhabitants. By 1728 it had its first church and at least a dozen major mercantile premises.
  
  
• On Signal Hill, was decided the last battle of the Seven Years War. Ruins of old forts with their ancient cannon may still be seen.
  
  
• Marconi received the first transatlantic message on Signal Hill on July 25, 1920.
  
  
• The oldest continuous sporting event in North America is the St. John's Regatta, held on the first Wednesday of August (weather permitting)
  
  
• The St. John's Harbour opens to the Atlantic through a Channel known as the The Narrows. The Narrows provided protection to the city and allowed for regulation of ships entering the city.

Books on the History of St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador