1792 – Captain
George Vancouver spends one day on the site which, almost 100 years later, would bear his name. Captain Vancouver from England then took his ship,
HMS Discovery, into
Burrard Inlet.
19th century
1808 –
Simon Fraser becomes the first European to reach the area overland, descending the river which bears his name.
1827 – HBC
Fort Langley established east of present-day Vancouver. Contact and trade began accelerating significantly, primarily with the
Fraser River Salish.
1846 – The
Oregon Treaty permanently established the
49th parallel as the boundary between the United States and British North America to the
Pacific Ocean.
Gassy Jack opens the first saloon to provide drinks to workers from the Hastings Mill.
Gastown then builds up around this popular saloon.
Weekly stage service is established between the Brighton Hotel, a popular summer vacation spot which is located just west of the
Second Narrows Bridge and
New Westminster.
The Town of Granville is incorporated as the City of Vancouver (the name was chosen by the president of
Canadian Pacific Railway). Rate-payers elect
Malcolm Alexander MacLean, a real estate dealer, as the first mayor of Vancouver. The city has a population of about 1,000 people.
1897 – The
Klondike Gold Rush boosts a continent-wide depression of the 1890s. By 1900, Vancouver displaces
Victoria, the provincial capital, as the leading commercial centre on Canada's west coast.
1898
The
9 O'Clock Gun is placed at
Brockton Point (it still signals the time by being discharged every evening at 9:00 p.m. precisely).
1909 –
Industrial Workers of the World Local 45 (Lumber Workers) is chartered on December 29; it is one of the first lumber worker locals in the province.[1]
1913 – A worldwide depression lasts two years and severely reduces trade and slows railway development. Declining resources also end a provincial mining boom.
The 10-kilometre (6.2 mi) pedestrian seawall at
Stanley Park officially opens.
Gastown and
Chinatown are designated as historic districts by the provincial government.
The city celebrates the bicentennial of British explorer Captain
James Cook's arrival in the region in 1778. Captain Cook had explored and mapped much of the region.
1983 –
BC Place Stadium opens. The world's largest air-supported dome (60,000 seats) is the home of the
BC Lions football team as well as trade shows, large gatherings, and major star concerts.
2011 - The Vancouver Canucks hockey team reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the third time in 40 years, only to lose out to the
Boston Bruins in seven games.
Fans riot in the streets of downtown Vancouver following the loss.
2013 - First ever Vancouver International Busker Festival