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Explorer John Cabot sails to Canada's east coast and claims it for England.
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Explorer Jacques Cartier claims the area now known as Quebec for France. He uses the Huron-Iroquois word for village or community, "kanata," to describe it.
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The Treaty of Paris ends seven years of fighting between France and England. France gives its Canadian settlements to England.
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Canada creates the North-West Mounted Police, now known as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or Mounties, to help keep order
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Gold is discovered in the Klondike region of western Canada.
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The St. Lawrence Seaway opens, allowing cargo ships to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes.
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Canada flies its red and white maple leaf flag for the first time.
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Montreal hosts the Summer Olympics.
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Canada, Mexico and the U.S. sign the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Under the treaty, certain goods traded between the countries are tax-free.
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Canada hosts the Winter Olympics, in Vancouver.
