HALIFAX HISTORY

Originally named Chebucto - or biggest harbour - by the Mi'kmaq people who lived there, Halifax was founded by British General Edward Cornwallis on July 9, 1749 as a military outpost for the British with a handful of farming settlers. The outpost was named in honour of George Montague-Dunk, 2nd Earl of Halifax, who was the President of the British Board of Trade. Halifax was ideal for a military base, as it has the second largest natural harbour in the world, and could be well protected with batteries at McNab's Island, the North West Arm, Point Pleasant, George's Island and York Redoubt. There is also a large hill overlooking the harbour, on which was built a citadel.
On July 17th, 1749 the first liquor license to be issued in Nova Scotia was given to John Shippey and his tavern The Spread Eagle
The town of Dartmouth was soon after settled on the opposite side of the harbour and a ferry system between Halifax and Dartmouth began that still operates today. It is the oldest saltwater ferry in North America.
The city's first University, Saint Mary's was founded in 1802. The second, Dalhousie University, was founded in 1818.

The City of Halifax was incorporated in 1842 and elected its first mayor.
When the Titanic sank in 1912, the search effort was coordinated in Halifax and 150 of the 328 recovered bodies were buried there in the Fairview Lawn Cemetery, the Mount Olivet Cemetery, and the Baron de Hirsch cemetery.
During the First and Second World Wars, convoys of ships would assemble in the Bedford Basin, in Halifax harbour, before heading across the Atlantic Ocean. On December 6, 1917, a particularly foggy morning during World War I, the largest man-made explosion prior to nuclear weapons, the Halifax Explosion, occurred. An incoming Belgian ship, the Imo, laden with armaments, struck an outgoing French ship, the Mont Blanc, at the mouth of the harbour. Both caught fire and were abandoned, and minutes later the arms ship exploded, flattening a large portion of the city, leaving over 2000 dead and 9000 injured. The explosion was heard 420 km away.
On September 29, 2003, Halifax was hit by Hurricane Juan, the largest hurricane to hit the city directly since 1893. The storm caused serious disruption in the city for more than a week. The entire city lost power for a brief period, and it took up to two weeks to restore power to all areas. Several people were killed, most as a result of traffic accidents or fires resulting from electrical problems.