1600: The first French settlers arrive in eastern Canada, but there will be no significant settlements in Toronto for more than one hundred years.

1980s: Toronto is Canada's largest city. It is the capital of the province of Ontario and is the center of Canada's English-speaking artistic culture.

Today: Toronto has suffered from the drawback in tourism after the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) epidemic in 2003. The city is still known as the economic engine of Canada, however, and it continues to grow and prosper.

1600: Queen Elizabeth I, one of England's shrewdest and most able monarchs, is nearing the end of her long and prosperous rule.

1980s: Margaret Thatcher, known as the “Iron Lady” for her conservatism and inflexibility, is the prime minister of the United Kingdom.

Today: Tony Blair, a pioneer of the “New Labor” movement intended to combine social services with privatization, is...