On This Day
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Scottish settlers arrive at Pictou, Nova Scotia (Canada)

Pictou (Canadian Gaelic: Baile Phiogto; Mi'kmaq: Piktuk) is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

Pictou (Canadian Gaelic: Baile Phiogto; Mi'kmaq: Piktuk) is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km (6 miles) north of the larger town of New Glasgow.

Once an active shipping port and the shire town of the county, today Pictou is primarily a local service centre for surrounding rural communities and the primary tourist destination in this region of Nova Scotia.

The name Pictou derives from the Mi'kmaq name Piktuk, meaning 'explosive place', a reference to the river of pitch that was found in the area, or perhaps from methane bubbling up from coal seams below the harbour.

Historical Significance

Pictou (Canadian Gaelic: Baile Phiogto; Mi'kmaq: Piktuk) is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

Events Before

  1. US founding father Thomas Jefferson (30) marries Martha Wayles Skelton (23)

    Martha Skelton Jefferson was the wife of Thomas Jefferson from 1772 until her death in 1782. She served as First Lady of Virginia during Jefferson's term as governor from 1779 to 1781.

  2. The London Credit Exchange Company issues the first traveler's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities

    The London Credit Exchange Company issues the first traveler's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities

  3. Charles Edward Stuart 'the Young Pretender' (52) marries by proxy Princess Louise of Stolberg-Gedern (20)

    Princess Louise Maximiliane Caroline Emanuel of Stolberg-Gedern (20 September 1752 – 29 January 1824) was the wife of Charles Edward Stuart, the Jacobite claimant to the English and Scottish thrones.

  4. Somerset v Stewart court case finds slavery unsupported by English common law, encouraging the abolitionist movement

    Somerset v Stewart court case finds slavery unsupported by English common law, encouraging the abolitionist movement

  5. Captain James Cook begins his second voyage to the South Seas aboard HMS Resolution to search for Terra Australis (South

    Captain James Cook begins his second voyage to the South Seas aboard HMS Resolution to search for Terra Australis (Southern Continent)

Events After

  1. British House of Lords rules authors do not have perpetual copyright

    Perpetual copyright, also known as indefinite copyright, is copyright that lasts indefinitely.

  2. Chief Justice John Jay (28) weds Sarah Van Brugh Livingston (17)

    Chief Justice John Jay (28) weds Sarah Van Brugh Livingston (17)

  3. Boston Port Act: Following the passage of the act, the British government orders Port of Boston closed to punish colonis

    Boston Port Act: Following the passage of the act, the British government orders Port of Boston closed to punish colonists for the Boston Tea Party

  4. English chemist Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen by isolating it in its gaseous state

    Joseph Priestley (24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, Unitarian, natural philosopher, separatist theologian, grammarian, multi-subject educator and classical liberal political...

  5. Twelve of the thirteen American colonies adopt a trade embargo against Great Britain at the First Continental Congress i

    Twelve of the thirteen American colonies adopt a trade embargo against Great Britain at the First Continental Congress in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

More from the 1770s

United States Declaration of Independence

The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, announcing the separation of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain.

politics government

US founding father Thomas Jefferson (30) marries Martha Wayles Skelton (23)

Martha Skelton Jefferson was the wife of Thomas Jefferson from 1772 until her death in 1782. She served as First Lady of Virginia during Jefferson's term as governor from 1779 to 1781.

Date of action in Victor Herbert and Grant Stewart's opera "Madeleine"

Date of action in Victor Herbert and Grant Stewart's opera "Madeleine"

The London Credit Exchange Company issues the first traveler's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities

The London Credit Exchange Company issues the first traveler's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on July 20, 1773?
Pictou (Canadian Gaelic: Baile Phiogto; Mi'kmaq: Piktuk) is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km (6 miles) north of the larger town of New Glasgow. Once an active shipping port and the shire town of the county, today Pictou is primarily a local service centre for surrounding rural communities and the primary tourist destination in this region of Nova Scotia.
Why is Scottish settlers arrive at Pictou, Nova Scotia (Canada) significant?
Pictou (Canadian Gaelic: Baile Phiogto; Mi'kmaq: Piktuk) is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

Explore More

July 20 in HistoryYear 1773