Originally called Dominion Day (), the name was changed in 1982, the year the Canada Act was passed.

Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, have, since the 1950s, celebrated both Dominion or Canada Day and the United States ' Independence Day with the International Freedom Festival ; a massive fireworks display over the Detroit River, the strait separating the two cities, is held annually with hundreds of thousands of spectators attending.

Crowds on Parliament Hill celebrate Dominion Day, 1927, the 60th jubilee of confederation

However, the holiday was not established statutorily until 1879, when it was designated as Dominion Day, in reference to the designation of the country as a Dominion in the British North America Act.

In 1946, Philéas Côté, a Quebec member of the House of Commons, introduced a private member's bill to rename Dominion Day as Canada Day.

Beginning in 1958, the Canadian government began to orchestrate Dominion Day celebrations, usually consisting of Trooping the Colour ceremonies on Parliament Hill in the afternoon and evening, followed by a mass band concert and fireworks display.

Canada's centennial in 1967 is often seen as an important milestone in the history of Canadian patriotism, and in Canada's maturing as a distinct, independent country, after which Dominion Day became more popular with average Canadians.

Into the late 1960s, nationally televised, multi-cultural concerts held in Ottawa were added, and the fête became known as Festival Canada ; after 1980 the Canadian government began to promote the celebrating of Dominion Day beyond the national capital, giving grants and aid to cities across the country to help fund local activities.

Proponents argued that the name Dominion Day was a holdover from the colonial era, an argument given some impetus by the patriation of the Canadian Constitution in 1982, and others asserted that an alternative was needed as the term does not translate well into French.

As the anniversary of Confederation, Dominion Day, and later Canada Day, was the date set for a number of important events, such as the first national radio network hookup by the Canadian National Railway ( 1927 ), the inauguration of the CBC's cross-country television broadcast ( 1958 ), the flooding of the Saint Lawrence Seaway ( 1958 ), the first colour television transmission in Canada ( 1966 ), the inauguration of the Order of Canada ( 1967 ), and the establishment of " O Canada " as the country's national anthem ( 1980 ).

Other events fell on the same day coincidentally, such as the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916 — shortly after which Newfoundland recognized July 1 as Memorial Day to commemorate the Newfoundland Regiment's heavy losses during the battle — and the enactment of the Chinese Immigration Act in 1923 — leading Chinese-Canadians to refer to July 1 as Humiliation Day and boycott Dominion Day celebrations until the act was repealed in 1947.

* We should be celebrating Dominion Day

* Canada Day ( formerly Dominion Day ) July 1

* Canada Day, formerly Dominion Day.

" O Canada " had served as a de facto national anthem since 1939, officially becoming Canada's national anthem in 1980 when the Act of Parliament making it so received Royal Assent and became effective on July 1 as part of that year's Dominion Day celebrations.

** In Canada, Dominion Day is officially renamed Canada Day.

After the fall of James II of England, in 1688, Mather was among the leaders of the successful revolt against James's governor of the consolidated Dominion of New England, Sir Edmund Andros.

* 1931 – The British Parliament enacts the Statute of Westminster 1931, establishing legislative equality between the self-governing dominions of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of Canada, the Irish Free State, Dominion of Newfoundland, the Dominion of New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa.

In England's geographically-distant American colonies, the revolution led to the collapse of the Dominion of New England and the overthrow of the Province of Maryland's government.

Several nationalist leaders banded together in 1916 under the leadership of Annie Besant to voice a demand for self-government, and to obtain the status of a Dominion within the British Empire as enjoyed by Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and Newfoundland at the time.

* New Dominion Tank Police ( 1990 ) by Noboru Furuse and Junichi Sakai

* Dominion of New England, a former administrative district of the British North American colonies of the modern New England area.

The British North America Act took effect on July 1, 1867, establishing the Dominion of Canada, initially with four provinces: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario.

The colony was amalgamated into the Dominion of New England in 1686, as King James II attempted to enforce royal authority over the autonomous colonies in British North America.

Further Anglo-Dutch synthesis occurred when James enacted the Dominion of New England and later when William III of England took over through the Glorious Revolution.

Section 10 required the parliaments of the other three dominions, Australia, New Zealand, and the Dominion of Newfoundland, to adopt the statute before it would apply to them as part of their domestic laws.

The text of the 1936 Act states that the Dominion of Canada consented to the Act applying in Canada under the Statute of Westminster, while Australia, New Zealand and the Union of South Africa also consented.

* December 11 – The British Parliament enacts the Statute of Westminster, which establishes a status of legislative equality between the self-governing dominions of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Dominion of Canada, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, the Dominion of New Zealand, and the Union of South Africa.

; Dominion of New England: Created in 1685 by a decree from King James II that consolidated Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth Colony, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Province of New York, East Jersey, and West Jersey into a single larger colony.

** Boston revolt: Unpopular Governor of the Dominion of New England Sir Edmund Andros and other officials are overthrown by a " mob " of Bostonians.

* August 2 – Boston Revolt: Edmund Andros, former governor of the Dominion of New England, escapes from Boston to Connecticut, but is recaptured.

* The Dominion of New England is formed.

The first exception to this rule was New Zealand, which was granted Dominion status in 1907, but it was not until 28 June 1917 that the Arthur Foljambe, 2nd Earl of Liverpool was appointed the first Governor General of New Zealand.

Cosgrave ( standing, far-right ) representing the Irish Free State at the 1926 Imperial Conference in London, along with King George V of the United Kingdom | George V and the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, Canada, Dominion of Newfoundland | Newfoundland, Australia, New Zealand and Union of South Africa | South Africa.

The foreign relations of Australia have spanned from the country's time as Dominion and later Realm of the Commonwealth to become steadfastly allied with New Zealand through long-standing ANZAC ties dating back to the early 1900s, and the United States throughout the Cold War, to its engagement with Asia as a power in its own right.

Part of Massey Wellington sits inside the New Zealand Dominion Museum building.

The Vailima estate was purchased in 1900 as official residence for the German governor and, after British / Dominion confiscation, served successively as residence for the New Zealand administrator and for the Samoan head of state after independence.

Following the declaration of New Zealand as a Dominion in 1907, the term " Prime Minister " has been used exclusively.

In 1919 at the Peace Conference the Dominion leaders, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia argued their case to keep their occupied German possessions of German Samoa, German South West Africa, and German New Guinea ; these territories were given a " Class C Mandates " to the respective Dominions.

Several nationalist leaders banded together in 1916 under the leadership of Annie Besant to voice a demand for self-government, and to obtain the status of a Dominion within the British Empire as enjoyed by Australia, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and Newfoundland at the time.

The series is held yearly and rotated around the Australian State Controlling Bodies and once every four years the Inter Dominion Championships are held in New Zealand.

There are also the New Zealand Derby and the Great Northern Derby for three year olds, and the Dominion and Rowe Cup for trotters.

Having thus learned of the occupation of German Samoa by the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, who at the request of Great Britain had performed their “ great and urgent imperial service ,” von Spee rushed toward Samoa with Scharnhorst and Gneisenau intent on doing damage to British and Dominion ships at anchor.

Major races in Australia and New Zealand include the New Zealand Trotting Cup, the Miracle Mile and the Inter Dominion series.

The position of Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs was a British cabinet level position created in 1925 responsible for British relations with the Dominions — Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Newfoundland, and the Irish Free State, as well as the self-governing colony of Southern Rhodesia.

These two newspapers merged to form the Dominion Post in 2002, and in 2003, sold its entire print media division to Fairfax New Zealand.