Short answers, pulled from the story.
Montreal was founded on the 17th of May 1642 as Ville-Marie, meaning "City of Mary", named for the Virgin Mary. The settlement was a Roman Catholic mission led by Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve. The name Montreal first appeared in official documents in 1705.
French is Montreal's official language, with 85.7% of city residents considering themselves fluent in French as of 2021. Montreal is also highly bilingual, with 58.5% of the population able to speak both French and English. It is the largest primarily French-speaking city in the Americas.
The Montreal Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cup championships, an NHL record. The team was founded in 1909 and is one of the Original Six NHL franchises. Their most recent championship came in 1993.
Yes. American forces under General Richard Montgomery took Montreal on the 13th of November 1775 during the invasion of Quebec as part of the American Revolution. The occupation lasted until June 1776, when American forces abandoned the city before the return of British Governor Guy Carleton's fleet.
Montreal hosted the 1967 International and Universal Exposition (Expo 67) and the 1976 Summer Olympic Games. It is the only Canadian city to have hosted the Summer Olympics. The city also holds annual events including the world's largest jazz festival, the world's largest comedy festival, and the world's largest French-language music festival.
As of the 2021 census, the city of Montreal had a population of 1,762,949. The metropolitan area had a population of 4,291,732, making it the second-largest metropolitan area in Canada after Toronto. Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec and the second-largest in Canada.