West Indies c. 230 AD: The Saladero peoples were driven out of coastal Venezuela, migrating to the Caribbean Islands. Their descendants met Columbus. c. 1250 AD: The Mayans, who were excellent navigators, were engaged in extensive trading by sea-going canoe. They ranged as far south as Panama and Nicaragua. 1492, Oct 9: San Salvador Islands, then inhabited by Arawak indians, is the first part of the New World reached by Columbus. The Spanish, however, do not colonize the islands. 1492: Christopher Columbas discovers America at Cuba and the Bahamas. 1492, Oct 28: The island of Cuba is discovered by Columbus on his initial westward voyage. In honor of the daughter of Ferdinand V and Isabella I of Spain, his benefactors, Columbus names it Juana, the first of several names he successively applies to the island. It eventually becomes known as Cuba, from its aboriginal name, Cubanascan. At the time of its discovery, Cuba is inhabited by the Ciboney, a friendly tribe related to the Arawak. 1492: Columbus discovers Hispaniola. The Santa Maria runs aground and has to be abandoned. 1493: Antigua discovered and named by Columbus, inhabited by the Carib indians. 1493: St. Kitts is discovered by Columbus, who names it for his patron saint, St. Christopher. 1493: The British Virgin Islands are discovered by Christopher Columbus. 1493: Columbus discovers the U.S. Virgin Islands, on his second voyage, and names them for St. Ursula and the other virgin martyrs associated with her. 1493, Nov 3: Dominica is discovered and named by Columbus. The indigenous Carib Indians sucessfully resist early European attempts at colonization. 1493, Nov 3: The island of Guadaloupe is discovered by Columbus, and named for the monastery of Santa Maria de Guadelupe in Estremadura, Spain. 1498: Grenada is discovered by Columbus. 1498: St. Vincent was discovered and named by Columbus. 1498, Jul 31: Trinidad is discovered by Columbus during his third voyage. It is populated by an Arawak subgroup called Igneri, a relatively peaceful people who engage in primitive agriculture, and Caribs, who are gatherers of a lower cultural level and perennially at war with their neighbors. c. 1500: St. Lucia was first visited by Europeans. 1501: The Spanish introduce African slaves to the West Indies. c. 1502: Martinique is discovered by Columbus. 1503: The discovery of Bermuda is attributed to a Spanish navigator, Juan de Bermudez, who is shipwreched here this year. 1503: The Cayman islands are discovered by Columbus, who names them Las Tortugas (Span., "turtles"). c. 1510: The first slaves from Africa are sent to Spanish colonies in the Caribbean. 1511: Colonization of Cuba begins, when the Spanish soldier Diego Velazquez establishes the town of Baracoa. 1512: Turks and the Caicos islands are discovered by the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon. 1514: Velazquez establishes the settlement of Santiage de Cuba. 1515: Velazquez establishes the settlement of Havana. 1519: The Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes sets out from Cuba to conquer the Aztec empire of Mexico. 1527: The Spanish take possession of the Leeward Islands (Netherlands Antilles). 1538: The Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, the oldest in the western hemisphere, is founded. 1562-67: Britain's John Hawkins (1532-95) transports black slaves from West Africa to the Spanish West Indies. 1609: The first settlement is established on Bermuda when a party of English colonists under the mariner Sir George Somers (1554-1610), sailing for Virginia, is shipwreched there. 1612: The Bermudas, known as the Somers Islands, is included in the third charter of the Virginia Co., and a second group of English colonists arrive. 1623: St. Kitts becomes the site of the first successful English settlment in the West Indies. 1625: French settlements in the West Indies begin, exportint sugar and tobacco. 1627: St. Vincent and the Grenadines become UK colony, will change hands with France several times. 1627: The first settlement is established on Barbados by English colonists. 1632: Inhabited by the Carib Indians, Antigua was not successfully colonized until now, when the British established a settlement. 1632: Antigua and Barbuda becomes UK colony. 1632: The French gain a foothold on the island of Dominica. 1634: The Dutch take control of the Leeward Island group. 1635-74: Martinique is owned by a private French concern established for the purpose of colonizing America. 1635: Colonists of the French Company of the Islands of America establish settlements at Guadeloupe, and gradually conquer the indigenous Carib Indians. 1635: The first successful colony on St. Lucia is established by the French. c. 1648: The British setle Eleuthera and New Providence (in the Bahamas). During its early years the settlement was repeatedly attacked by the Spanish. The islands are later the stronghold of buccaneers and pirates, notably the infamous Blackbeard. 1648: The Dutch and the French simultaneously occupy the island of Saint Martin. 1648, Mar 23: The Dutch and the French agree to divide Saint Martin. 1648: The Dutch first settle the British Virgin Islands. 1650: The French found St. George's on Grenada. 1652: Barbados becomes UK colony. 1660: The French sign a treaty with the indiginous Carib Indians of St. Lucia. 1661: Barbuda is colonized by settlers from Antigua. 1663-1667: England holds hte island of St. Lucia. 1663: Barbados is made a Crown possession. 1666: The British Virgin Islands are acquired by England. 1666: Denmark colonizes St. Thomas, of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Danish West Indies Co. controlls the group. 1670-1717: The Bahamas are ruled by the proprietary governors of the British colony of Carolina. 1670: Jamaica becomes UK colony. 1674: After the failure of four chartered companies to colonize the island of Guadeloupe permanently, it is annexed by France and made a dependency of Martinique. 1674: The island of Martinique is purchased by the French government. 1678: Bermudians begin to develop the salt industry of Turks and Caicos islands. 1684: The Virginia Co. charter to Bermuda is revoked, and the islands become a crown colony. Shortly afterward the settlers import black slaves and, later, Portuguese laborers from Madeira and the Azores. c. 1695: European sugar traders compete in the West Indies. 1697: French colony of Saint Dominique on west half of Hispaniola. 1697: By the Peace of Ryswick, the portion of Hispaniola that has been occupied by French adventurers is formally ceded to France and becomes known as Sant-Dominigue; it is now Haiti. The remaining Spanish section, what is now the Dominican Republic, is called Santo Domingo. 1717: The British crown assumes direct control of civilian and military affairs in the Bahamas. 1733: England prohibited trade between her American and West Indian colonies by the Molasses Act. c. 1734: The Cayman Islands are colonized by British settlers from Jamaica, and become a dependency of Jamaica. 1755: Frederick V, king of Denmark, buys the U.S. Virgin Islands from the Danish West Indies Co. 1759: The British finally capture the island of Guadeloupe. 1762: The British capture the island of Grenada. 1762: The British establish a settlement on St. Vincent. 1763: Following the conclusion of the Seven Years' War, during which the English captured Havana, the Spanish government liberalized its Cuban policy, encouraging colonization, expansion of commerce, and development of agriculture. 1763: Dominica is assigned to Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris. 1763: Guadeloupe is again passed to France. 1774-1817: The population of Cuba increases from about 161,000 to more than 550,000. 1775: Guadeloupe and Martinique become separate colonies. 1776: During the American Revolution, Nassau is held for a short time by American naval forces. 1779: Grenada is recaptured by the French. 1782-83: Spain holds the Bahama Islands. 1783: Grenada becomes UK colony. 1783: Grenada is ceded by France to Great Britain. 1783: St. Vincent and the Grenadines, after trading hands with France several times, restored to UK. 1783: St. Kitts is ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Paris. 1784-87: The United States suffers postwar depression through loss of contact with the West Indies. 1787: The Bahamas become a British colony. 1794: The British repossess Guadeloupe. c. 1795 AD: Revolutionary ideas lead to the freeing of slaves in the French West Indies, arousing hostility among the European powers. 1795: Spain finally cedes Santo Domingo the France. 1795: The Caribs of St. Vincent are subdued - and many are deported - after an uprising. 1797: Trinidad and Tobago occupied by UK. 1799: The Turks and Caicos Islands are given representation in the assembly of the Bahamas. 1800: During the Napoleonic Wars, Great Britain blocades St. Thomas (of the U.S. Virgin Islands). 1801: Great Britain occupies St. Thomas. 1802: Great Britain returns St. Thomas to Denmark. 1804: Haiti (Saint Dominique) independent from France. 1804: When Haiti ousts the French, Santo Domingo remains under french occupation for another five years. 1807-15: The British again occupy the Danish West Indies (U.S. Virgin Islands). 1809: The French are expelled from Santo Domingo and nominal Spanish rule restored. 1810: The British repossess Guadeloupe, the occupation lasting for six years. 1814: The Spanish administration of Santo Domingo becomes increasingly tyrannical. 1814: France finally cedes St. Lucia to the British. 1815: The Danish West Indies (U.S. Virgin Islands) are once more restored to Denmark. 1818: The remaining restrictions on trade with Cuba are officially eliminated, further promoting material and cultural advancement. c. 1820-1830: Spanish rule of Cuba becomes increasingly repressive, provoking a widespread movement among the colonists for independence. 1821: Dominican Republic independent from Spain. 1821: The Dominicans rise in revolt, proclaiming their independence. 1822: Haitian President Jean Pierre Boyer leads his troops into Dominica, and annex it to Haiti, thus bringing the entire island of Hispaniola under his control. 1830, Oct 5: U.S. opens trade with the British West Indies for the first time since the Revolutionary War. 1833: Slavery is abolished throughout the British Empire. 1833: Under British rule Dominica becomes part of the Leeward Islands dependency. 1834-38: The movement for Cuban independence attains particular momentum, during the despotic governorship of the captain general Miguel de Tacon (1777-1855). Revolts and conspiracies against the Spanish regime dominate Cuban political life throughout the remainder of the century. 1834: When slavery is abolished, the result is a decline in both the economy and the population; an epidemic of cholera in the middle of the century futher reduces the populace. 1834: Slavery on Barbados is abolished, leading to a substantial increase in agricultural production. 1843: Boyer, ruler of Haiti, is overthrown by revolution. 1844: An uprising of black slaves in Cuba is brutally suppressed. 1844: Santo Domingo again declares its independence, forming the Dominican Republic. 1848-51: A movement for annexation of Cuba to the U.S. ends with the capture and execution of its leader, the Spanish-American general Narciso Lopez. Offers by the U.S. government to purchase the island are repeatedly rejected by Spain. 1848: Slavery is abolished in Guadeloupe. 1848: After the abolition of slavery, the sugarcane plantation economy declines. 1861-63: The Dominican Republic, led by former President Santana, returns to Spanish rule. 1861-65: Prosperity temporarily returns to the Bahamas during the American Civil War, when the islands become a station for blockade-runners. 1861-65: During the American Civil War, Confederate blockade runners are based in the Bermudas. 1863-64: A popular revolt in the Dominican Republic and subsequent military reverses and U.S. intervention force the Spanish government to withdraw its forces and to annul the annexation. 1865: At the close of the Civil War some Americans, particularly Virginians, migrate to Bermuda from the U.S. 1865, Feb: The second Dominican Republic is proclaimed. 1867: The U.S. begins negotiants to buy the Danish West Indies (British Virgin Islands). 1868: Revolutionaries under the leadership of Carlos Manuel de Cespedes proclaim Cuban independence, starting the Ten Years' War. 1871-1956: The British Virgin Islands are part of the Federation of the Leeward Islands. 1871: Importation of cheap labor to Cuba from China is ended. 1871: St. Kitts, Nevis, and Anguilla are united as a British dependency. 1873: On petition of the inhabitants, the Turks and Caicos Islands are formally annexed to Jamaica. 1876: Severe riots, resulting in bloodshed and loss of property occur, when the British government proposes a confederation of Barbados and the Windward Islands, about 160 km to the west. In the following decades the African and mixed majority slowly rise to political power, eventually outnumbering the white landholders in the legislature. 1878: The Ten Years' War, a costly struggle to both Spain and Cuba, is terminated by a truce granting many important concessions to the Cubans. 1879, Sep: Prince Albert Victor sets sail for the West Indies. 1885-1958: Grenada is the administrative headquarters of the Windward Islands. 1886: Slavery is abolished in Cuba. 1888: Trinidad and Tobago islands united by UK. 1893: The equal civil status in Cuba of blacks and whites is proclaimed. 1895, Feb 23, Mounting discontent in Cuba culminates in a resumption of the Cuban revolution, under the leadership of the writer and patriot Jose Marti and Gen. Maximo Gomez y Baez. 1898, Feb 15: The battleship Main skinks in the Harbor of Havana; Spain is blamed. 1898, April: The U.S. government intervenes on behalf of the Cuban revolutionists, precipitating the Spanish-American War. 1898, Dec 10: By the terms of the treaty terminating the conflict, Spain relinquishes sovereignty over Cuba. An American military government rules over the island. 1898: Cuba independent from Spain. 1899-1902: The Bermuda islands receive Boer prisoners, sent by the British government during the Boer War. 1901: The Cuban constitution is adopted, incorporating the provisions of the Platt Amendment, U.S. legislation that establishes conditions for American intervention in Cuba. 1902, May 20: The Cuban republic is formally instituted, under the presidency of the former postmaster general Tomas Estrada Palma. 1906, August: The first of several serious insurrections against conservative control of the republic of Cuba occurs. In the next month the U.S. government dispatches troops to the island. 1909: Cuba ceases to be under U.S. control 1912: Another uprising takes place in the Oriente Province of Cuba, resulting again in U.S. intervention. With the election of Mario Garci Menocal to the presidency later in the same year, the Conservative party returns to power. 1917, Apr 7: Cuba enters WWI on the side of the Allies. 1917: The U.S. acquires the U.S. Virgin Islands, and are governed by the Department of the Navy. 1917: The U.S. buys the Danish West Indies for $25 million. 1924, Nov: In an atmosphere of crisis in Cuba, the Liberal party leader, Gerardo Machado y Morales, campaigns on a reform platform and is elected president. Economic conditions deteriorate rapidly during his administration, the chief accomplishment of which, an ambitious public-works program, is achieved by floating huge loans abroad. Before the end of his second term, he succeeds in acquiring dictatorial control of the government. All opposition is brutally suppressed during his administration. 1924: Representative government is introduced in St. Lucia. c. 1930: Prosperity temporarily returns to the Bahamas during Prohibition, when rum-runners find them a convenient base. 1931: Jurisdiction of the U.S. Virgin Islands is transferred to the Department of the Interior. 1933: A general uprising, supported by the Cuban army, forces the president into exile. 1936: The Cuban president (in exile) is impeached by the senate, which is controlled by Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar. With the support of Batista, the head of the Cuban army and unofficial dictator of Cuba, the new president, the former political leader and soldier Federico Laredo Bru, puts into operation a program of social and economic reform. 1937: Poor economic conditions in Barbados cause serious unrest, and a British Royal Commission is sent. As a result, social and political reforms are gradually introduced. 1940: Batista wins the Cuban presidential contest, defeating Ramon Grau San Martin, the opposition candidate. The promulgation of a new constitution contributes further to the lessening of political tension. 1940: Dominica is attached to the Windward Islands group. 1941: During WWII, sites on the Bermuda islands are leased to the U.S. for naval and air bases for a period of 99 years. 1941, Dec: The Cuban government declares war on Germany, Japan, and Italy. 1944: The Cuban presidential election results in victory for Grau San Martin, the candidate of a broad coalition of parties. The first year of his administration is one of recurring crises caused by various factors, including widespread food shortages. 1945: Cuba becomes a charter member of the U.N. 1945: The Cuban president regains popularity by obtaining an agreement with the U.S. government for an increase in the price of sugar. 1946: Guadeloupe is made an overseas department of France. 1946: Martinique becomes an overseas department of France. 1948: Cuba joins the Organization of American States (OAS). 1948, June: Carlos Prio Socarras, a member of the Autentico party and a cabinet minister under Grau San Martin, is elected president of Cuba. 1950: Universal adult suffrage is achieved in Barbados. 1952, March: Former president Batista, supported by the army, seizes power in Cuba. Batista suspends the constitution, dissolves the congress, and institutes a provisional government. 1952: The U.S. government establishes a guided missile tracking station on Grand Turk, under an agreement with Great Britain. 1953, July 26: After crushing an uprising in Oriente Province, led by a young lawyer named Fidel Castro, the Cuban regime seems secure, and when the political situation has been calmed, the Batista government announces that elections would be held in the fall of 1954. 1954: Batista's opponent, Grau San Martin, withdraws from the campaign just before the election, charging that his supportes have been terrorized. Batista is thus reelected without opposition. 1954: The Dutch West Indies are made an integral part of the kingdom of the Netherlands. 1955, Feb 24: On his inauguration, Batista restores constitutional rule and grants amnesty to political prisoners, including Castro. The latter chooses exile in the U.S. and later in Mexico. 1956, Dec 2: Castro, with some 80 insurgents, invades Cuba. The force is crushed by the army, but Castro escapes into the mountains, where he organizes the 26th of July Movement, so called to commemorate the 1953 movement. For the next year Castro's forces, using guerrilla tactics, oppose the Batista government and win considerable popular support. 1958-62: Antigua (incl. Barbuda, Redonda) is a member of the Federation of the West Indies. 1958-62: Grenada is part of the Federation of the West Indies. 1958-62: St. Lucia is a member of the Federation of the West Indies. 1958-62: St. Vincent is a member of the Federation of the West Indies. 1958: Barbados joins the short-lived Federation of the West Indies. 1958, Mar 17: Castro calls on Cuba for a general revolt. His forces make steady gains through the remainder of the year. 1959: The Cayman Islands become a self-governing member of the Federation of the West Indies. 1959: The revolutionary government gains power in Cuba. 1959, Jan 1: Batista resigns and flees Cuba. A provisional government is established. 1959, Feb: Castro, although he initially renounced office, becomes premier. 1960: The U.S. declares a complete embargo on trade between itself and Cuba. 1961: Barbados gains full internal self-government. 1962: Jamaica independent from UK. 1962: Trinidad and Tobago independent from UK. 1962: The Cayman Islands become a British dependency again. 1964: Great Britain grants the Bahamas internal autonomy. 1965-73: The governor of the Bahamas also serves as governor of the Turks and Caicos Islands. When the Bahamas become independent, this arrangement is ended. 1966: Barbados independent from UK. 1966, Nov 30: Barbados becomes independent. 1967: Barbuda becomes an internally self-governing state in association with Great Britain. 1967: Some friction thereafter develops between white- and black-dominated political parties in the Bahamas, until the black Progressive Liberal party (PLP) wins control of the government. Its leader, Lynden O. Pindling (1930-) then becomes prime minsiter. 1967: Dominica becomes an internally self-governing state associated with Great Britain. 1967: St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla become an internally self-governing member of the West Indies Associated States. 1967: St. Lucia becomes a member of the West Indies Associated States with full internal self-government. 1968: Bermuda becomes internally self-governing. 1969: St. Vincent becomes an internally self-governing member of the West Indies Associated States. 1971: Anguilla is placed under direct British rule. 1973: Bahamas independent from UK. 1973: The Bahamas achieve independence on July 10, 1973. 1973: Barbados helps form the Caribbean Community, an organization that promotes social and political cooperation and economic integration. 1974: Grenada independant from UK. 1974, Feb 7: Grenada becomes independent. 1976: In Barbados, a transfer of power between the two major political parties is peacefully achieved. 1976: Cuba adopts a constitution. 1978: Dominica independent from UK. 1978, Nov 2: Dominica attains full independence. 1979: St. Lucia independent from UK. 1979, Feb 22: St. Lucia becomes an independent state within the Commonwealth of Nations. 1979: St. Vincent and the Grenadines independent from UK. 1979, Oct 27: St. Vincent and the Grenadines receives full independence within the Commonwealth of Nations. 1979: A separatist movement in the Grenadines results in a brief uprising on Union Island. 1979: The Prime Minister of Grenada is overthrown in a coup d'etat headed by Maurice Bishop. 1980: Anguilla is officially withdrawn from the dependency of St. Kitts- Nevis. 1981, Nov 1: The independent state of Antigua and Barbuda created. 1983: St. Christopher (St. Kitts)-Nevis independent from UK. 1983, Sep 19: St. Kitts and Nevis jointy attain full independence within the Commenwealth of Nations. 1983, Oct 25: A second coup in Grenada and Bishop's murder are followed by an invasion by U.S. troops and a contingent from the Organization of East Caribbean States. 1984: Antigua and Barbuda independent from UK. 1984, Dec: Parliamentary elections establish Herbert A. Blaize, head of the coalition New National party, as prime minister of Grenada. 1986: Aruba granted home rule by the Netherlands.