1889    Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, signs a treaty of amity with Italy, which gives Italy control over Eritrea.

1890    Eritrea is consolidated into a colony by the Italian government.

1937    During a public ceremony at the Viceregal Palace (the former Imperial residence) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, two Eritrean nationalists attempt to kill viceroy Rodolfo Graziani with a number of grenades.

1952    United Nations gives Eritrea to Ethiopia.

1988    Eritrean War of Independence: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on three sides by military units of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet.

1991    Eritrea gains its independence from Ethiopia.

1993    Eritreans vote overwhelmingly for independence from Ethiopia in a United Nations-monitored referendum.

1993    Eritrea and Monaco join the United Nations.