Timeline of Cuban history
Encyclopedia
Pre-colonial Cuba
- 5300 BC or earlier. Initial colonization of the AntillesAntillesThe Antilles islands form the greater part of the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea. The Antilles are divided into two major groups: the "Greater Antilles" to the north and west, including the larger islands of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola , and Puerto Rico; and the smaller "Lesser Antilles" on the...
by archaic hunter gatherers.
15th century
- 1492 October 28 Christopher ColumbusChristopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
lands in east Cuba. - 1494 Columbus returns to Cuba and sails along the south coast.
16th century
- 1508 Sebastián de OcampoSebastián de OcampoSebastián de Ocampo was a Spanish navigator and explorer. He is believed to have been the first navigator to have circumnavigated the island of Cuba, in 1508, and is also credited with the first European discovery of the Gulf of Mexico....
circumnavigates Cuba, confirming that it is an island. - 1510 Spanish set out from HispaniolaHispaniolaHispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
. The conquest of Cuba begins. - 1511 The first governor of Cuba, the Spanish conquistadorDiego Velázquez de CuéllarDiego Velázquez de CuéllarDiego Velázquez de Cuéllar was a Spanish conquistador. He conquered and governed Cuba on behalf of Spain.-Early life:...
leads a group of settlers in BaracoaBaracoaBaracoa is a municipality and city in Guantánamo Province near the eastern tip of Cuba. It was founded by the first governor of Cuba, the Spanish conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar in 1511...
. - 1512 Indigenous Cuban resistance leader HatueyHatueyHatuey was a Taíno Cacique from the island of Hispaniola who lived in the early sixteenth century. He has attained legendary status for leading a group of natives in a fight against the invading Spaniards, and thus becoming the second fighter against colonialism in the New World after Anacaona...
is burned at the stake. - 1514 HavanaHavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
founded as San Cristóbal de la Habana. - 1523 Emperor Charles VCharles V, Holy Roman EmperorCharles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
authorizes 4,000 gold pesos for the construction of cotton mills. - 1527 First African Slaves arrive in Cuba.
- 1532 First Slave rebellion is crushed.
- 1537 French fleet briefly occupy HavanaHavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
. - 1538 Governor of CubaColonial heads of CubaList of Colonial Heads of CubaDates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office.For continuation after independence see List of Presidents of Cuba...
relocates to Havana. - 1538 Slave rebellion of African and indigenous slaves is crushed.
- 1538 French corsairs blockade Santiago de CubaSantiago de CubaSantiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
- 1542 Spanish crown abandons the encomiendaEncomiendaThe encomienda was a system that was employed mainly by the Spanish crown during the colonization of the Americas to regulate Native American labor....
colonial land settlement system. - 1546 French corsairs plunder BaracoaBaracoaBaracoa is a municipality and city in Guantánamo Province near the eastern tip of Cuba. It was founded by the first governor of Cuba, the Spanish conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar in 1511...
- 1555 French campaign against the Spanish in the Caribbean leads to the sack of Havana
- 1586 English privateerPrivateerA privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
Francis DrakeFrancis DrakeSir Francis Drake, Vice Admiral was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, and politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581. He was second-in-command of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. He also carried out the...
lands at Cape San Antonio but doesn't attack - 1597 The Castillo del Morro Morro Castle (fortress), is completed above the eastern entrance to the Havana harbor.
17th century
- 1603 Authorities decree that the sale of tobacco to foreigners is punishable by death.
- 1607 Havana is officially named capital of Cuba.
- 1628 Dutch fleet led by Piet Heyn plunders the Spanish fleet in Havana harbor
- 1649 Epidemic kills a third of the island's population.
- 1662 English fleet captained by Christopher MyngsChristopher MyngsSir Christopher Myngs , English admiral and pirate, came of a Norfolk family and was a relative of another admiral, Sir Cloudesley Shovell. Pepys' story of his humble birth, in explanation of his popularity, is said to be erroneous. His name is often given as Mings.The date of Myngs's birth is...
captures Santiago de Cuba to open up trade with neighbouring JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic... - 1670 English retreat after Spain recognises England's ownership of Jamaica.
- 1670 Francisco Rodríguez de Ledesma becomes Governor of CubaColonial heads of CubaList of Colonial Heads of CubaDates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office.For continuation after independence see List of Presidents of Cuba...
. He serves for ten years.
18th century
- 1728 The University of HavanaUniversity of HavanaThe University of Havana or UH is a university located in the Vedado district of Havana, Cuba. Founded in 1728, the University of Havana is the oldest university in Cuba, and one of the first to be founded in the Americas...
is founded. - 1734 Francisco de Güemes y Horcasitas Gordón de Saenz de Villamolinedo begins a 12 year tenure as Governor of CubaColonial heads of CubaList of Colonial Heads of CubaDates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office.For continuation after independence see List of Presidents of Cuba...
. - 1741 British Admiral Edward VernonEdward VernonEdward Vernon was an English naval officer. Vernon was born in Westminster, England and went to Westminster School. He joined the Navy in 1700 and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1702 and served on several different ships for the next five years...
captures Guantánamo BayGuantánamo Bay (Cuba)Guantánamo Bay is a bay located in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba . It is the largest harbor on the south side of the island and is surrounded by steep hills creating an enclave cut off from its immediate hinterland....
, renaming it Cumberland Bay, during the War of Jenkins' EarWar of Jenkins' EarThe War of Jenkins' Ear was a conflict between Great Britain and Spain that lasted from 1739 to 1748, with major operations largely ended by 1742. Its unusual name, coined by Thomas Carlyle in 1858, relates to Robert Jenkins, captain of a British merchant ship, who exhibited his severed ear in...
. His troops are decimated by fevers and are resisted by local guerrilla forces and withdraw. - 1747 Francisco Antonio Cagigal de la Vega begins a 13 year tenure as Governor of CubaColonial heads of CubaList of Colonial Heads of CubaDates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office.For continuation after independence see List of Presidents of Cuba...
. - 1748 October 12 Battle of HavanaBattle of Havana (1748)The Battle of Havana was an engagement between the British Caribbean squadron and a Spanish squadron based near Havana. After a number of abortive attacks, the British succeeded in driving the Spanish back to their harbour after capturing the Conquistador and running the vice-admiral's ship Africa...
. Skirmishes between British and Spanish fleets in Havana harbor. - 1748 Construction of Havana cathedralHavana cathedralThe Catedral de la Virgen María de la Concepción Inmaculada de La Habana is a Roman Catholic Cathedral and is the seat of Jaime Lucas Ortega y Alamino, the Cardinal Archbishop of Havana, Cuba. It was constructed by Jesuits on the site of an earlier church...
completed. - 1762 March 5 English expedition secretly leaves PortsmouthPortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
to capture Havana. - 1762 July 30 British troops occupy Havana during Seven Years' WarSeven Years' WarThe Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
. - 1763 British troops suffer atrocious losses to fever, and reach agreement with the Spanish to trade Cuba in return for FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. - 1793 Slave rebellion in Saint-DomingueSaint-DomingueThe labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
(which was to become the Haitian revolutionHaïtian RevolutionThe Haitian Revolution was a period of conflict in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic...
) brings the first of 30,000 white refugees to Cuba. - 1799 Salvador de Muro y Salazar becomes Governor of CubaColonial heads of CubaList of Colonial Heads of CubaDates in italics indicate de facto continuation of office.For continuation after independence see List of Presidents of Cuba...
1799-1812
19th century
- 1812 Juan Ruíz de Apodaca becomes governor of Cuba 1812-16.
- 1843 Leopoldo O'Donnell, Duke of Tetuan becomes governor of Cuba 1843-48.
- 1844 So-called Year of the LashYear of the LashYear of the Lash is a term used in Cuba in reference to 1844. In that year the Spanish colony was wracked by accusations of a planned slave revolt known as the Conspiración de La Escalera...
when an uprising of black slaves, known as the Conspiración de La Escalera (Conspiracy of the Ladder), was brutally suppressed. - 1853 January 28 José Julián Martí Pérez born in Havana.
- 1868-78 First war of Cuban independence. Also known as the Ten Years' WarTen Years' WarThe Ten Years' War , also known as the Great War and the War of '68, began on October 10, 1868 when sugar mill owner Carlos Manuel de Céspedes and his followers proclaimed Cuba's independence from Spain...
. - 1868 October 10 , Revolutionaries under the leadership of Carlos Manuel de CéspedesCarlos Manuel de CéspedesCarlos Manuel de Céspedes del Castillo was a Cuban planter who freed his slaves and made the declaration of Cuban independence in 1868 which started the Ten Years' War...
proclaims Cuban independence. - 1878 February 8, Pact of Zanjón ends Ten Years' War and ends uprising.
- 1879 August, A second uprising ("The Little War"), engineered by Antonio MaceoAntonio Maceo GrajalesLt. General José Antonio de la Caridad Maceo y Grajales was second-in-command of the Cuban Army of Independence....
and Calixto GarcíaCalixto GarcíaCalixto García e Iñiguez was a general in three Cuban uprisings, part of the Cuban War for Independence: Ten Years' War, the Little War and the War of 1895, itself sometimes called the Cuban War for Independence, which bled into the Spanish-American War, ultimately resulting in national...
, begins but is quelled by superior Spanish forces in autumn 1880. - 1886 Slavery abolished
- 1890 February, José Sánchez Gómez becomes provisional Governor of Cuba.
- 1895 23 February Mounting discontent culminated in a resumption of the Cuban revolution, under the leadership of the writer and patriot José MartíJosé MartíJosé Julián Martí Pérez was a Cuban national hero and an important figure in Latin American literature. In his short life he was a poet, an essayist, a journalist, a revolutionary philosopher, a translator, a professor, a publisher, and a political theorist. He was also a part of the Cuban...
and General Máximo Gómez y Báez. - 1895 May 19 José Martí killed in battle with Spanish troops at the Battle of Dos RíosBattle of Dos RíosThe Battle of Dos Ríos was fought in Cuba during its war of independence from Spain.José Martí died fighting in the battle of Dos Ríos . He was leading a group of rebels against the Spanish royalist army in the first skirmish in Cuba's struggle for independence from Spain...
. - 1895 September, Arsenio Martínez Campos is defeated at Peralejo and leaves Cuba in January next year.
- 1896 Successful invasion campaign along the length of the island by Cuban rebels led by Antonio MaceoAntonio Maceo GrajalesLt. General José Antonio de la Caridad Maceo y Grajales was second-in-command of the Cuban Army of Independence....
, and Maximo GomezMáximo GómezMáximo Gómez y Báez was a Major General in the Ten Years' War and Cuba's military commander in that country's War of Independence ....
; Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
fights on Spanish side at battle of Iguara http://www.spanamwar.com/timeline.htm; Maceo is killed on return east http://www.spanamwar.com/maceodeath.htm - 1897 Calixto GarciaCalixto GarcíaCalixto García e Iñiguez was a general in three Cuban uprisings, part of the Cuban War for Independence: Ten Years' War, the Little War and the War of 1895, itself sometimes called the Cuban War for Independence, which bled into the Spanish-American War, ultimately resulting in national...
takes a series of strategic fort complexes in the East and the Spanish are essentially confined to coastal cities there. - 1898 June 6–10th Invasion of Guantánamo Bay1898 invasion of Guantánamo BayThe Battle of Guantánamo Bay was fought from June 6 to June 10 in 1898, during the Spanish-American War, when American and Cuban forces seized the strategically and commercially important harbor of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Capturing the bay from the Spanish forces was instrumental in the following...
American and Cuban forces invade the strategically and commercially important area of Guantanamo Bay during the Spanish-American warSpanish-American WarThe Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
. - 1898 March 17, U.S. Senator, and former War Secretary Redfield ProctorRedfield ProctorRedfield Proctor was a U.S. politician of the Republican Party. He served as the 37th Governor of Vermont from 1878 to 1880, as Secretary of War from 1889 to 1891, and as a United States Senator for Vermont from 1891 to 1908....
protests against Spanish controlled concentration camps - 1898 December 10, Treaty of Peace in Paris ends the Spanish-American War by which Spain relinquished sovereignty over Cuba.
- 1899 January 1, The Spanish colonial government withdraws and the last captain General Alfonso Jimenez Castellano hands over power to the North American Military Governor, General John Ruller Brooke.
- 1899 December 23 Leonard WoodLeonard WoodLeonard Wood was a physician who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Military Governor of Cuba and Governor General of the Philippines. Early in his military career, he received the Medal of Honor. Wood also holds officer service #2 in the Regular Army...
becomes US Provisional Governor of Cuba
20th century
- 1901 March 2, Platt AmendmentPlatt AmendmentThe Platt Amendment of 1901 was a rider appended to the Army Appropriations Act presented to the U.S. Senate by Connecticut Republican Senator Orville H. Platt replacing the earlier Teller Amendment. Approved on May 22, 1903, it stipulated the conditions for the withdrawal of United States troops...
passed in the U.S. stipulating the conditions for the withdrawal of United States troops, assuring U.S. control over Cuban affairs. - 1902 May 20 The Cuban republic is instituted under the presidency of Tomás Estrada Palma.
- 1906 September 29 Revolt against Tomás Estrada Palma successful. Peace negotiated by Frederick N. Funston, U.S. troops reoccupy Cuba under William Howard TaftWilliam Howard TaftWilliam Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
. - 1906 October 13 Charles Magoon becomes U.S. governor of Cuba
- 1909 January 28 Cuba returns to homerule. José Miguel GómezJosé Miguel GómezJosé Miguel Gómez y Gómez was a Cuban General in the Cuban War of Independence who went on to become President of Cuba.-Early career:...
of the Liberal Party becomes president. - 1912 Separatist Black revolt is defeated in bloody campaign
- 1913 May 20 Mario García MenocalMario García MenocalAurelio Mario García Menocal y Deop was President of Cuba, from 1913 to 1921...
presidency begins. - 1917 April 7 Cuba enters World War I on the side of the Allies. In Chambelona War Liberal Revolt is suppressed by Conservadores of Menocal
- 1921 May 20 Alfredo Zayas becomes president.
- 1925 May 20 Gerardo MachadoGerardo MachadoGerardo Machado y Morales was President of Cuba and a general of the Cuban War of Independence...
becomes president. At uncertain date Fabio GrobartFabio GrobartFabio Grobart was born in Bialystok, Poland August 30, 1905; his birth name was Abraham Grobart aka Abraham Simjovitch. Apparently following orders of the Comintern, during the early 1920s he became a founding member of the Cuban Communist Party...
, a stalinist communist leader enters Cuba - 1926 August 13 Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz born in the province of HolguínHolguínHolguín is a municipality and city, the capital of the Cuban Province of Holguín. It also includes a tourist area, offering beach resorts in the outskirts of the region.-History:...
. - 1928 June 14 Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (Che Guevara) born in RosarioRosarioRosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....
, ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. - 1928 January 10 Julio Antonio MellaJulio Antonio MellaJulio Antonio Mella was a founder of the "internationalized" Cuban Communist Party.Mella studied law in the University of Havana until he was expelled in 1925 and is considered a hero by the present Cuban government. Some Cubans view him as a victim of the Stalin-Trotsky struggle...
a founder of the Stalinist Communist Party in Cuba is murdered in Mexico. Details are murky; Gerardo MachadoGerardo MachadoGerardo Machado y Morales was President of Cuba and a general of the Cuban War of Independence...
agents blamed by some, Tina ModottiTina ModottiTina Modotti was an Italian photographer, model, actress, and revolutionary political activist.- Early life :Modotti was born Assunta Adelaide Luigia Modotti Mondini in Udine, Friuli, Italy...
and Vittorio Vidale communist assassins blamed by others. - 1931 August 10–14 Old Mambi warriors Carlos MendietaCarlos MendietaCarlos Mendieta y Montefur was a Cuban politician and Provisional President of Cuba.A chief opponent of Gerardo Machado, Mendieta was installed as provisional President of Cuba in 1934 by a coup led by Fulgencio Batista. During his presidency, women gained the right to vote and the Platt Amendment...
and Mario García MenocalMario García MenocalAurelio Mario García Menocal y Deop was President of Cuba, from 1913 to 1921...
land forces at Rio Verde attempting to overthrow the now clearly dictatorial Gerardo MachadoGerardo MachadoGerardo Machado y Morales was President of Cuba and a general of the Cuban War of Independence...
. They are defeated in actions that include first military aviation use in Cuba. - 1933 August 12 Gerardo MachadoGerardo MachadoGerardo Machado y Morales was President of Cuba and a general of the Cuban War of Independence...
, despite last minute support from the Communist Party, is forced to leave Cuba, by ABC and Antonio Guiteras Holmes resistance actions, a general strike, pressure from senior officers of Cuban Armed Forces and U.S. Ambassador Sumner WellesSumner WellesBenjamin Sumner Welles was an American government official and diplomat in the Foreign Service. He was a major foreign policy adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and served as Under Secretary of State from 1937 to 1943, during FDR's presidency.-Early life:Benjamin Sumner Welles was born in...
. Communist activity high and extends through rest of summer with establishment of ephemeral soviets in eastern provinces. - 1933 September 4 "Sergeants' Revolt" organized by a group including Fulgencio BatistaFulgencio BatistaFulgencio Batista y Zaldívar was the United States-aligned Cuban President, dictator and military leader who served as the leader of Cuba from 1933 to 1944 and from 1952 to 1959, before being overthrown as a result of the Cuban Revolution....
topples provisional government. - 1933 October 2 Batista loyal enlisted men and sergeants, plus radical elements, force Army Officers out of Hotel Nacional in heavy fighting. Some are murdered after surrender.
- 1933 November 9 Blas HernándezBlas HernándezColonel Juan Blas Hernández was a prominent figure in the 1933 revolt against Gerardo Machado. He led various successful campaigns against Machado’s troops en route to Havana....
his followers and some ABC members make a stand in old Atarés Castle they are defeated by Batista loyalists in bloody battle and Blas Hernández is murdered on surrender. - 1934 June 16, 17 1934 ABC demonstration Havana festival and march attacked by radical gunners including those of Antonio GuiterasAntonio GuiterasAntonio Guiteras y Holmes was a leading politician in Cuba during the 1930s....
with bombs and machine guns, numerous dead. - 1935 May 8 Leading radical Antonio GuiterasAntonio GuiterasAntonio Guiteras y Holmes was a leading politician in Cuba during the 1930s....
is betrayed and dies fighting Batista forces. - 1938 September Communist party legalized again.
- 1939 after August 23 Fabio GrobartFabio GrobartFabio Grobart was born in Bialystok, Poland August 30, 1905; his birth name was Abraham Grobart aka Abraham Simjovitch. Apparently following orders of the Comintern, during the early 1920s he became a founding member of the Cuban Communist Party...
publicly justifies Ribbentrop-Molotov pact. - 1941 May 8, 1941 Sandalio Junco, a Communist labor leader who defected to Trotskyism, is murdered by Stalin Loyalists.
- 1941 December Cuban government declares war on Germany, Japan, and Italy.
- 1943 Soviet embassy opened in Havana.
1950s
- 1951 May 15 Eduardo ChibásEduardo ChibásEduardo René Chibás Ribas was a Cuban politician who used radio to broadcast his political views to the public. He primarily denounced corruption and gangsterism rampant during the governments of Ramón Grau and Carlos Prío which preceded the Batista era...
, leader of the Ortodoxo partyPartido OrtodoxoThe ' was a Cuban political party, otherwise known as the . It was founded in 1947 by Eduardo Chibás in response to perceived government corruption and lack of reform...
and mentor of Fidel Castro commits suicide on live radio. - 1952 March Former president Batista, supported by the army, seizes power.
- 1953 July 26 Some 160 revolutionaries under the command of Fidel Castro launch an attack on the Moncada barracksMoncada BarracksThe Moncada Barracks was a military barracks in Santiago de Cuba, named after General Guillermón Moncada, a hero of the War of Independence. On July 26, 1953, the barracks was the site of an armed attack by a small group of revolutionaries led by Fidel Castro. This armed attack is widely accepted...
in Santiago de CubaSantiago de CubaSantiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
. Communists at meeting in Santioago arrested, Fabio Grobart said to have attended, but not listed in arrest records, - 1953 October 16 Fidel Castro makes "History Will Absolve MeHistory Will Absolve Me"History Will Absolve Me" is the concluding sentence and subsequent title of a four-hour speech made by Fidel Castro on 16 October 1953. Castro made the speech in his own defense in court against the charges brought against him after leading an attack on the Moncada Barracks...
" speech in his own defense against the charges brought on him after the attack on the Moncada Barracks. - 1954 September Che Guevara arrives in Mexico City.
- 1954 November Batista dissolves parliament and is elected constitutional president without opposition.
- 1955 May Fidel and surviving members of his movement are released from prison under an amnesty from Batista.
- 1955 June Brothers Fidel and Raúl CastroRaúl CastroRaúl Modesto Castro Ruz is a Cuban politician and revolutionary who has been President of the Council of State of Cuba and the President of the Council of Ministers of Cuba since 2008; he previously exercised presidential powers in an acting capacity from 2006 to 2008...
are introduced to Che Guevara in Mexico City. - 1956 April 29 Autentico Assault on Goicuria Barracks, in Matanzas attackers are ts including Raúl Castro, Che Guevara and Camilo CienfuegosCamilo CienfuegosCamilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán was a Cuban revolutionary born in Lawton, Havana. Raised in an anarchist family that had left Spain before the Spanish Civil War, he became a key figure of the Cuban Revolution, along with Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Juan Almeida Bosque, and Raúl Castro.-Political...
, executes informers and sets sail from Mexico for Cuba on the yacht GranmaGranma (yacht)Granma is the yacht that was used to transport 82 fighters of the Cuban Revolution from Mexico to Cuba in 1956 for the purpose of overthrowing the regime of Fulgencio Batista. The 60-foot diesel-powered cabin cruiser was built in 1943 and designed to accommodate 12 people...
. - 1956 December 2 Granma lands in Oriente Province.
- 1957 January 17, Castro's guerrillas score their first success by sacking an army outpost on the south coast, and start gaining followers in both Cuba and abroad.
- 1957 March 13, University students mount an attack on the Presidential Palace in Havana. Batista forewarned. Attackers mostly killed, others flee and are betrayed.
- 1957 May 28 1957, Castro's 26 July movement, heavily reinforced by Frank Pais Militia, overwhelm an army post in El Uvero.
- 1957 July 19 Autentico landing in the "Corynthia," led by Calixto Sánchez White in north Oriente, at Cabonico Batista is forewarned and then guided by agents, almost all 27 killed.
- 1957 July 30 Cuban revolutionary Frank PaísFrank PaísFrank País was a Cuban revolutionary who campaigned for the overthrow of General Fulgencio Batista's government in Cuba...
is killed in the streets of Santiago de CubaSantiago de CubaSantiago de Cuba is the second largest city of Cuba and capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in the south-eastern area of the island, some south-east of the Cuban capital of Havana....
by police while campaigning for the overthrow of Batista government. - 1957 September 5 Naval revolt at Cienfuegos is crushed by forces loyal to Batista.
1958
- 1958 February Raúl Castro takes leadership of about 500 pre-existing EscopeterosEscopeterosEscopeteros in its original usage means those armed with a smoothbore long barrel firearm, sometimes a trabuco or blunderbuss, and has been used in this general context in histories of Spain and Latin America . It has been used to describe a pitcher in baseball e.g. , or a sniping journalist...
guerrillas and opens a front in the Sierra de Cristal on Oriente's north coast. - 1958 March 13 U.S. suspends shipments of arms to Batista's forces.
- 1958 March 17 Castro calls for a general revolt.
- 1958 April 9 A general strike, organized by the 26th of July movement, is partially observed.
- 1958 May Batista sends an army of 10,000 into the Sierra MaestraSierra MaestraSierra Maestra is a mountain range that runs westward across the south of the old Oriente Province from what is now Guantánamo Province to Niquero in southeast Cuba, rising abruptly from the coast. Some view it as a series of connecting ranges , which joins with others extending to the west...
to destroy Castro's 300 armed guerrillas (supported by uncounted escopeterosEscopeterosEscopeteros in its original usage means those armed with a smoothbore long barrel firearm, sometimes a trabuco or blunderbuss, and has been used in this general context in histories of Spain and Latin America . It has been used to describe a pitcher in baseball e.g. , or a sniping journalist...
). By August, the rebels had defeated the army's advance and captured a huge amount of arms. - 1958 November 1 A Cubana aircraft en route from Miami to Havana is hijacked by militants but crashes. The hijackers were trying to land at Sierra Cristal in Eastern Cuba to deliver weapons to Raúl CastroRaúl CastroRaúl Modesto Castro Ruz is a Cuban politician and revolutionary who has been President of the Council of State of Cuba and the President of the Council of Ministers of Cuba since 2008; he previously exercised presidential powers in an acting capacity from 2006 to 2008...
's rebels. It is the first of what was to become many Cuba-U.S. hijackings. - 1958 November 20 to November 30 Key position at Guisa is taken, and in the following month most cities in Oriente fall to Rebel Hands.
- 1958 December Guevara, William Alexander MorganWilliam Alexander MorganWilliam Alexander Morgan was a United States citizen who fought in the Cuban Revolution. He was one of only two foreign nationals to hold the rank of Comandante in the revolutionary forces....
and non-communist Directorio Forces attack Santa ClaraSanta Clara, CubaSanta Clara is the capital city of the Cuban province of Villa Clara. It is located in the most central region of the province and almost in the most central region of the country.- History :Santa Clara was founded by 175 people on July 15th, 1689...
. - 1958 December 28 Rebels seize Santa Clara.
- 1958 December 31 Camilo CienfuegosCamilo CienfuegosCamilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán was a Cuban revolutionary born in Lawton, Havana. Raised in an anarchist family that had left Spain before the Spanish Civil War, he became a key figure of the Cuban Revolution, along with Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Juan Almeida Bosque, and Raúl Castro.-Political...
leads revolutionary guerrillas to victory in Yaguajay, Huber MatosHuber MatosHuber Matos Benítez was a Cuban revolutionary who assisted Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and members of the 26th of July Movement in successfully overthrowing the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista as part of the Cuban Revolution....
Enters Santiago.
1959
- 1959 January 1 President Batista resigns and flees the country. Fidel Castro's column enters Santiago de Cuba. Raul Castro starts mass executions of captured military. Diverse urban rebels, mainly Directorio, seize Havana
- 1959 January 2 Guevara and Camilo CienfuegosCamilo CienfuegosCamilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán was a Cuban revolutionary born in Lawton, Havana. Raised in an anarchist family that had left Spain before the Spanish Civil War, he became a key figure of the Cuban Revolution, along with Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Juan Almeida Bosque, and Raúl Castro.-Political...
arrive in Havana. - 1959 January 5 Manuel Urrutia named President of Cuba
- 1959 January 8 Fidel CastroFidel CastroFidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
arrives at Havana, speaks to crowds at Camp Columbia. - 1959 February 16 Fidel CastroFidel CastroFidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
becomes Premier of Cuba. - 1959 March Fabio GrobartFabio GrobartFabio Grobart was born in Bialystok, Poland August 30, 1905; his birth name was Abraham Grobart aka Abraham Simjovitch. Apparently following orders of the Comintern, during the early 1920s he became a founding member of the Cuban Communist Party...
is present at a series of meetings with Castro brothers, Guevara and Valdes at CojimarCojimarCojimar is a small fishing village east of Havana. It was the inspiration for Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. It was also the location where during the 1940s an enormous Great white shark was caught, which is one of the contenders for the largest specimen of all time... - 1959 April 20 Fidel CastroFidel CastroFidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
speaks at Princeton UniversityPrinceton UniversityPrinceton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. - 1959 May 17 The Cuban government enacts the Agrarian Reform LawAgrarian Reform Laws of CubaThe agrarian reform laws of Cuba sought to break up large landholdings and redistribute land to those peasants who worked it, to cooperatives, and the state. Laws relating to land reform were implemented in a series of laws passed between 1959 and 1963 after the Cuban Revolution...
which limits land 1000 acres (4 km²) ranches or less if other agricultural land, no payment is made. - 1959 July 17 Osvaldo Dorticós TorradoOsvaldo Dorticós TorradoOsvaldo Dorticós Torrado was a Cuban politician who served as the President of Cuba from July 17, 1959 until December 2, 1976.-Background:...
becomes President of Cuba, replacing Manuel Urrutia forced to resign by Fidel Castro. Dorticós serves until 2 December 1976 - 1959 October 28 Plane carrying Camilo CienfuegosCamilo CienfuegosCamilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán was a Cuban revolutionary born in Lawton, Havana. Raised in an anarchist family that had left Spain before the Spanish Civil War, he became a key figure of the Cuban Revolution, along with Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Juan Almeida Bosque, and Raúl Castro.-Political...
disappears during a night flight from CamagüeyCamagüeyCamagüey is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third largest city. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province.After almost continuous attacks from pirates the original city was moved inland in 1528.The new city was built with a confusing lay-out of winding alleys that made...
to Havana. He is presumed dead. - 1959 December 11, Trial of revolutionary Huber MatosHuber MatosHuber Matos Benítez was a Cuban revolutionary who assisted Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and members of the 26th of July Movement in successfully overthrowing the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista as part of the Cuban Revolution....
begins. Matos is found guilty of "treason and sedition".
1960
- 1960 March 4, the freighter La Coubre a 4,310-ton French vessel carrying 76 tons of Belgian munitions explodes while it began unloading in Havana harbor.
- 1960 March 17, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower orders CIA director Allen Dulles to train Cuban exiles for a covert invasion of Cuba.
- 1960 July 5 All U.S. businesses and commercial property in Cuba is nationalizedNationalizationNationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
at the direction of the Cuban government. - 1960 October 19, U.S. imposes embargo prohibiting all exports to Cuba except foodstuffs and medical supplies.
- 1960 October 31, nationalization of all U.S. property is completed.
- 1960 December 26, Operation Peter PanOperation Peter PanOperation Peter Pan , was an operation coordinated by the United States government , the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Miami, and certain Cubans. Between 1960 and 1962, over 14,000 children were sent from Cuba to Miami by their parents...
(Operación Pedro Pan) begins, an operation transporting 14,000 children of parents opposed to the new government. The scheme continues until U.S. airports are closed to Cuban flights during 1962.
1961
- 1961 January 1, Cuban government initiates national literacy scheme.
- 1961 "March" former rebel comandante Humberto Sorí MarinHumberto Sorí MarinHumberto Sori Marin was a Cuban revolutionary. He was a 26th of July Movement comandante, Judge Advocate General of the Cuban rebel army, Cuban Minister of Agriculture, author of the Agrarian Reform Laws of Cuba and Chief Judge in the 1959 War Crimes Trials of Havana.-References:* The New York...
and Catholic leaders shot. - 1961 April 15, Bay of Pigs invasionBay of Pigs InvasionThe Bay of Pigs Invasion was an unsuccessful action by a CIA-trained force of Cuban exiles to invade southern Cuba, with support and encouragement from the US government, in an attempt to overthrow the Cuban government of Fidel Castro. The invasion was launched in April 1961, less than three months...
. - 1961 US Trade embargo on Cuba.
1962
- 1962 January 31 Cuba expelled from the Organization of American StatesOrganization of American StatesThe Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
. - 1962 August 17, Central Intelligence AgencyCentral Intelligence AgencyThe Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
Director John McConeJohn McConeJohn Alexander McCone was an American businessman and politician who served as Director of Central Intelligence during the height of the Cold War.- Background :...
suggests that the Soviet Union is constructing offensive missile installations in Cuba. - 1962 August 29, At a news conference, U.S. President John F. KennedyJohn F. KennedyJohn Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
tells reporters: "I'm not for invading Cuba at this time... an action like that... could lead to very serious consequences for many people."
- 1962 August 31, President Kennedy is informed that the August 29 U-2 mission confirms the presence of surface-to-air missile batteries in Cuba.
- 1962 October 16, McGeorge BundyMcGeorge BundyMcGeorge "Mac" Bundy was United States National Security Advisor to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson from 1961 through 1966, and president of the Ford Foundation from 1966 through 1979...
informs President Kennedy that evidence shows Soviet medium-range ballistic missiles in Cuba. Kennedy immediately gathers a group that becomes known as "ExComm", the Executive Committee of the National Security Council. - 1962 October 22, President Kennedy addresses the U.S.
- 1962 October 23, U.S. establishes air and sea blockade in response to photographs of Soviet missile bases under construction in Cuba. U.S. threatens to invade Cuba if the bases are not dismantled and warns that a nuclear attack launched from Cuba would be considered a Soviet attack requiring full retaliation.
- 1962 October 28, Khrushchev agrees to remove offensive weapons from Cuba and the U.S. agrees to remove missiles from Turkey and promises not to invade Cuba.
- 1962 November 21 U.S. ends Cuban blockade, satisfied that all bases are removed and Soviet jets will leave the island by December 20.
1963-69
- 1963 October 2nd Agrarian reform.
- 1963 November Compulsory military service introduced.
- 1964 OASOrganization of American StatesThe Organization of American States is a regional international organization, headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States...
enforce embargo against Cuba. - 1965 October 3, the Integrated Revolutionary Organizations (ORI) become the governing Communist Party of CubaCommunist Party of CubaThe Communist Party of Cuba is the governing political party in Cuba. It is a communist party of the Marxist-Leninist model. The Cuban constitution ascribes the role of the Party to be the "leading force of society and of the state"...
. - 1967 October 9 Che GuevaraChe GuevaraErnesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
executed in La HigueraLa HigueraLa Higuera is a small village in Bolivia located in the Province of Vallegrande, in the Department of Santa Cruz. It is situated in the La Higuera Canton belonging to the Pucará municipality.-Geography:...
, BoliviaBoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. - 1968 March all private bars and restaurants are finally closed down.
1970s
- 1972 Cuba becomes a member of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (COMECON).
- 1975 July OAS lifts the trade embargo and other sanctions.
- 1974 Maternity leave bill introduced by the Cuban government.
- 1975 The Soviet Union engages in a massive airlift of Cuban forces into AngolaAngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. - 1975 The Family Code bill establishes the official goal of equal participation in the home.
- 1976 March South African forces backing the UNITAUNITAThe National Union for the Total Independence of Angola is the second-largest political party in Angola. Founded in 1966, UNITA fought with the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola in the Angolan War for Independence and then against the MPLA in the ensuing civil war .The war was one...
rebel force withdraw from AngolaAngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. It is regarded as a victory for Cuban forces. - 1976 October 6 Two time bombs destroy Cubana Flight 455Cubana Flight 455Cubana Flight 455 was a Cuban flight from Barbados to Jamaica that was brought down by a terrorist attack on October 6, 1976. All 78 people on board the Douglas DC-8 aircraft were killed in what was then the deadliest terrorist airline attack in the Western hemisphere...
departing from Barbados, via TrinidadTrinidadTrinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, to Cuba. Evidence implicated several CIA-linked anti-CastroOpposition to Fidel CastroThe Cuban dissident movement is a political movement in Cuba whose aim is "to replace the current regime with a more democratic form of government". According to Human Rights Watch, the Cuban government represses nearly all forms of political dissent....
Cuban exiles and members of the VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n secret police DISIP. - 1976 December 2 Fidel Castro becomes President of CubaPresident of Cuba--209.174.31.28 18:43, 22 November 2011 The President of Cuba is the Head of state of Cuba. According to the Cuban Constitution of 1976, the President is the chief executive of the Council of State of Cuba...
. - 1977 January 1 Political and administrative division divides Cuba into fourteen provinces, 168 municipalities and the special municipality of Isla de la Juventud.
- 1977 May 50 Cuban military personnel sent to Ethiopia.
- 1979 October 21, Huber MatosHuber MatosHuber Matos Benítez was a Cuban revolutionary who assisted Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and members of the 26th of July Movement in successfully overthrowing the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista as part of the Cuban Revolution....
is released from prison having served out his full term. He was reunited in Costa Rica with his wife and children, who had left Cuba in 1963, and moved to Miami.
1980s
- 1980 April Mariel Boat Lift. Cuban Government announces that anyone wishing to leave Cuba may depart by boat from Mariel port, prompting an exodus of up to 125,000 people to the U.S.
- 1980 June 7 U.S. President Jimmy CarterJimmy CarterJames Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
orders the Justice department to expel any Cubans who have committed "serious crimes" in Cuba. - 1983 October 25 United States invades the island of Grenada and also clash with Cuban troops.
- 1984 Cuba reduces its troop strength in EthiopiaEthiopiaEthiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
to approximately 3,000 from 12,000. - 1987 Law #62 on the Penal Code introduced recognising discrimination based on any reason and the violation of the right of equality as a crime.
- 1989 12 July, Prominent general in the Cuban armed forces Arnaldo OchoaArnaldo OchoaArnaldo T. Ochoa Sánchez was a prominent Cuban general who was executed after being found guilty of treason.-Career:Ochoa was born from an old Oriente area family of farmers...
is executed after allegations of involvement in drug smuggling. - 1989 September 17 The last Cuban troops leave Ethiopia.
1990s
- 1990 March 23, U.S. launch TV Marti.
- 1991 May Cuba remove all troops from AngolaAngolaAngola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. - 1991 Dissolution of Soviet Union highly affects Cuban economy
- 1992 July National Assembly of Cuba passes the Constitutional Reform Law allowing for direct elections to the assembly by the Cuban people every five years.
- 1993 November 6, Cuban government announce it is opening state enterprises to private investment.
- 1996 February, Cuban authorities arrest or detain at least 150 dissidents, marking the most widespread crackdown on opposition groups in the country since the early 1960s.
- 1996 February 24, Cuban fighter jets shoot down two US-registered civilian aircraft over international waters, killing four men
- 1996 March 12. The Helms-Burton ActHelms-Burton ActThe Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act of 1996 is a United States federal law which strengthens and continues the United States embargo against Cuba...
, which extends the U.S. embargo against Cuba to foreign companies is passed. - 1998 January 21, Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul IIBlessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
becomes the first Pope to visit the island. - 1999 Christian anti-abortion activist Oscar Elías BiscetOscar Elías BiscetÓscar Elías Biscet González , is a Cuban medical professional and a noted advocate for human rights and democratic freedoms in Cuba. He is also the founder of the Lawton Foundation....
is detained by Cuban police for organizing meetings in Havana and Matanzas. - 1999 November 5, 6 year old Elián GonzálezElián GonzálezThe custody and immigration status of a young Cuban boy, Elián González , was at the center of a heated 2000 controversy involving the governments of Cuba and the United States, González's father, Juan Miguel González Quintana, González's other relatives in Miami, Florida, and in Cuba, and Miami's...
is found in the Straits of FloridaStraits of FloridaThe Straits of Florida, Florida Straits, or Florida Strait is a strait located south-southeast of the North American mainland, generally accepted to be between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, and between the Florida Keys and Cuba. The strait carries the Florida Current, the beginning of...
clinging to an inner tube.
21st century
- 2000 December 14 Russian President Vladimir PutinVladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
visits Cuba and signs accords aimed at boosting bilateral ties. - 2001 June 23, Fidel Castro faints during a televised speech.
- 2002 January, Russia's last military base in Cuba, at Lourdes, closes down.
- 2002 May 6, U.S. Under Secretary of State John R. BoltonJohn R. BoltonJohn Robert Bolton is an American lawyer and diplomat who has served in several Republican presidential administrations. He served as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations from August 2005 until December 2006 on a recess appointment...
accuses Cuba of trying to develop biological weapons, adding the country to Washington's list of "axis of evilAxis of evil"Axis of evil" is a term initially used by the former United States President George W. Bush in his State of the Union Address on January 29, 2002 and often repeated throughout his presidency, describing governments that he accused of helping terrorism and seeking weapons of mass destruction...
" countries. - 2002 May 12, Former U.S. President Jimmy CarterJimmy CarterJames Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
becomes the first U.S. President past or present to visit Cuba. He praises the Varela projectVarela ProjectThe Varela Project is a project that was started in 1998 by Oswaldo Payá of the Christian Liberation Movement and named after Felix Varela, a Cuban religious leader...
and criticizes the U.S. embargo. - 2003 April Cuban government arrest 78 writers and dissidents blaming U.S. provocation and interference from James CasonJames CasonJames Cason is a retired U.S. Foreign Service officer, most recently serving as Ambassador to Paraguay, a post he held from 2006 to 2008. Prior to that post, he was the Principal Officer of the US Interests Section in Havana...
, the chief of the United States Interests Section in HavanaUnited States Interests Section in HavanaThe U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is inaccessible from within Cuba. Consular issues regarding the naval base are handled by the U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica.-Location:...
. - 2004 November 8, Ban on transactions in US dollars, and imposition of 10% tax on dollar-peso conversions introduced.
- 2005 May 20, Around 200 dissidents hold a public meeting, said by organisers to be the first such gathering since the 1959 revolution.
- 2005 July 7 Hurricane DennisHurricane DennisHurricane Dennis was an early-forming major hurricane in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico during the very active 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. Dennis was the fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the season...
causes widespread destruction and leaves 16 people dead. - 2006 July 31, Raúl Castro assumes presidential duties2006 Cuban transfer of presidential dutiesThe 2006–2008 Cuban transfer of presidential duties was a transfer of duties of the Cuban presidency from Fidel Castro to the first vice president, his brother Raúl Castro, following Fidel's operation and recovery from an undisclosed digestive illness believed to be diverticulitis...
as Fidel Castro recovers from an emergency operation. - 2008 February 19 Fidel Castro announces he would not reprise his role as President of Cuba and refuses to be reelected again.
See also
- History of CubaHistory of CubaThe known history of Cuba, the largest of the Caribbean islands, predates Christopher Columbus' sighting of the island during his first voyage of discovery on 27 October 1492...
- Timeline of Guantánamo BayTimeline of Guantánamo BayNoteworthy Events of Guantánamo Bay.-Timeline:*30 April 1494 — Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage of exploration, sailed into Guantánamo Bay and remained overnight...
- Timeline of the Cuban RevolutionTimeline of the Cuban RevolutionThe Cuban Revolution was the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista’s regime by the 26th of July Movement and the establishment of a new Cuban government led by Fidel Castro in 1959...
General references
- Cuba timeline : Cold War Chronology Educator guide. Accessed 5 October 2006.
- Timeline: Cuba. A chronology of key events BBC online. 1 August 2006. Accessed 5 October 2006.
- Hugh ThomasHugh Thomas, Baron Thomas of SwynnertonHugh Swynnerton Thomas, Baron Thomas of Swynnerton , is a British historian of Welsh origin and writer.Hugh Thomas was educated at Sherborne School in Dorset before taking a BA in 1953 at Queens' College, Cambridge, he was a major scholar and he is now a Honorary Fellow...
Cuba or the Pursuit of Freedom (Paperback) Da Capo Press; Updated edition (April, 1998) ISBN 0-306-80827-7