Cuba Timeline of Events

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Cuba

The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

Timeline of Events

1539

1.14.1539

Spain annexes Cuba.

1715

7.24.1715

A Spanish treasure fleet of 10 ships under Admiral Ubilla leaves Havana, Cuba for Spain. Seven days later, 9 of them sink in a storm off the coast of Florida. A few centuries later, treasure is salvaged from these wrecks.

1829

6.5.1829

HMS Pickle captures the armed slave ship ''Voladora'' off the coast of Cuba.

1839

7.2.1839

Twenty miles off the coast of Cuba, 53 rebelling African slaves led by Joseph Cinqué take over the slave ship ''Amistad''.

1868

10.10.1868

Carlos Céspedes issues the Grito de Yara from his plantation, La Demajagua, proclaiming Cuba's independence

1869

4.10.1869

José Martí founds the Cuban Revolutionary Party.

1875

12.4.1875

Notorious New York City politician Boss Tweed escapes from prison and flees to Cuba, then Spain.

1898

2.15.1898

Spanish-American War: The USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing more than 260. This event leads the United States to declare war on Spain.

4.22.1898

Spanish-American War: The United States Navy begins a blockade of Cuban ports and the USS Nashville captures a Spanish merchant ship.

6.10.1898

Spanish-American War: U.S. Marines land on the island of Cuba.

6.11.1898

Spanish-American War: U.S. war ships set sail for Cuba.

6.22.1898

Spanish-American War: United States Marines land in Cuba.

7.3.1898

Spanish-American War: The Spanish fleet, led by Pascual Cervera y Topete, is destroyed by the U.S. Navy in Santiago, Cuba.

1899

1.1.1899

Spanish rule ends in Cuba.

1901

3.2.1901

The U.S. Congress passes the Platt amendment, limiting the autonomy of Cuba as a condition for the withdrawal of American troops.

1902

5.20.1902

Cuba gains independence from the United States. Tomás Estrada Palma becomes the country's first President.

1903

2.23.1903

Cuba leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States "in perpetuity".

1909

1.28.1909

United States troops leave Cuba with the exception of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base after being there since the Spanish-American War.

1911

1.30.1911

The destroyer USS Terry makes the first airplane rescue at sea saving the life of James McCurdy 10 miles from Havana, Cuba.

1939

6.4.1939

Holocaust: The MS St. Louis, a ship carrying 963 Jewish refugees, is denied permission to land in Florida, United States, after already being turned away from Cuba. Forced to return to Europe, more than 200 of its passengers later die in Nazi concentration camps.

1941

12.9.1941

World War II: The Republic of China, Cuba, Guatemala, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea, and the Philippine Commonwealth, declare war on Germany and Japan.

1949

1.19.1949

Cuba recognizes Israel.

1952

3.10.1952

Fulgencio Batista leads a successful coup in Cuba and appoints himself as the "provisional president".

1956

12.2.1956

The ''Granma'' yacht reaches the shores of Cuba's Oriente province and Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and 80 other members of the 26th of July Movement disembark to initiate the Cuban Revolution.

1957

3.13.1957

Cuban student revolutionaries storm the presidential palace in Havana in a failed attempt on the life of President Fulgencio Batista.

9.5.1957

Cuba: Fulgencio Batista bombs the revolt in Cienfuegos.

1959

1.1.1959

Fulgencio Batista, president of Cuba, is overthrown by Fidel Castro's forces during the Cuban Revolution.

1.7.1959

The United States recognizes the new Cuban government of Fidel Castro.

2.16.1959

Fidel Castro becomes Premier of Cuba after dictator Fulgencio Batista was overthrown on January 1.

6.14.1959

A group of Dominican exiles with leftist tendencies that departed from Cuba land in the Dominican Republic with the intent of deposing Rafael Leónidas Trujillo Molina. Save for four of them, all are killed and/or executed by Trujillo's army.

1960

3.4.1960

French freighter 'La Coubre' explodes in Havana, Cuba killing 100.

3.17.1960

U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

8.6.1960

Cuban Revolution: in response to a United States embargo, Cuba nationalizes American and foreign-owned property in the nation.

9.18.1960

Fidel Castro arrives in New York City as the head of the Cuban delegation to the United Nations.

1961

1.3.1961

The United States severs diplomatic relations with Cuba.

4.17.1961

Bay of Pigs Invasion: A group of CIA financed and trained Cuban refugees lands at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro.

4.19.1961

The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba ends in success for the defenders.

4.20.1961

Failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of US-backed troops against Cuba.

5.1.1961

The Prime Minister of Cuba, Fidel Castro, proclaims Cuba a socialist nation and abolishes elections.

12.2.1961

In a nationally broadcast speech, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declares that he is a Marxist-Leninist and that Cuba is going to adopt Communism.

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