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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.