History Bermuda

 Historical dates

In 1503, the Spanish explorer Juan Bermudez passed through the island briefly, and gave his name to the archipelago. The island became an important bastion of transatlantic naval trade.
From the 16th century, wrecks and disappearances of boats did not stop punctuating the history of Bermuda. Giving it a reputation as a cursed area sometimes bordering on the supernatural. Actually, this "curse" is explained by the strong sea currents and numerous dangerous reefs.
In 1609, the Sea Ventura boat belonging to the English admiral Sir George Somers went down off Bermuda. The construction of a new boat obliged him to stay on the archipelago for almost a year. A few men from the crew stayed, and established the bases of British colonisation. On his return from America, Somers finally died in Bermuda.
In 1612, the town of St-George was founded in his memory. It continued to be the capital of Bermuda for more than 200 years.
In 1616, the first slaves arrived. Most from Africa, but some American Indians.
In 1684, Bermuda became an official British colony.
At the beginning of the 19th century, after the American war of independence and then the civil war, Bermuda played a strategic role regarding the English occupier and the American populations.
In 1834, slavery was abolished. The archipelago has 9,000 inhabitants.
1884 marked the presumed beginning of the fashion for taking seaside holidays on Bermuda. Actually, princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria of England and wife of the Canadian governor, landed on the archipelago and retired there for the long winter season.
After the Second World War, the American army installed a military base there. This presence lasted until 1995, when it left its air force base at St-David, beside the current airport.
In 1963, the Progressive Labour Party was created, representing the rights of coloured Bermudians. The other members of Parliament were grouped together under the "United Bermudians' Party".
The Constitution was implemented in 1968. Local government looked after internal affairs, and Great Britain continued to deal with Security, Defence, and Foreign Affairs.
The first signs of a desire for independence became apparent in the 70s.
However, in 1995 the population finally decided to remain a British colony, with more than 70% of votes.