History Cuba

 Historical dates

1511: Diego Velazquez and the first Spanish settlement.

1809: first uprising for Independence.

1895: second war of Independence.

1906-1917: American military intervention in Cuba.

1925-1933: General Machado's dictatorship.

1952: Fulgencio Batista coup.

1959: Fidel Castro takes over.

1961: failure of the Cuban-American invasion at the Bay of Pigs.

1962: Cuban missile crisis.

1980: 125,000 Cubans flee to the United States from the Mariel Port.

1989: Ochoa court case.

1990: the "Special Period" began.

1993: Cubans were allowed to possess Dollars.

1994: Balsero crisis. 30,000 Cubans flee the country.

1996: over 240 mixed companies in Cuba.

1999: visit of Pope John Paul II and speech made by Fidel Castro against sexual tourism.

2000: Cuba had 40,000 hotel rooms, of which 10,000 were jointly exploited by mixed capital companies.

2000: Elian became a national symbol.

2001: in June, Fidel Castro collapsed during a speech.

2004: Using Dollars was forbidden. Tourists and Cubans had to use the convertible Peso.

March 2005: Castro's government reinforced its control over the population. Limited contact with foreigners and no gifts were to be accepted. It was illegal to enter a foreigner's house without authorisation.

August 2006: Fidel Castro's health declined and he temporarily handed over power to his brother Raul Castro.

2009: Embargo lifted by Obama administration.