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Jan 1, 1498
Sighting of Guyana
Christopher Columbus sights Guyana. Before that, indigenous people had lived there. -
Establishing the First European Settlement
The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle modern day Guyana. The Netherlands had obtained independence from Spain in the late 16th century and by the early 17th century had emerged as a major commercial power, trading with the fledgling English and French colonies in the Lesser Antilles. In 1616 the Dutch established the first European settlement in the area of Guyana, a trading post twenty-five kilometers upstream from the mouth of the Essequibo River. -
British Rule
After rising tensions between the British and the Dutch, what is now modern Guyana formally ceded to British rule. The country would remain under their rule until its independence in 1966. -
Independence of Guyana
On May 26 1966, Forbes Burnham took over Japan's rule of Guyana, weakened by constant rioting and protests, and Guyana became an independent country. -
Jonestown Massacre
On November 18, 1978, in what became known as the “Jonestown Massacre,” more than 900 members of an American cult called the Peoples Temple died in a mass suicide-murder under the direction of their leader Jim Jones (1931-78). This took place in the South American region of Guyana. -
Death of Burnham
On August 6, 1985, while in the care of Cuban doctors, Guyana's first and only leader since independence unexpectedly died. An epoch had abruptly ended. Guyana was suddenly in the post-Burnham era. Vice President Desmond Hoyte became the new president. -
Hoyte's Administration Makes Improvements
Hoyte's administration lifted all curbs on foreign activity and ownership in 1988. Hoyte abolished overseas voting and the provisions for widespread proxy and postal voting. Independent newspapers were given greater freedom, and political harassment abated considerably. -
National Assembly and Regional Council Election
On October 5, 1992, a new National Assembly and regional councils were elected in the first Guyanese election since 1964 to be internationally recognized as free and fair. Cheddi Jagan of the PPP was elected and sworn in as President on October 9, 1992. -
Flooding in Guyana
Severe flooding following torrential rainfall wreaked havoc in Guyana beginning in January 2005. The downpour, which lasted about six weeks, inundated the coastal belt, caused the deaths of 34 people, and destroyed large parts of the rice and sugarcane crops. The UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean estimated in March that the country would need $415 million for recovery and rehabilitation. About 275,000 people—37% of the population—were affected in some way by the floods. -
Signing of UNASUR Constitutive Treaty
In May 2008, President Bharrat Jagdeo signed the UNASUR Constitutive Treaty of the Union of South American Nations. It officially established the Union of South American Nations, a intergovernmental continental union of twelve South American nations.
