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Jan 1, 1482
Diogo Cão sailed from Lisbon, Portugal to the African coast
He discovered the Congo Rier when his crew was in desperate need of drinking water. Cão noticed muddy brown water rushing into the bay. -
Jan 1, 1484
Cão's last voyage
Diogo Cão mysteriously disappeared when a giant waterfall impeded his ship's course along the river -
King Leopold is born
Léopold Louis Philippe Marie Victor was born on April 9th in Brussels, Belgium. He's the eldest son of Leopold I, first of the Belgians -
Leopold's Marriage
Leopold marries the daughter of Archduke Joseph of Austria, Marie Henrietta. -
Joseph Conrad is born
Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski was born to Apollo and Ewa Korzeniowski in Berdyczow, located in an Ukranian province of Polan -
Sent to exile
Conrad's parents are exiled by Russian authorities to Vologda, Siberia due to Conrad's father's political activities -
"Dark Continent"
Nine year old Conrad said he was going to visit the "dark continent" of the Congo. That dream eventually became reality -
TB causes death
Conra'ds mother and father dies of tuberculosis and Conrad goes to live with his maternal uncle -
French Merchant Marine
Conrad left Poland for Marseilles to become a seaman with the French Merchant Marine -
Skimmer of the Sea
Conrad made his first contact with the British Merchant Service, having lost his French mariner's ticket. On July 11th, he joined his first British ship, the Skimmer of the Sea -
Team Leopold and Stanley
Leopold commissioned Henry Stanley's next expedition, ordering Stanley to set up 22 small towns along the Congo River -
Conference of Berlin
14 European nations (Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Turkey) meet at the Conference of Berlin, called to carve up central Africa among them -
End of Conference of Berlin
The Conference of Berlin concludes February. France is given the north bank of Congo -
Scramble of Africa
From 1886-1914, European participated in what was called "the Scramble of Africa," which these countries colonized all of Africa, with the exception of Ethiopia and Liberia -
Journey to the Congo
Conrad was presented with the opportunity to go to the Congo -
Matadi to Kinchassa
Conrad began his famous "diary" in Matadi. He kept this diary until his arrival in Kinchassa on August 1st. His diary provided descriptions of landscape, people, and places. -
Heart of Darkness
1898-1899 Heart of Darkness was written. This novel was based on his experiences in the Congo -
New Marriage & Death
Leopold remarries, this time with a lady named Blanche Delacroix. He dies on December 17th, five days after getting married. He signs a law before his death instituting compulsory military service -
Knighthood
Conrad declined an offer of knighthood after being presented with honorary degrees from five universities -
Conrad's Death
Conrad dies of a heart attack. He was buried in Canterbury, Englad. -
Congolese Independence
The enslaved Congo nation declared independence from Belgium -
Dictator of the Congo
General Joseph Mobutu established himself as president of the Congo and became a dictator a year later, renaming the nation as "the Democratic Republic of the Congo." -
Congo Re-renamed
The Congo was renamed as the Republic of Zaire under the dictatorship of General Joseph Mobutu -
Mobutu Overthrowed
A rebel, General Laurent Kabila overthew Mobutu and re-established the country as the Democratic Republic of the Congo -
Assasination
Laurent Kabila was assassinated. His son, Joseph Kabila, succeeds his father at 29 years old. -
No More War
Kabila ended the war that had started when his father fought with their neighbors Rwanda and Uganda
