-
Apr 22, 1500
Portuguese Arrive
The first European to colonize Brazil was Pedro Álvares Cabral on April 22, 1500 under the sponsorship of the Kingdom of Portugal. From the 16th to the early 19th century, Brazil was a colony and a part of the Portuguese Empire. -
Dutch Invasion
From 1630 onward, the Dutch Republic conquered almost half of Brazil's area at the time, with their capital in Recife. The Dutch West India Company (WIC) set up their headquarters in Recife. The governor, Johan Maurits, invited artists and scientists to the colony to help promote Brazil and increase immigration. -
Dutch Expelled from Brazil
After fierce fighting, the remaining Dutch were ousted from Brazil. The Dutch finally lost control of Recife on January 28, 1654, leaving to the Portuguese their colony of Brazil and putting an end to Nieuw Netherlands. -
Independence
Brazil breaks ties with Portugal, finally announcing its independence. -
Slavery Abolished
Brazil was the last country in the Western world to abolish slavery. By the time it was abolished, in 1888, an estimated four million slaves had been imported from Africa to Brazil, 40% of the total number of slaves brought to the Americas. -
First Brazilian Republic
The Brazilian monarchy is overthrown and a republic is established by Marshal Deodoro da Fonseca who reorganized the government. -
Christ the Redeemer Unveiled
Christ the Redeemer is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built by engineer Heitor da Silva Costa, in collaboration with the French engineer Albert Caquot. The statue is 98 ft tall, and its arms stretch 92 ft wide. The statue weighs 635 metric tons, and is located at the peak of the 2,300 ft Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city of Rio. -
Joining the UN
Brazil is proud of its historic and consistent participation in UN peacekeeping operations, which is always in accordance with its foreign policy interests, along with national and international rules and principles. Brazil has acted in more than 50 peacekeeping operations and similar missions, having contributed with more than 33,000 military officials, police officers and civilians. It currently takes part in nine peacekeeping operations with a contribution of more than 1700 people. -
The 1946 Constitution
A constituent assembly drafted a more balanced and liberal Constitution which re-established basic individual rights and the separation of powers. The document also maintained an important role of the state in the nation’s economy and reflected the influence of the U.S. Constitution with respect to federalism. -
New President
Dilma Vana Rousseff is a Brazilian economist and politician who was the 36th President of Brazil from 2011 until her impeachment and removal from office on 31 August 2016. She is the first woman to have held the Brazilian presidency and previously served as Chief of Staff to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from 2005 to 2010.
