US Virgin Islands By bry205 Jan 17, 1917 Denmark rejected US offer to buy St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix for $5 million Jun 28, 1927 Virgin Islanders granted American citizenship Sep 13, 1936 US Congress passed First Organic Act, gave political power to the local Virgin Islands government May 14, 1946 First black governor, William H. Hastie, elected Nov 9, 1962 First commercial jet landed in St. Thomas Sep 7, 1971 Melvin Evans became first black Virgin Islander to be elected governor Jul 4, 1989 Hurricane Hugo struck Caribbean, St. Croix hit the hardest Apr 14, 1995 Hurricane Marilyn killed 10, caused $1.5 billion in damages Sep 11, 1997 Dr. Donna Christian Green became first woman elected Virgin Islands’ delegate to US Congress Feb 26, 2004 Over 5,500 residents of St. Croix signed petition asking Congress to make it its own U.S. Territory Aug 18, 2006 Former chief of environmental protection pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges to defraud government of more than $1 million