1492    Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to set foot on the island of Hispaniola, now Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

1791    Beginning of the Haitian Slave Revolution in Saint-Domingue.

1794    British troops capture Port-au-Prince in Haiti.

1804    French rule ends in Haiti. Haiti becomes the first black republic and second independent country on the American Continent after the U.S.

1806    Former leader of the Haitian Revolution, Emperor Jacques I of Haiti is assassinated after an oppressive rule.

1844    The Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti.

1844    One of the most important battles of the Dominican War of Independence from Haiti takes place near the city of Santiago de los Caballeros.

1935    Hurricane floods Haiti, killing over 2,000 people.

1986    Twenty-eight years of one-family rule end in Haiti, when President Jean-Claude Duvalier flees the Caribbean nation.

1988    The St Jean Bosco massacre takes place in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

1990    In Haiti, Prosper Avril is ousted 18 months after seizing power in a coup.

1991    Haiti's first democratically-elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, is sworn in.

1991    Military coup in Haiti (1991 Haitian coup d'état).

1991    President Jean-Bertrand Aristide of Haiti is forced from office.

2004    Jean-Bertrand Aristide resigns as President of Haiti following popular rebel uprising.

2004    Hurricane Jeanne: At least 1,070 in Haiti are reported to have been killed by floods.