1903-1999
1903 Water riots in port of Spain: Red House destroyed.

1909 First petroleum company, Trinidad Oilfields Limited, registered. Birds of Paradise released on Little Tobago.

1911 Trinidad's first cinemas, the London Electric Theater, open in Port of Spain.

1913 First airplane flight in Trinidad; pilot crashes to his death. Trinidad Leaseholds Limited is established. Railway reaches.

1914 Railway reaches Rio Claro.
World War I breaks out.

1917 Government of British India puts end to the recruitment of indentured laborers for the West Indies.

1919 Longshoremen’s strike-Trinidad’s first general strike.
Carnegie Free Library opens in San Fernando.

1925 First general elections. Arthur Andrew Cipriani wins seat on City Council.

1931 Opening of Piarco airport.

1933 Tropical storm strikes South Trinidad.

1934 Air pioneer Mikey Cipriani crashes to his death during flight to Tobago.

1935 Port -of-Spain hunger march.

1937 Oilfield riots at Fyzabad Tubal Uriah 'Buzz' Butler prosecuted for sedition.

1938 Moyne Commission on unrest in the British West Indies visits Trinidad.

1939 Outbreak of World War II.

1940 Inauguration of British West Indian Airways. Britain enacts Colonial Development and Welfare Act.

1941 Arrival of United States Forces as a result of the Anglo-US bases Agreement.

1942 Operation Nueland submarine campaign.

1945 Victory in Europe celebration:
Steelbands appear in the streets for the first time.

1946 First elections under adult suffrage.

1950 Trinidad and Tobago takes a great political step forward when elected members are awarded a majority of the seats in the Legislative Council.

1951 First steelband tour: Trinidad All Steel Percussion Orchestra visits Europe.

1952 Eric Williams, young university radical, returns to Trinidad as Deputy Chairman of the Caribbean Commission. He expresses concern that the Commission is not serious about the development of the region.

1956 Williams leaves the Commission and forms the People’s National Movement (PNM), which wins the elections; Williams becomes the Chief Minister, taking over many of the duties of the Governor.
Texaco (Texas Oil Company) acquires Trinidad Oil Company, which shortly before was Trinidad Leaseholds Ltd.

1958 Inauguration of the Federation of the West Indies.

1959 New constitution: Trinidad and Tobago Achieves cabinet government.

1960 New constitution: full internal self-government. The former Imperial Collage of Tropical Agriculture becomes the Trinidad campus of the University of the West Indies.

1961 Jamaica votes no to Federation and causes Federation’s collapse.
Trinidad and Tobago decides to seek its independence outside the Federation.

1962 Federation formally dissolved. Trinidad and Tobago achieves independence with Eric Williams as its first Prime Minister.
Television introduced.
British government enacts legislation severely restricting immigration form Commonwealth countries.

1963 Hurricane Flora devastates Tobago.

1970 Black Power uprising.

1974 Caribbean Community (CARICOM) established by Treaty of Chaguaramas.
Hurricane Alma strikes Trinidad.

1976 Trinidad and Tobago becomes a Republic. Hasley Crawford wins Olympic 100-meter race and is the first Trinidadian to win an Olympic gold medal.

1977 Lands leased under the Bases Agreement are completely recovered.
Penny Commissiong wins 'Miss Universe' title.

1980 Tobago gets back its House of Assembly and a certain measure of autonomy in its affairs.

1981 Eric Williams dies. George Chambers becomes Prime Minister.

1984 Texaco nationalized as the Trinidad and Tobago Oil Company (TRINTOC).

1986 PNM loses general elections for the first time since its foundation. A.N.R Robinson of the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) becomes Prime Minister.

1989 San Fernando made a city.

1990 Attempted armed overthrow of the Government by the Jamaat al Muslimeen, led by Imam Yaseen Abu Bakr.

1991 PNM wins general elections and returns to power.
Chaguanas is made a borough.
Deep-water harbor inaugurated at Scarborough, Tobago.

1994 Brian Lara establishes world cricket record for the highest test score (375) and highest individual score in first-class cricket(501).

1995 United National Congress (UNC), ties with People’s National Movement (PNM) in general elections, (17seats each).
National Alliance for Reconstruction, with two seats, joins UNC and coalition government is formed with Basdeo Panday of the UNC as Prime Minister.

1998 Wendy Fitzwilliams wins 'Miss Universe' contest.

1999 Trinidad and Tobago host The 'Miss Universe' contest.

1498-1699 | 1700-1899 | 1903-1999

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