History of Curaçao in Timeline

Curaçao is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea, approximately 65 km north of Venezuela. It is part of the Dutch Caribbean region.

1905: First published work in Papiamentu

In 1905, the first published work in Papiamentu was a poem by Joseph Sickman Corsen entitled Atardi, published in the La Cruz newspaper.

1911: Punda line rebuilt

In 1911, the Punda street tramway line was rebuilt, regauged to metre gauge, and the horse-drawn trams replaced by petrol engined ones.

1914: Discovery of oil in Maracaibo Basin

In 1914, the discovery of oil in the Maracaibo Basin transformed Curaçao into a critical refinery location, changing its economic landscape.

1914: Oil discovered in Venezuela

In 1914, when oil was discovered in Mene Grande, a town in the Venezuelan Maracaibo Basin, Curaçao's economy changed dramatically.

1920: Punda line closure

In 1920, the Punda street tramway line closed.

1925: Division of Curaçao into districts reduced

In 1925, Curaçao's division into five districts was reduced to the two outer districts of Bandabou and Bandariba and the city district of Willemstad.

1926: White-tailed deer protected

Since 1926, the white-tailed deer has been a protected species on Curaçao.

1929: Attack by Venezuelan rebels

In 1929, Curaçao was attacked by Venezuelan rebel commander Rafael Simón Urbina, who captured the fort, plundered weapons, ammunition, the island's treasury and captured the Governor of the island, Leonardus Albertus Fruytier.

1936: Oil fire in Schottegat

In 1936, a fire broke out in the Schottegat when a burning bale of cotton thrown overboard from the M. S. Colombia ignited oil floating on the water.

1939: Installation of current Queen Emma Bridge

In 1939, the current Queen Emma Bridge was installed. The 168 metres (551 ft) long pontoon bridge allows pedestrians to walk between the Punda and Otrobanda districts.

1940: British Occupation

In 1940, before the invasion of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany, the British occupied Curaçao.

1941: US Troops occupied the island

In 1941, US troops occupied Curaçao and built the military airport "Hato" to fight against Axis submarines and potential Nazi bombers.

August 1942: German submarine attacks

In August 1942, German submarines returned to Curaçao and attacked a tanker, receiving fire from a Dutch shore battery. The US Navy established the Fourth Fleet and the US Army sent aircraft and personnel.

1954: Part of Netherlands Antilles

In 1954, Curaçao became part of the Netherlands Antilles.

1954: Hurricane Hazel

In 1954, Curaçao was affected by Hurricane Hazel.

1957: Hotel Van der Valk Plaza Curaçao built

In 1957, the hotel Van der Valk Plaza Curaçao was built on top of the Waterfort.

1961: Hurricane Anna

In 1961, Curaçao was affected by Hurricane Anna.

1969: Hurricane Francelia

In 1969, Curaçao was affected by Hurricane Francelia.

1969: Riots due to discontent

In 1969, riots occurred in Curaçao due to discontent with the Netherlands, racial discrimination, and unemployment related to Shell refinery layoffs. The Dutch Navy quelled the rebellion. Two deaths and severe damage in Willemstad.

1971: Hurricanes Edith and Irene

In 1971, Curaçao was affected by Hurricanes Edith and Irene.

1972: Death of Leonardus Albertus Fruytier

In 1972, Leonardus Albertus Fruytier, the governor of Curaçao who was captured in 1929, died.

1974: Opening of Queen Juliana Bridge

In 1974, the Queen Juliana Bridge opened, carrying motor vehicle traffic between the Punda and Otrobanda districts. Its opening allowed the Queen Emma Bridge to become a pedestrian-only bridge.

1978: Hurricanes Cora and Greta

In 1978, Curaçao was affected by Hurricanes Cora and Greta.

1985: Royal Dutch Shell ends activities

In 1985, after 70 years, Royal Dutch Shell decided to end its activities on Curaçao due to persistent losses, global overproduction, stronger competition, and low market expectations.

1988: Hurricane Joan

In 1988, Curaçao was affected by Hurricane Joan.

1992: New public education law

In 1992, a new public education law was introduced in Curaçao, mandating compulsory primary education starting at age six for six years, followed by four years of secondary education.

1993: Papiamentu in primary education

In 1993, Papiamentu was introduced as a language of primary school education in Curaçao.

1996: Hurricane Cesar

In 1996, Curaçao was affected by Hurricane Cesar.

1997: Military conscription ended

There has been no military conscription since 1997, but a form of civil conscription has replaced it.

1999: USAF operated fighters

Until 1999, the USAF operated a small fleet of F-16 fighters from the FOL.

2000: Jewish population

As of the year 2000, there were approximately 300 Jewish people living on the island of Curaçao.

2001: Census results

According to the 2001 census, Papiamentu was the first language of 81.2% of the population of Curaçao, Dutch of 8%, Spanish of 4%, and English of 2.9%.

April 2002: Tax Information Exchange Agreement

In April 2002, a Tax Information Exchange Agreement was signed in Washington, D.C. between the U.S. and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including Curaçao.

2004: Little League Baseball team world title

In 2004, the Little League Baseball team from Willemstad, Curaçao, won the world title against the United States champion from Thousand Oaks, California.

November 2006: Change delayed

On 28 November 2006, the change was delayed when the island council rejected a clarification memorandum on the process.

July 2007: Planned country status

On 1 July 2007, Curaçao was due to become a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, like Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles, but it was delayed.

2007: Hurricane Felix

In 2007, Curaçao was affected by Hurricane Felix.

2007: Royal Netherlands Navy air base closed

Until 2007, the site was a Royal Netherlands Navy air base which operated for 55 years with a wide variety of aircraft. After the political decision to sell off all Orions, the air base wasn't needed anymore.

December 2008: Scheduled to become separate country

On 15 December 2008, Curaçao was again scheduled to become a separate country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

2008: Little League All-Stars Championship

Curaçao's Pabao Little League All-Stars won their country's eighth straight championship at the 2008 Little League World Series.

2008: Hurricane Omar

In 2008, Curaçao was affected by Hurricane Omar.

May 2009: Referendum on move held

On 15 May 2009, a non-binding referendum on the move was held in Curaçao; 52% of voters supported it.

2009: Renaissance Curaçao Resort and Casino opened

In 2009, the Renaissance Curaçao Resort and Casino opened next to the Rif Fort.

October 2010: Dissolution of Netherlands Antilles

On 10 October 2010, the Netherlands Antilles dissolved, and Curaçao became a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

2010: Achieved autonomy

In 2010, Curaçao achieved autonomy as a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

2010: Hurricane Tomas

In 2010, Curaçao was affected by Hurricane Tomas which caused flooding that killed two people and caused over NAƒ50 million in damage.

2010: Island Territory of Curaçao

In 2010, Curaçao was the Island Territory of Curaçao.

2010: Documentary film Boys of Summer

The 2010 documentary film Boys of Summer details Curaçao's Pabao Little League All-Stars winning their country's eighth straight championship at the 2008 Little League World Series.

2011: Religious breakdown

In 2011, an estimate on the religious breakdown of the population of Curaçao was released.

December 2012: Daniel Hodge became prime minister

On 31 December 2012, Daniel Hodge became the third prime minister of Curaçao.

2012: Opening of wind farms

In 2012, the power generation company NuCuraçao opened wind farms in Tera Kora and Playa Kanoa.

June 2013: New cabinet sworn in

On 7 June 2013, a new cabinet under the leadership of Ivar Asjes was sworn in.

2013: CARIFTA Games

Curaçao participated in the 2013 CARIFTA Games. Kevin Philbert stood third in the under-20 male Long Jump with a distance of 7.36 metres (24.15 feet). Vanessa Philbert stood second the under-17 female 1,500 metres (4,900 feet) with a time of 4:47.97.

2013: Cruise ship tourism growth

In 2013, Curaçao saw a 41.4% increase in cruise ship tourism, with 610,186 cruise passengers. Hato International Airport received 1,772,501 passengers in 2013.

June 2014: Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with the United States

On 30 June 2014, Curaçao was deemed to have an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with the United States of America with respect to the "Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act" of the United States of America.

2015: Expansion of wind farms

In 2015, NuCuraçao expanded wind farms in Tera Kora.

2016: Unemployment rate

In 2016, a Labour Force Survey (LFS) indicated that the unemployment rate was 13.3% in Curaçao. For residents ages 15–64, the employment rate was 70.4%.

2016: Tax Information Exchange Agreement update

In 2016, the Tax Information Exchange Agreement signed in 2002 between the U.S. and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, including Curaçao, was updated with respect to Curaçao, and took effect.

2016: Economic stagnation due to Venezuelan unrest

Since 2016, reduced foreign demand for goods due to ongoing unrest and political uncertainty in Venezuela has led to decreased exports, increased domestic demand and economic stagnation in Curaçao. Expansions took place in the construction, financial intermediation, and utilities sectors.

June 2017: Top Cruise Destination in the Southern Caribbean

In June 2017, Curaçao was named the Top Cruise Destination in the Southern Caribbean by Cruise Critic. Passengers rated Willemstad as "amazing" and food and shopping as "excellent".

July 2017: Prime Minister seeks cooperation

In July 2017, Curaçaoan Prime Minister Eugene Rhuggenaath requested more cooperation and assistance from the Netherlands to improve Curaçao's standard of living.

2017: Caribbean Cup win and CONCACAF Gold Cup qualification

In 2017, the Curaçao national football team won the Caribbean Cup by defeating Jamaica in the final, qualifying for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

2018: Airport transformation

By 2018, Hato International Airport planned to invest US$48 million with the goal of transforming the airport into a regional hub.

2018: High carbon dioxide emissions

In 2018, the average carbon dioxide emissions per person on Curaçao were 52 tonnes, the second highest in the world, according to the Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research.

January 2019: Curaçao population estimate

In January 2019, the estimated population of Curaçao was 158,665.

2019: King's Cup win

In 2019, Curaçao won the King's Cup football tournament by beating Vietnam in the final.

2019: PDVSA lease expired

In 2019, the Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA's lease on Curaçao's oil refinery expired. This facility, which employs 1,000 people, refines oil from Venezuela for export to the US and Asia.

June 2020: Civil servant riots

On 24 June 2020, civil servants and waste collectors rioted in Curaçao over austerity measures, leading to looting, arrests, and a curfew.

2020: Closure of Campo Alegre

In 2020, Campo Alegre, Curaçao's largest open-air brothel, closed after 71 years of operation. Following the closure, the government considered options for repurposing the site.

2022: Gender distribution

According to 2022 data from the CIA, Curacao has 92 men for every 100 women.

2023: Government purchased Campo Alegre property

In 2023, the Curaçao government purchased the Campo Alegre property after it was put up for auction, seeking to control its future use.

2024: Evaluating scenarios for Campo Alegre

As of 2024, the government is evaluating scenarios for the future use of the Campo Alegre property, aiming to ensure that the chosen path will benefit the local economy and social landscape.