History of The Bahamas in Timeline

The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is an island country in the Lucayan Archipelago, situated in the Atlantic Ocean, north of Cuba and northwest of Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands. It lies southeast of Florida and east of the Florida Keys. Nassau, located on New Providence Island, is its capital and largest city. The Bahamas consists of over 3,000 islands, cays, and islets and its territory encompasses 470,000 km2 of ocean space.

1936: Bahamas Cricket Association Formation

The Bahamas Cricket Association was formed in 1936.

August 1940: Duke of Windsor Appointed Governor

In August 1940, the Duke of Windsor (formerly King Edward VIII) was appointed Governor of the Bahamas and arrived in the colony with his wife, Wallis, Duchess of Windsor.

October 1940: Opening of Parliament

On 29 October 1940, the Duke of Windsor opened the small local parliament in the Bahamas.

June 1942: Civil Unrest Over Low Wages

In June 1942, Nassau experienced a "full-scale riot" due to civil unrest over low wages, which the Duke of Windsor attributed to "mischief makers – communists" and "men of Central European Jewish descent".

March 1945: Duke of Windsor Resignation

On 16 March 1945, the Duke of Windsor resigned from his post as Governor of the Bahamas.

1952: First Olympic Games Participation

The Bahamas first participated at the Olympic Games in 1952.

1958: Establishment of Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park

In 1958, the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park was established as the first marine protected area in the Bahamas.

1960: Temperature Increases Due to Climate Change

Since 1960, climate change has caused the average temperature in the Bahamas to increase by approximately 0.5 °C, with a more rapid rate of warming in warmer seasons.

January 1964: New Constitution Goes Into Effect

On 7 January 1964, a new constitution granting the Bahamas internal autonomy went into effect, with Chief Minister Sir Roland Symonette becoming the first premier.

1967: Lynden Pindling Becomes Premier

In 1967, Sir Lynden Pindling became the first black premier of the Bahamian colony.

1968: Title Change and Pursuit of Independence

In 1968, the title of premier was changed to prime minister, and Lynden Pindling announced that the Bahamas would seek full independence. A new constitution giving the Bahamas increased control over its own affairs was also adopted in 1968.

1971: Formation of the Free National Movement

In 1971, the UBP merged with a disaffected faction of the PLP to form the Free National Movement (FNM).

1971: Deepest Economic Crash

The economy struggled to recover from its deepest crash since at least 1971.

June 1973: Independence Order in Council

On 20 June 1973, Her Majesty's Government gave the Bahamas its independence by an Order in Council.

July 1973: Bahamas Achieves Independence

On 10 July 1973, the Bahamas achieved independence, with Charles, Prince of Wales, delivering the official documents to Prime Minister Pindling. The country joined the Commonwealth of Nations on the same day. July 10 is now celebrated as Independence Day.

August 1973: Joins the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank

Shortly after independence, on 22 August 1973, The Bahamas joined the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

September 1973: Joins the United Nations

On 18 September 1973, The Bahamas joined the United Nations.

1973: Independence from the United Kingdom

In 1973, The Bahamas became an independent Commonwealth realm, separating from the United Kingdom, with Lynden Pindling as its first prime minister.

1973: Adoption of the Bahamian Flag

The Bahamian flag was adopted in 1973, with its colours and design symbolizing the strength of the Bahamian people, the natural environment, and economic and social development.

January 1977: Snowfall in Freeport

On 19 January 1977, snow mixed with rain was visible in the air for a short time in Freeport, marking the only recorded report of snow in the Bahamas.

March 1980: Establishment of the RBDF

On 31 March 1980, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) came into existence.

1980: American-led Boycott of Summer Olympics

The Bahamas participated in the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics.

1985: European Descent

In 1985, half of the population in the Abaco Islands was of European descent.

1986: Alternative theory on Columbus' landfall

In 1986, National Geographic writer Joseph Judge proposed an alternative theory, based on Columbus' log, suggesting Columbus landed on Samana Cay instead of San Salvador Island.

1990: Forest Cover Unchanged

In 2020, forest cover in The Bahamas remained unchanged from 1990.

1991: Publication of Ziegler's Biography

In 1991, Philip Ziegler's biography described the Duke of Windsor as contemptuous of Bahamians and other non-European peoples of the Empire.

1992: Ingraham Unseats Pindling

In 1992, Hubert Ingraham of the FNM unseated Lynden Pindling.

1992: Hurricane Andrew Impact

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew passed over the northern portions of the islands of the Bahamas.

1996: Local Government Act Passed

In 1996, the Bahamian Parliament passed the "Local Government Act" to facilitate the establishment of family island administrators, local government districts, local district councillors and local town committees.

1997: Ingraham Wins Election

In 1997, Hubert Ingraham of the FNM won the Bahamian general election.

1999: Hurricane Floyd near Bahamas

In 1999, Hurricane Floyd passed near the eastern portions of the islands in the Bahamas.

2002: PLP Returns to Power

In 2002, the PLP returned to power under Perry Christie.

2004: Commemoration of slave escape to Bahamas

In 2004, a large sign was placed at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park to commemorate the mass flight of North American slaves and African Seminoles who escaped to the Bahamas in the 1820s.

2007: Ingraham Returns to Power

In 2007, Hubert Ingraham returned to power.

2010: Race Question on Census Questionnaire

According to the 2010 census, 90.6% of the population identified as Black, 4.7% as White, and 2.1% as Mixed (African and European).

2010: Population Growth Rate

In 2010, The Bahamas had a population growth rate of 0.925 per cent, a birth rate of 17.81/1,000, a death rate of 9.35/1,000, and a net migration rate of −2.13 migrant(s)/1,000.

2010: Tax Revenue

In 2010, overall tax revenue in The Bahamas as a percentage of GDP was 17.2 per cent.

2011: Literacy Rate

According to estimates from 2011, 95 per cent of the Bahamian adult population are literate.

2012: Christie Returns to Power

In 2012, Perry Christie returned to power.

2012: Tourism Numbers

In 2012, The Bahamas attracted 5.8 million visitors, more than 70 per cent of whom were cruise visitors.

2013: Tottenham Hotspur Exhibition Match

In 2013, Tottenham Hotspur became the first Premier League club to play an exhibition match in The Bahamas, facing the Jamaica men's national team.

2014: Deportation of Illegal Haitian Immigrants

In late 2014, the Bahamian government began deporting illegal Haitian immigrants due to high immigration rates.

2015: Forest Ownership

For the year 2015, 80 per cent of the forest area was reported to be under public ownership, 20 per cent private ownership and 0 per cent with ownership listed as other or unknown.

November 2016: Charter of the University of The Bahamas

The University of The Bahamas was chartered on November 10, 2016.

2016: Biocapacity Reserve

In 2016, The Bahamas had a much higher access to biocapacity per person (9.2 global hectares) compared to the world average (1.6 global hectares). The Bahamas used less biocapacity than it contained, resulting in a biocapacity reserve in 2016.

2017: FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup

In 2017, The Bahamas hosted the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, marking the first men's senior FIFA tournament in the Caribbean.

2017: FNM Elected with Minnis as Prime Minister

In 2017, with economic growth faltering, Bahamians re-elected the FNM, with Hubert Minnis becoming the fourth prime minister.

2018: Bahamas Population Census

In 2018, the Bahamas population was recorded as 407,906. The census data indicated that 25.9% were 14 or under, 67.2% were between 15 and 64, and 6.9% were over 65.

September 2019: Hurricane Dorian Devastates the Bahamas

In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian struck the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama at Category 5 intensity, causing at least US$7 billion in damages and over 50 deaths, with 1,300 people missing.

2019: Offshore Financial Services Contribution

As recently as 2019 the offshore financial services sector contributed an estimated 20 per cent to the Bahamian economy.

2019: Hurricane Dorian Category 5

In 2019, Hurricane Dorian passed over the archipelago at destructive Category 5 strength, becoming the strongest tropical cyclone on record to impact the northwestern islands of Grand Bahama and Great Abaco.

2019: Forest Landscape Integrity Index

In 2019, The Bahamas had a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 7.35/10, ranking it 44th globally out of 172 countries.

March 2020: COVID-19 Pandemic Reaches The Bahamas

On 15 March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic reached The Bahamas.

2020: Forest Cover

In 2020, forest cover in The Bahamas was around 51 per cent of the total land area, equivalent to 509,860 hectares.

September 2021: Phillip Davis Becomes Prime Minister

On 17 September 2021, Phillip Davis was sworn in as the new prime minister of The Bahamas, succeeding Hubert Minnis, after the PLP won the 2021 general election.

2022: Latest Population Estimate

As of 2022, the latest official population estimate for The Bahamas was 400,516.

2023: Tourism Decline and Economic Diversification

A 2023 study found that The Bahamas experienced one of the biggest drops in tourism in the region during the COVID-19 pandemic, which pushed leaders to explore ways to build a stronger and more diverse economy.