Bermuda's History

We won’t bore you with a long rambling narration of the island’s past (after all you are going on vacation). Instead we’ll just list some of the key events in Bermuda’s history:

Date	Event
1503	Spanish captain Juan de Bermudez sights the uninhabited island. It's eventually named after him.
1609	A fleet of 9 ships owned by the Virginia Company of London set sail from Plymouth, England with fresh supplies and additional colonists for the new British settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. The fleet is commanded by Admiral Sir George Somers onboard the flagship, the Sea Venture. During a vicious storm the Sea Venture strays from the fleet and flounders on Bermuda’s reefs. Somers manages to land all 150 crew and colonists onshore without the loss of a single life.
1610	Somers and his crew manage to construct not one but two new ships; the Deliverance and Patience. The 2 ships set sail for Virginia leaving behind a couple of men to stake a claim to the island. On arrival in Jamestown they find the colony decimated by starvation, illness and attacks by Indians. The supplies they bring from Bermuda save the colonists. Somers returns to Bermuda on the Patience to collect new supplies. Unfortunately, he falls ill and dies on his second visit to the island.
1612	The Virginia Company sends a party of 60 settlers to Bermuda under the command of Governor Thomas Moore and lays claim to the island and begins construction of the capital, St George. The Virginia Company sells the island to the Bermuda Company.
1616	Slaves are brought to Bermuda.
1620	The first Bermuda Parliament convenes in St Peter’s Church.
1684	The British Government takes control from the Bermuda Company and the island becomes a British Colony.
1775	The American War of Independence begins and the Continental Congress places an embargo on trade with Britain and its loyal colonies. Bermuda, dependent on America for its food, receives an offer of exemption on condition that gunpowder stored at St George is shipped to America. A group of Bermudians ‘steal’ the gunpowder from under the Governor’s nose and ship it to the American rebels. The embargo is lifted and Bermuda receives its food supplies.
1804	Irish poet Thomas Moore visits Bermuda, staying at Aunt Nea’s Inn.
1815	Bermuda’s capital moves from St George to Hamilton.
1834	Slavery is abolished.
1844	Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, the oldest cast iron lighthouse in the world, is constructed.
1861	US Civil War begins and Bermudians make their fortune ferrying supplies and munitions to the Confederates.
1883	Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria, comes to Bermuda. Her visit helps to promote the island as a tourist destination.
1885	The Fairmont Hamilton Princess hotel opens.
1941	The United States lease a large part of the island for 99 years and begin construction of military installations.
1959	Blacks boycott movie theatres; forcing the owners to end segregation.
1963	The Progressive Labour Party, Bermuda’s first political party, is formed out of the black labour movement.
1964	United Bermuda Party is formed to represent whites and businesses.
1968	First election under a new constitution giving universal adult suffrage is held. The United Bermuda Party wins.
1971	Sir Edward Trenton Richards of the United Bermuda Party becomes Bermuda’s first black Premier.
1973	Governor Richard Sharples and his aide are assassinated. His body lies in St Peter’s Church.
1977	Buck Burrows is convicted for the Governor’s murder and is hanged, sparking widespread riots.
1995	US Navy and British Royal Navy close their bases in Bermuda.
1998	The Progressive Labour Party wins its first general election.
2000	Town of St George added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List.