Dominican Republic timeline

Christopher Columbus Arrives at, and Names, Island of Hispaniola

The recorded history of Haiti began on December 5, 1492 when the European navigator Christopher Columbus happened upon a large island in the region... Read more

Founding of Santo Domingo, First European Settlement in Western Hemisphere

Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Taíno people populated the island they called Quisqueya (mother of all lands) and Ayiti... Read more

Jean-Pierre Boyer Invades Dominican Republic and Succeeds in Uniting Island of Hispaniola

After promising protection to several Dominican frontier governors and securing their allegiance, Boyer invaded the Dominican Republic with a force... Read more

Trinitarios Declare the Independence of the Dominican Republic from Haiti

In 1838 Juan Pablo Duarte founded a secret society called La Trinitaria, which sought the complete independence of Santo Domingo without any... Read more

Douglass is Appointed Chargé d'Affaires, Santo Domingo

One of the most controversial positions Frederick Douglass took in his later career was to support the annexation of Santo Domingo (today’s... Read more

1916 United States Occupation of the Dominican Republic

The United States occupied the Dominican Republic from 1916-1924. In May 1917, Rear Admiral William B. Caperton forced the Republic's Secretary... Read more

The Dominican Republic Achieves Independence From Spain

The Dominican Republic achieved independence from Spain in 1844. American occupation of the island nation began in 1916, following years of... Read more

Birgenair Flight 301 Crashes into Carribean after Autopilot Failure

Birgenair Flight 301 was a Puerto Plata-Gander-Berlin-Frankfurt flight chartered by Turkish-managed Birgenair partner Alas Nacionales ("National... Read more

260 Die in Belle Harbor Plane Crash

It's clear that the plane did come down very much in a straight level, which was horrible for that particular site, but minimized what could have... Read more

Tropical Storm Fay

Tropical Storm Fay was a tropical storm and the sixth named storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. Fay formed from a vigorous tropical wave... Read more

Hurricane Gustav

Hurricane Gustav was the second most destructive hurricane of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm was the seventh tropical cyclone, third... Read more

Hurricane Hanna (2008)

Hurricane Hanna was the deadliest storm of the 2008 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm was the eighth tropical cyclone and fourth hurricane of... Read more