Tobago History Timeline and Historical Dates
Historical timeline of events for the island of Tobago from the 1400’s to the present day.
Tobago History Timeline
1498
Columbus sighted the island and called it ‘Bella Forma’
1592
Spanish settle in Trinidad and remain for two centuries.
1797
Trinidad is occupied by Britain on the 18 February 1797
1802
Spain formally cedes Trinidad to Britain; Trinidad becomes a British colony.
1808
The Great fire in Port of Spain.
1838
The emancipation of slaves is complete in Trinidad and all the slaves are freed.
1845
Indian indentured immigration begins and lasts until 1917
1869
Oil resources and the first well are established in south Trinidad in 1869
1888
Trinidad is unified with Tobago to form a single colony.
1958
Becomes part of the Federation of the West Indies (3 Jan 1958 – 31 May 1962)
1956
Trinidad and Tobago achieves self-government.
1962
Independence from Britain (Trinidad and Tobago) on the 31 Aug 1962
1976
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago 1 Mar 1976
Read more on the history of Tobago
Capital: Scarborough
Tobago National Anthem: “Forged from the love of Liberty”.
Tobago National Motto Together We Aspire, Together We Achieve
Prime ministers of Trinidad and Tobago
Eric Eustace Williams – Dec 1961 – 29 Mar 1981
George Michael Chambers – 30 Mar 1981 – 18 Dec 1986
Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson- 18 Dec 1986 – 17 Dec 1991
Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning 17 Dec 1991 – 9 Nov 1995
Basdeo Panday (1st time) 9 Nov 1995 – 24 Dec 2001
Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning (2nd time) 24 Dec 2001 – 2010
Kamla Persad-Bissessar 26 May 2010 – 9 September 2015
Keith Rowley 9 September 2015 –
More Timelines
Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, Tobago, Trinidad, St Lucia, Grenada