Chronological Table of Zimbabwe

Pre 2000BC
During this period the country was inhabited by stone age people

2000BC-1000AD
Bantu  people migrate south from Central and East Africa to Southern Africa; around the same time the iron age in Zimbabwe begins

1200AD-1450AD
The rise and decline of Great Zimbabwe

1420AD-1450AD
Rise of the Munhumutapa Empire

1490AD
Rozvi leader Changa (later Changamire) breaks away from the Munhumutapa Empire

1510-1570AD

1511
Antonio Fernandez began the first of his journeys inland

1560
Arrival of Jesuit Priest Gonzalo da Silveria (the first Christian Missionary)

1561
Murder of Gonzalo da Silveria

1570
Francisco Barretto leads a punitive expedition inland from Sena 

1573
Munhumutapa signs; minerals rights treaty with the Portuguese

1628-1629
Portuguese reduce power of Munhumutapa Kaparidzo and replace him with  Munhumutapa Mavara

1719
Last Munhumutapa (Mioko) is deposed by the Portuguese

1831
Nguni invasions from South Africa begin with the arrival of Nguni leader Soshangana in southern area of Zimbabwe

1837-1838
Ndebele leader, Mzilikazi arrives in western Zimbabwe and establishes the Ndebele state

1853
Birth of Cecil John Rhodes, L S Jameson, Alfred Beit

1855
17 November 1855,  David Livingstone arrives and discovers the “Mosi oa Tunya”and renames them the Victoria Falls

1859
London Missionary Society (Inyathi mission) founded by Robert Moffat

1867
A. Render discovers the ruins at Great Zimbabwe

1868
Death of Mzilikazi and he is succeeded in 1870 by Lobengula

1870

• Lobengula installed as second and last king of Matebele nation
• Cecil John Rhodes emigrates from Great Britain to Natal in South Africa
• J.B  Thompson founds hope fountain mission

1871

• K.  Mauch sees the Great Zimbabwe ruins and publishes an account of them
• J.T Baines obtains a mineral concesssion from Lobengula

1888
Rudd and his associates obtain a concession (the Rudd Concession) from King Lobengula on behalf of Cecil John Rhodes, for the mineral rights to the territory

1889

• British South Africa Company formed to spearhead occupation of Mashonaland.
• Royal Charter granted to the British South Africa Company enabling it to exploit the Rudd Concession

1890

• Formation of the British South African Company’s ‘Pioneer Column’ of white settlers and police
• 28th June 1890, “Pioneer Column” leaves Machontsie through Botswana into Mashonaland
• 12th September 1890, “Pioneer Column” arrives at present site of Harare
• 13th September 1890, flag raising ceremony of the Union Jack
• Cecil John Rhodes becomes Prime Minister of Cape Colony

1891

• 9th May 1891, British protectorate declared over Bechuanaland (Botswana), Mashonaland and Matabeleland
• 11th June 1891, Anglo-Portuguese agreement and boundary convention signed
• Dr. Jameson succeeded Colquhoun as administrator of Mashonaland
• Mutare (Umtali) town re-sited

1892

• Telegraph to Fort Salisbury completed
• Railway line from Beira to Salisbury begun
• The Dominican sisters open the first school for Europeans in Salisbury

1893-1894

• The Moodie Trek reaches Chipinge
• Impi of the Ndebele warriors attacks Shona kraals near Fort Victoria
• 3rd October 1893, Matebele war authorised
• 24th October 1893, battle of Shangani river
• 1st November 1893,  battle of Mbembesi river
• 4th November 1893, occupation of Bulawayo
• A column under Major Forbes follows Lobengula
• Allan Wilson and his men killed  4th December 1893
• Death of King Lobengula

1895

• 29th December 1895, Jameson Raid
• The name ‘Rhodesia’ proclaimed by L. S  Jameson

1896

• Jameson surrenders at Doornkop
• Jameson and Cecil John Rhodes resign official positions
• March 1896, beginning of Matebele rebellion marking the (First Chimurenga)
• June 1896, break out of Mashona rebellion (first chimurenga)
• August 1896, Rhodes holds first indaba with rebel chiefs in Matopo
• Town of Umtali (Mutare) moved for the second time

1897

• Salisbury and Bulawayo created municipalities
• October 1897, Mashona rebellion ended
• November 1897, railway arrives in  Bulawayo from the south

1898

• Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi executed for their part in the First Chimurenga
• Country renamed Southern Rhodesia
• Railway line reaches Umtali (Mutare) from Beira in Mozambique

1899

• Legislative Council for Southern Rhodesia established
• Railway line reaches Salisbury from Beira, 22 May 1899
• 11th October 1899, marks the beginning of the Anglo Boer  War

1902

• 26 March 1902, death of Cecil John Rhodes
• 10th April 1902, burial of Cecil J. Rhodes in Matopos, Zimbabwe
• 31 May 1902, end of Anglo-Boer war
• Railway line from Bulawayo to Salisbury completed

1904
Railway line reaches Victoria Falls

1905
Victoria Falls bridge completed

1906
Death of Alfred Beit

1914
First World War breaks out

1917
Death of Jameson

1918
11th November 1918, end of the First World War

1920

• Cave Commission awards compensation to British South Africa Company for assets taken over by government
• Legislative council approves idea of responsible government

1922

• White settlers hold referendum not to join Union of South Africa
• Majority vote in referendum for responsible government

1923

• British South Africa Company rule terminated
• Southern Rhodesia annexed to Great Britain, 12 September 1923
• 1st October 1923, country attains responsible government

1924

• First elections to legislative assembly
• Sir Charles Coghlan becomes first Prime Minister
• Sir John Chancellor becomes the first Governor

1927

• Death of Sir Charles Coghlan
• Howard U Moffat succeeds Charles Coghlan as Prime Minister
• Formation of the first black trade union, the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union

1929
Opening of Beit Bridge named after Alfred Beit

1930
Land apportionment act passed, giving most land to whites and placing the majority blacks in reserves

1933

• Southern Rhodesia government purchases mineral rights to country from British South Africa Company
• July 1933, Howard Moffat resigns premiership and is succeeded by G. Mitchell
• 11 September 1933, general elections are held and Sir Godfrey Huggins becomes Prime Minister retaining post until 1953

1934

• Formation of Southern Rhodesia African National Congress.
• Formation of Southern Rhodesia United Party
• November 1934, general elections are held Sir Godfrey Huggins is elected Prime Minister
• Rhodesian government bans strikes

1935

• Salisbury becomes a city
• First state lottery draw
• Birchenough Bridge is officially opened

1939

• Otto Beit bridge at Chirundu opened, 24th May 1939 named after Otto Beit
• Second World War breaks out

1940

• Empire training school opened in Salisbury for the Royal Air Force
• Army camps established in several centers
• 4th November 1940, Bulawayo becomes a city

1944
Railway workers form Rhodesia Railways African Employees Association

1945

• End of war in Europe, 8th May 1945
• Japan surrenders, 15th August 1945
• End of Second World War

1946-1947

• Charles Mzingeli forms reformed Industrial and Commercial Workers Union
• Benjamin Burombo forms British African National Voice Association
• 25th April 1946, general elections are held and Godfrey Hugging wins Premiership
• Royal visit to Southern Rhodesia by King George VI and family, 7th April 1947
• Parliament agrees to purchase Rhodesian Railways, 30 April 1947

1948

• 15 September 1948, general elections held and Godfrey Huggins retains Premiership
• Black trade unions organise nationwide strikes

1951
Native Land Husbandry Act passed, by which black urban workers are not allowed to own property in the countryside

1952
White paper on the proposal of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is tabled in the legislative assembly, 18th June 1952

1953

• Referendum on the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland held, 9th April 1953  and the majority vote in favour
• Establishment of Federation of Rhodesian and Nyasaland
• July, Central African Rhodes Centenary Exhibition held in Bulawayo
• Sir Godfrey Huggins resigns as Southern Rhodesian Prime Minister

1954
General elections are held, Sir Garfield Todd becomes Prime Minister and Sir Roy Welensky becomes federal Prime Minister in 1956

1955
African National Youth League, founded, combines with Southern Rhodesia African National Congress (SRANC) to form African National Congress (ANC), with Joshua Nkomo as President and James Chikerema as party President

1956

• Salisbury international airport is officially opened
• Lord Malvern formerly Godfrey Huggins retires, 31 October 1956
• Sir Roy Welensky becomes Federal Prime Minister

1957

• Garfield Todd is ousted in a cabinet revolt
• Sir Edgar Whitehead replaces Garfield Todd after party congress

1958

• Sir Edgar Whitehead forms cabinet but is defeated in by-election by Dominion Party opponent
• United Rhodesia Party merged with Federal Party to form United Federation Party and   an election is called
• United Federation Party wins by narrow majority

1959
Riots and disturbances in Northern Rhodesian (Zambia) and Nyasaland (Malawi), led to troops and police being sent from Southern Rhodesia

1960

• Formation of National Democratic Party (NDP), led by Micheal Mawema
• Arrest of NDP leaders leads to ‘march of the 7000’ in Salisbury
• Moncton commission appointed
• 17th May 1960, Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) officially opens Kariba dam

1961

• 26 July 1961, referendum held to decide on new constitutional proposals the majority   vote in favour
• Victoria Falls constitutional conference resolves to set up   ‘a’mainly white and ‘b’ mainly black roll voting list
• NDP banned in Southern Rhodesia
• Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU) formed

1962

• General elections are held and the Rhodesian Front led by Winston Field wins the elections
• 27th April 1961, the United Federation Party (UFP) wins 54 of 59 seats in the Federal assembly
• December 1961, an official announcement that Nyasaland will secede from the Federation

1963

• Split in Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU) leads to the formation of Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU)
• Joshua Nkomo forms Peoples Caretaker Council (PCC)
• First recruits in ZANU’s military wing  Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) receive training in China
• 31 December 1963, Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland comes to an end
• March 1963, British government announces that any territory would have right to secede from the federation
• June 1963, Federal break up conference

1964

• April 1964, Winston Field resigns as Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia and Ian  Douglas Smith succeeds him as Premier
• 5th November 1964, referendum held on question of  Rhodesia independence, majority vote in favour
• ZANU and PCC banned and leaders detained

1965

• Rhodesian Front wins general election
• Talks on independence of Southern Rhodesia begin with visit of British Minister of State for Commonwealth Affairs, 21st July 1965 in Salisbury
• 8th October 1965, talks break down because independence based on 1961 constitution is not acceptable to Britain
• 26th October 1965, British Prime Minister Harold Wilson flies into Salisbury to discuss   the question of  Rhodesian independence
• 11th November 1965, Unilateral Declaration of Independence made by Ian Douglas Smith
• Sir Humphrey Gibbs remains as the Queens representative
• Britain imposes sanctions on Southern Rhodesia
• C W Dupont appointed officer administrating the government, 17th November 1965
• December 1965, United Nations organisations support British governments attempts to end rebellion in Rhodesia

1966

• Failure of constitutional discussions aboard HMS tiger between Smith and Harold  Wilson
• February 1966, constitution becomes law
• 29th April 1966, seven guerrilla fighters killed in battle of Chinhoyi
• December 1966, United Nations votes for selected mandatory sanctions

1967

• March 1967, constitution commission headed by W.P Whaley sworn in
• 14th June 1967, Lord Alport arrives to try break deadlock between Britain and Rhodesia
• 9th November 1967, British Commonwealth secretary holds meeting with Rhodesian Prime Minister
• Members of ZAPU military wing, Zimbabwe Peoples Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), and South African (ANC) move into Rhodesia

1968

• 10th April 1968, the Whaley commission report is published
• 29th May 1968, the United Nations approves comprehensive mandatory sanctions
• 13th September 1968, the appellate division of the high court of Rhodesia ruled that the  government was now a De Jure government
• 10th October 1968, Britain and Rhodesian prime ministers meet on HMS  Fearless for further talks
• 11th November, new Rhodesian flag is adopted

1969

• Referendum to discuss new constitution and if Rhodesia should become a republic the majority vote in favor
• 24th June 1969, Humphrey Gibbs resigns as governor of Rhodesia
• 29th November 1969, new constitution becomes law
• ZANLA, the military wing of ZANU forms dare re chimurenga
• Rhodesian Front government passes land tenure act upon which it builds a policy of segregation.
• ZANLA begins using Mozambique bases

1970

• 17th February, decimal currency introduced
• 2nd  March 1970, Rhodesia becomes a Republic
• 16th April 1970, Clifford  W. Dupont becomes the first president of Rhodesia
• 10th April 1970, general elections are held and Rhodesian  Front is victorious Ian Smith becomes Prime Minister
• 28th May 1970, first Republican parliament opened by resident

1971

• 9th May 1971, death of Lord Malvern formerly Godfrey Huggins
• 30th June 1971, Lord Goodman a British special envoy arrives in Salisbury for talks with Rhodesian forces
• 18th September 1971, Anglo- Rhodesian settlement talks begin
• 15th November 1971, Sir Alec Douglas-Home the British foreign secretary arrives in  Salisbury to discuss settlement proposals
• 24th November 1971, the Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Smith and Sir Alec Home sign an agreement setting out proposals for a settlement

1972

• African National Council, formed to oppose Smith-Douglas Home proposals
• 11th January 1972, a commission headed by Lord Pearce arrive in Rhodesia to carry out  a vote of acceptability in terms of the settlement proposals
• 11th March 1972, the Pearce Commission leaves Rhodesia after recording a massive ‘no ‘ vote
• ZANLA forces intensify liberation struggle
• Rhodesia closes border with Zambia
• 6th June 1972, Wankie Colliery disaster; 427 men die
• Metrican adopted in place of imperial system in weights and measures

• Portuguese government was overthrown and Mozambique attains independence, led by Samora D Machel
• Rhodesian Front forms the Mozambique national resistance
• Herbert Chitepo assassinated in Lusaka

1976

• Mozambique closes border with Rhodesia
• South African Prime Minister,  John Vorster, and American Secretary of State,  Henry  Kissinger persuade Ian Smith to accept the principle of majority rule, leading to constitutional conference in Geneva,  Switzerland
• Rhodesian forces attack Nyadzona in Mozambique killing over 1000 Zimbabweans

1977

• Rhodesians forces attack Chimoio camp in Mozambique
• Robert Gabriel  Mugabe elected President of Zanu.

1979

• Abel Muzorewa becomes the Prime Minister of Zimbabwe Rhodesia
• September 1979-December 1979,  Lancaster House talks in London between the British government, the Patriotic Front (Zanu and Zapu) and Muzorewa’s delegation result in peace agreements
• Lord Soames becomes Governor

1980

• ZANU PF led by Robert Mugabe wins election,  February 1980
• Zimbabwe becomes independent on 18 April 1980, with Robert Mugabe as Prime  Minister and Canaan Banana as President
• Zimbabwe joins the Southern African Development Community (SADC)

1982
Arrest of (PF) ZAPU personnel and removal of (PF) ZAPU members of cabinet following the discovery of arms caches

1985-86

• ZANU PF wins general elections
• Robert Mugabe is elected chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement
• Samora Machel dies in an aeroplane crash
• 1987-88
• South African destabilisation increases
• Amendments to Lancaster house constitution, removing white seats
• Robert Mugabe becomes executive President of Zimbabwe, Simon Vengesai Muzenda the Vice President
• 22 December 1987 the Unity Accord merging ZANU and ZAPU into one party is signed, with Joshua Nkomo being appointed a senior government minister and later Vice President of the country