By Tim Lambert
800 AD A people called the Arawaks lived in Jamaica. They were stone-age farmers.
1494 Christopher Columbus lands in Jamaica
1510 The first Spanish settlers arrive in Jamaica
1517 African slaves are imported into Jamaica
1534 The Spanish move to Villa de la Vega
1655 The English invade Jamaica
1660 Spanish resistance is crushed at the battle of Rio Bueno
1670 Spain formally cedes Jamaica to England
1692 An earthquake devastates Port Royal
1750 Sugar plantations in Jamaica are worked by African slaves
1831 Sam Sharpe leads a slave rebellion
1834 Slavery is abolished in Jamaica
1865 Paul Boge leads a rebellion
1866 Jamaica is made a crown colony
1872 Kingston is made the capital of Jamaica
1938 During the Depression a battle takes place between workers and police at the West Indies Sugar Company in Frome
1944 All Jamaicans are given the vote and a new constitution is introduced
1962 Jamaica becomes independent
1972 Michael Manley wins the election and introduces Socialism. The result is a flight of capital from Jamaica.
1980 Manley loses an election
1992 Percival James Patterson becomes the first black Prime Minister of Jamaica
2009 Jamaica suffers from a recession
2016 The economy is growing again
