Caribbean and the Atlantic / Caribbean / Virgin Islands / In Depth in Virgin Islands

Dateline in Virgin Islands

  • 1493 Columbus sails by the Virgin Islands, lands on St. Croix, and is attacked by Carib Indians.
  • 1625 Dutch and English establish frontier outposts on St. Croix.
  • 1650 Spanish forces from Puerto Rico overrun English garrison on St. Croix.
  • 1653 St. Croix taken over by the Knights of Malta.
  • 1671 Danes begin settlement of St. Thomas.
  • 1672 England adds British Virgin Islands to its empire.
  • 1674 King Louis XIV of France makes St. Croix part of his empire.
  • 1717 Danish planters from St. Thomas cultivate plantations on St. John.
  • 1724 St. Thomas is declared a free port.
  • 1733 Danish West India Company purchases St. Croix from France; slaves revolt on St. John.
  • 1792 Denmark announces plans to abandon the slave trade.
  • 1807-15 England occupies Danish Virgin Islands.
  • 1820s Sugar plantations on the Virgin Islands begin to see a loss in profits.
  • 1834 England frees 5,133 slaves living in British Virgin Islands.
  • 1848 Under pressure, the governor of St. Croix grants slaves emancipation.
  • 1867 First attempt by the United States to purchase the Virgin Islands from the Danish.
  • 1872 British Virgin Islands put under administration of the Federation of the Leeward Islands.
  • 1916 Denmark signs treaty with the U.S. and sells islands for $25 million.
  • 1917 Virgin Islands fall under the control of the U.S. Navy for 14 years.
  • 1927 United States grants citizenship to island residents.
  • 1936 Under Franklin Roosevelt, the first Organic Act is passed, granting voting rights to U.S. Virgin Islanders.
  • 1940 Population of U.S. Virgin Islands increases for the first time since 1860 because of its use as a port during World War II.
  • 1946 First black governor of the U.S.V.I., William Hastie, is appointed.
  • 1954 Revised Organic Act passed; the U.S.V.I. fall under jurisdiction of Department of the Interior.
  • 1956 British Virgins released from the Federation of the Leeward Islands.
  • 1966 Queen Elizabeth II visits the British Virgin Islands.
  • 1967 B.V.I. get a new constitution.
  • 1980s U.S.V.I. see major development and construction, putting natural resources at risk.
  • 1989 Hurricane Hugo rips through the islands, hitting St. Croix especially hard.
  • 1995 Hurricane Marilyn causes millions of dollars of damage and leaves thousands homeless.
  • 1996 Water Island, off the coast of St. Thomas, is officially declared the fourth U.S. Virgin Island; U.S. Senate grants permission for two casino hotels to be built on St. Croix.
  • 2000 St. Croix becomes the first "casino island" in the Virgin Islands.
  • 2005 Plans stall for grand development of St. Thomas.
  • 2008 B.V.I. become one of the world's leading offshore financial centers.
  • 2009 Islands experience drop-off in tourism as U.S. economy goes into recession.
  • 2010 U.S.V.I. officials tackle environmental problems.