Events in Bahamas History
Columbus Lands in the Caribbean
1492-10-12 Christopher Columbus's expedition makes landfall on a Caribbean island he names San Salvador (likely Watling Island, Bahamas). The explorer believes he has reached East Asia (OS 21 Oct)
- 1776-03-03 American commodore Esek Hopkins occupies Nassau, Bahamas
- 1879-01-09 Kirland Warbler discovered on Andros Island in Bahamas
- 1954-10-05 Hurricane Hazel forms in the Caribbean, killing 400-1000 people in the Bahamas and Haiti
Gangster Lansky Flees
1959-01-07 American gangster Meyer Lansky flees Cuba for the Bahamas due to the Cuban Revolution and rise of Fidel Castro
- 1964-01-07 Bahamas becomes self-governing
- 1965-02-24 Beatles begin filming "Help" in Bahamas
- 1965-11-13 "Yarmouth Castle" burns and sinks off Bahamas, killing 89
- 1967-01-16 1st black government installed in Bahamas led by Lynden Pindling as leader of the Progressive Liberal Party
- 1968-10-14 Gruener & Watson (US) set scuba depth record (133 m) in Bahamas
- 1973-07-10 Bahamas declares Independence from the United Kingdom and adopts constitution
- 1977-01-19 Snow falls in Miami, Florida. This is the only time in the history of the city that snowfall has occurred. It also fell in the Bahamas.
- 2001-08-25 Singer Aaliyah and 8 others killed in an air crash in the Bahamas
- 2012-10-26 Hurricane Sandy makes landfall in the Bahamas killing 2 people and causing over $300 million in damage
- 2014-02-07 German treasurer Helmut Linssen resigns amid a scandal involving offshore banking accounts in the Bahamas and Panama
- 2015-10-01 Cargo ship El Faro goes missing with 33 crew during Hurricane Joaquin near the Bahamas
- 2016-08-15 Shaunae Miller of the Bahamas dives at the line to win the women's 400m gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics; beats American 6-time Olympic gold medallist Allyson Felix by 0.07
- 2019-09-01 Hurricane Dorian makes landfall on Elbow Cay in the Abaco islands, northern Bahamas as a category five storm with winds of 180mph (285km/h)
Famous People from Bahamas
- 1874-11-12 Bert Williams, African American comedian and entertainer, born in Nassau, Bahamas (d. 1922)
- 1916-03-29 John Paul, British colonial administrator, Governor-General (Bahamas), born in Weymouth, Dorset (d. 2004)
- 1917-05-28 Gerald Cash, Governor-General of the Bahamas, born in Nassau, Bahamas (d. 2003)
- 1917-11-02 Durward Knowles, Bahamas yachtsman (Olympic gold, Star class 1968), born in Nassau, Bahamas (d. 2018)
- 1920-11-08 Esther Rolle, Bahamian-American actress (Good Times, Maude), born in Pompano Beach Florida (d. 1998)
Sidney Poitier (1927-2022)
1927-02-20 Bahamian-American actor, first black actor to win Oscar for Best Actor ("Lillies in the Field"; "To Sir With Love"; "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"), director (Stir Crazy), civil rights advocate, and diplomat, born in Miami, Florida [1]
- 1929-08-28 Roxie Roker, Bahamian-American actress (The Jeffersons- Helen Willis), born in Miami, Florida (d. 1995)
- 1930-03-22 Lynden Pindling, Bahamas 'Father of the Nation' Prime Minister of Bahamas (1967-92), born in Nassau, Bahamas (d. 2000)
- 1934-10-18 Calvin Lockhart, Bahamian actor (d. 2007)
- 1944-08-21 Perry Christie, 3rd Prime Minister of the Bahamas, born in Nassau, Bahamas
- 1948-07-04 Ed Armbrister, Bahamian baseball player (Cincinnati Reds), born in Nassau, Bahamas
- 1949-08-22 Diana Nyad, American journalist and long-distance swimmer (1st to swim Bahamas to Fla-1979), born in New York City
- 1953-09-18 Betsy Boze, American academic (9th president of The College of The Bahamas), born in Shreveport, Louisiana
- 1964-01-19 Janine Antoni, Bahamian artist, born in Freeport, Bahamas
- 1964-11-23 Frank Rutherford, Bahamian athlete
- 1968-04-03 Sebastian Bach [Bierk], Canadian heavy metal singer (Skid Row - "I Remember You"; "Psycho Love"), born in Freeport, Bahamas
- 1974-02-08 Kimbo Slice [Kevin Ferguson], American mixed martial artist, born in the Bahamas (d. 2016)
- 1984-07-01 Donald Thomas, Bahamian high jumper (World Championship gold 2007), born in Freeport, Bahamas
- 1998-07-23 Deandre Ayton, Bahamian basketball center (2018 NBA Draft: #1 pick Phoenix Suns), born in Nassau, Bahamas
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