1493. The Caribs and Arawaks inhabited the island when Christopher Columbus claimed it for Spain and named it Santa Maria de Montserrat.
1632. The island fell under British control and the first colony was established by Irish Catholics forcibly moved there from St. Kitts.
1660s. African slaves were brought in.
Late 1770s. Thanks to the labor of African and Irish slaves, the colony developed, with an economy based on sugar, rum, arrowroot and cotton.
1782. Montserrat was captured by the French during the American Revolutionary War, but returned to Britain under the Treaty of Paris in 1783.
1834. Slavery was abolished, leading to the decline of the sugar industry.
1869. British philanthropist Joseph Sturge and family established the Montserrat Company Limited; planted lime trees; started commercial production of lime juice; allowed natives to buy and own much of the island.
1871 to 1956. Montserrat became part of the Leeward Islands Colony of Great Britain.
1956. The island became a colony in its own right.
1958 to 1962. Montserrat joined the West Indies Federation, but returned to dependency on Britain when the Federation ceased to exist.
1979. The Beatles producer George Martin opened AIR Studios. World-famous musicians recorded there and enjoyed the island’s tropical beauty.
1989. Hurricane Hugo wrought havoc on Montserrat and the studio closed.
1995. The Soufriere Hills Volcano awoke, and is still considered active.
