1493
Columbus came to Montserrat on 11th November and named it after Santa Maria de Montserrate, after the Mountain Abbey outside Barcelona in Spain that it reminded him of.


1632-1634
Irish Catholics from St Kitts colonised the island.


1838
Emancipation of slaves.


1885
Montserrat’s Lime exports peaked.


1941
Montserrat’s cotton production boomed.


1956
LIAT started flights into Montserrat.


1960
William H. Bramble became the first Chief Minister of Montserrat.


1978
The American University of the Caribbean (AUC) School of Medicine chartered in Montserrat and became a leading contributor to the economy.


1979
Former Beatles producer Sir George Martin opened Air Studios Montserrat, which hosted a number of international recording artistes including Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Eric Clapton.


1982
Montserrat-born, Alphonsus ‘Arrow’ Cassell released his first Pan-Caribbean hit called ‘Hot Hot Hot’ which became the biggest soca hit of all time.


1989
Hurricane Hugo devastated the island.


1995
The Soufrière Hills Volcano started phreatic eruptions which blanketed Plymouth in a thick ash cloud.


1997
Pyroclastic flows destroyed most of Plymouth, Dagenham, Glendon Hospital and the terminal building at W. H. Bramble Airport.


2005
The John A. Osborne Airport opened at Gerald's.


2008
Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, visited Montserrat.


2009
Locally-based airline, FlyMontserrat commenced scheduled flights from Montserrat to Antigua. Permanent fast ferry services resume.