1521 Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Mactan.
1565 Spain 'colonizes' the Philippines.
1580 Spanish military and political control are consolidated in lowland areas except for Mindanao, the Sulu Archipelago and Palawan.
1605 Most Filipinos became Catholics before this date.
1762-74 The British occupy Manila. Until this time, the Spanish had been able to impose relative isolation on the Philippines.
1814 Manila is opened to foreign trade.
1869 The Suez Canal is opened, making trade between Europe and the Philippines easier.
1872 The Cavite Rebellion. Hoping to quickly put down an organized revolt, the Spaniards conducted secret trials and excution, but his further angered the people.
1896 Under the leadership of Filipino General Emilio Aguinaldo, major fighting begins against the Spanish.
1897 The Pact of Biak-na-bato temporarily suspends fighting between the Filipinos and Spaniards.
1898 American ships arrive in Manila Bay and with minimal exchange of fire, the Spanish are defeated.
June 12: Aguinaldo, along with other Filipino leaders sign the Declaration of Independence
December 12: U.S. and Spanish negotiators sign the Treaty of Paris, officially ending the Spanish-American War and ceding the Philippines to the U.S. for $20 million.
1899 January 23: Aguinaldo and his associates formally proclaim the establishment of the First Philippine Republic at Malolos.
February 4: Fighting breaks out between U.S. and Filipino forces. The Philippine-American War took about three and a half years, the overall conflict nearly 10 years. Estimate of Filipino lives lost range from 400,000 to 600,000, and American lives lost were approximately 10,000.
February 6: U.S. Senate votes to annex the Philippines
March: Protestant missionaries beging arriving on the scene.
1901 March 23: General Aguinaldo captured.
Subic Bay designated the principal U.S. Naval Station in the Philippines. The Sedition Law passed by the Americans imposing the death penalty or a long prison sentence on anyone advocating Philippine independence.
The transport ship Thomas sails from San Francisco with 600 American public school teachers bound for the Philippines.
1902 Ft. Stotsenberg, later Clark Air Base, is established as a cavalry outpost.
La Iglesia Filipino Independiente, (The Philippine Independent Church) is formally organized in many towns taking possession of the Roman Catholic church buildings.
1906 U.S. Supreme Court declares that property taken from Roman Catholic churches be returned.
1907 Local government assemblies formed composed largely of those owning property.
1916 The Jones Law enacted expressing U.S. intention to grant complete independence 'as soon as conditions are appropriate'.
1934 After considerable Filipino lobbying in Washington, the Tydings-McDuffie Act is passed to provide for a ten-year period of "Commonwealth" status (beginning 1935) to lead to complete independence.
1941 December 7: The Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and Clark Air Base
1944 October 20: U.S. forces return to the Philippine island of Leyte
October 23: The Philippine Commonwealth is reestablished.
1946 July 4: the Philippines is given its political independence by the U.S.
1947 The Military Bases agreement is signed with the U.S.
1962 June 12 is declared the new Philippine Independence Day.
1970 January through March: Massive student demonstrations in Manila against Marcos and the U.S. Government.
1972 September 21: Marcos declares martial law.
1981 January 17: Marcos 'lifts' martial law but retains most ofhis martial law powers.
1983 August 22: Former Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr. is assassinated at Manila airport while returning from exile in the U.S.
1986 February 7: 'Snap' elections are held between Marcos and Corazon Aquino, with gross fraud and both sides claiming victory.
February 22: Marcos defense minister and deputy chief of staff defect and barricade themselves. Massive numbers of Filipinos gather aroundt hem to make possible a near-bloodless transfer of power.
February 25: Marcos flies to Clark Air Base and then to Hawaii and Corazon Aquino takes over the presidency.
1987 A new Constitution is passed by plebiscite.
1991 Mt. Pinatubo erupts. Clark Air Base is abandoned because of extensive damage.
1991 Philippine senate boots the Subic Naval base out of the Philippines.
1992 Subic Naval base is closed.

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