| 1503 |
Christopher Columbus noticed when
he first arrived that the islands were surrounded by turtles, thus
he named them “Las Tortugas.” By 1530, the name “Caymanas”
was used, derived from the Caribe word for crocodile because crocodiles
now inhabited the island. The pronunciation over the years has changed
to our current name “Cayman.” |
| 1670 |
England reigned sovereign over the Cayman Islands
and Jamaica, which were formerly under Spanish rule. |
| 1700 |
A few families started to call the islands their
permanent home. Some names you will recognize today. |
| 1773 |
The Royal Navy surveyed the first map of the islands.
The population was about 400 residents, half slaves and half free. |
| 1790 |
Fort George was constructed to defend our shores
from attack. |
| 1794 |
Many ships ran aground at East End. The tale of
this event is known as “The Wreck of The Ten Sail.” |
| 1830 |
The first missionaries arrived and began construction
on a church in George Town. |
| 1831 |
Elections were held and the first legislation
was passed. The population was about 2,000. |
| 1835 |
The Emancipation Act of 1833 declared all slaves
to be freed and therefore they were released in accordance with such
law. |
| 1920 |
Schools in all districts were mandatory by law. |
| 1937 |
The beginning of tourism as the first cruise ship,
The Atlantis, visits the islands. |
| 1939 |
To 1945 The Caymanians formed a “Home Guard”
during WWII. |
| 1943 |
The USA set up a Navy Coast Guard patrol base. |
| 1950 |
Hotel construction started on Seven Mile Beach. |
| 1953 |
The first airstrip opened in Grand Cayman. |
| 1959 |
The first written constitution granted women the
vote. |
| 1962 |
The Cayman Islands choose to remain a British
Crown colony. |
| 1966 |
Major banking legislation introduced. |
| 1972 |
A new constitution is adopted for Grand Cayman. |
