2015 Event Pope Francis ends his visit to Cuba by blessing Santiago de Cuba, then flies to the U.S., where he is greeted by the Obama and Biden families; the pontiff will likely speak on migration and the environment during his stay 2015 Event Cuban President Raul Castro meets with Pope Francis at the Vatican as a gesture of gratitude for the pontiff's role in facilitating renewed diplomatic ties between Cuba the U.S.; Pope Francis will visit both countries in September 2015 Event New U.S. rules loosening trade restrictions with Cuba go into effect today, including permission to sell instruments, tools, equipment and supplies to private businesses; U.S. banks will also be given greater freedom to transact with Cuban banks 2014 Event U.S. officials return four Afghan prisoners to Afghanistan after more than ten years of detention in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; the Obama administration is working to clear and release remaining prisoners in order to close the facility 2014 Event The U.S. will end its 1960 embargo and reestablish diplomatic relations with Cuba; the agreement took place after an exchange of three Cuban spies for aid worker Alan Gross and an unnamed American spy 2014 Event After restricting its ties with Cuba since 1996, the European Union agrees to launch negotiations; the talks aim to increase the dialogue on human rights and increase trade and investment between Cuba and the EU 2013 Event Swimmer Diana Nyad makes history, becoming the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage 2012 Event The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, undergoes surgery for cancer in Cuba 2012 Event Hurricane Sandy makes landfall in Cuba and Jamaica and heads towards The Bahamas 2012 Event Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez returns to his home after successfully completing radiotherapy treatments for cancer in Cuba 2012 Event Pope Benedict XVI says Cuba needs to find ways to move away from Communism, and that he will help them find a peaceful way to make the transition 2011 Event Cuba announces plans to release 2,900 prisoners, including political prisoners 2011 Event In Cuba, Fidel Castro resigns from the Communist Party's central committee 2011 Event An undersea fiber-optic cable arrives in Cuba, linking it to Venezuela. Venezuela offered to help Cuba speed its internet connection when the U.S. refused 2011 Event According to the Catholic Church on the island, Cuba plans free to two more dissidents 2010 Event The last death row inmate in Cuba has his death sentence commuted; the nation is against capital punishment and has commuted many death sentences since 2008 2008 Event Fidel Castro resigns as President of Cuba, his brother Raul Castro is unanimously elected 2000 Event Elian Gonzalez is snatched by a SWAT team from his Florida relatives to return him to his father in Cuba 1998 Event Pope John Paul II condemns U.S. embargo against Cuba 1998 Event Pope John Paul II visits Cuba 1997 Event Orlando Hernandez, half-brother of pitcher Livan, defects from Cuba 1997 Event Susie Maroney, 22, of Australia, is 1st to swim from Cuba to Florida 1996 Death Jack Weston, actor (Ishtar, Rad, Cuba), dies of lymphoma at 71 1996 Event Cuba downs 2 U.S. planes 1994 Event Train crash in Havana Cuba, 6 killed 1994 Event Cuba Godding, Jr. (26) weds Sara Kapfer (26) 1992 Event U.S. Dream Team beats Cuba in 1st exhibition basketball game, 133-57 1991 Event Poet Maria Elene Cruz Varela sentenced to 2 years (Cuba) 1991 Event Poet Maria Elene Cruz Varela arrested in Cuba 1989 Event Javier Sotomayor of Cuba sets high jump record (8'0") in San Juan 1988 Event Javier Sotomayer of Cuba high jumps world record 2.43 m (7' 11 ") 1988 Event Angola, Cuba and South Africa sign cease fire treaty 1987 Event U.S. beats Cuba in Pan-Am baseball 1985 Event U.S. began broadcasts to Cuba on Radio Marti 1982 Event Urbe Blanca (cow) produces record 110 kg of milk, Cuba (approx date) 1981 Event Colombia drops diplomatic relations with Cuba 1978 Event Walter Poenisch completes swim of 207 km from Cuba to Florida 1977 Event U.S. and Cuba talk about diplomatic relations 1977 Event U.S. restricts citizens from visiting Cuba, Vietnam, North Korea and Cambodia 1976 Event Cuba adopts its constitution 1975 Event Cuba beats Mexico for its 4th Pan Am Games Gold Medal in baseball 1975 Event Battle between Cuba and South Africa troops in Angola 1975 Event U.S. lightens trade embargo against Cuba 1973 Death Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar, dictator Cuba (1940-58), dies at 72 1972 Birthday Ivan Pedroso, Cuba, long jumper, Olympics-4th-92 1972 Birthday Rey Ordonez, Havana Cuba, infielder for the New York Mets 1969 Birthday Martika, Marta Marrero, Cuba, singer, Toy Soldiers 1968 Birthday Osvaldo Fernandez, Holguin Cuba, pitcher for the San Francisco Giants 1968 Birthday Cuba Gooding, Jr., actor, Boyz N the Hood, Glaadiator, Few Good Men 1967 Birthday Mellow Man Ace, Cuba, spanish rapper/actor, Only the Strong 1965 Event Airlift of refugees from Cuba to U.S. began 1964 Birthday Rafael Palmeiro, born in Havana, Cuba, 1st baseman for the Baltimore Orioles 1964 Birthday Jose Canseco, born in Havana, Cuba, outfielder, Oak A's, Red Sox, 1988 AL MVP 1963 Event Hurricane Flora ravages Cuba and Haiti, kills 6,000 1963 Event Hurricane Flora, kills 6,000 in Cuba and Haiti 1963 Event U.S. bans all monetary transactions with Cuba 1963 Birthday Ana Quirot, Cuba, 800m runner, Olympics bronze/silver 1992, 1996 1963 Event U.S.S.R. informs John F. Kennedy it's withdrawing several thousand troops from Cuba 1962 Event Cuba starts returning U.S. prisoners from Bay of Pigs invasion 1962 Event U.S. and Cuba accord, releases bay of pigs captive 1962 Event U.S.S.R. agrees to remove bombers from Cuba, and U.S. lifts blockade 1962 Event Khrushchev orders withdrawal of missiles from Cuba, ending crisis 1962 Event Radio Moscow reports nuclear missiles in Cuba deactivated 1962 Event Black Saturday - Russian nuclear missile crisis in Cuba 1962 Death Rudolph Anderson, U-2 pilot, shot down over Cuba 1962 Event John F. Kennedy warns Russia U.S. will not allow Soviet missiles to remain in Cuba 1962 Event Nikita Khrushchev sends note to John F. Kennedy offering to withdraw his missiles from Cuba if U.S. closed its bases in Turkey offer is rejected 1962 Event Adlai Stevenson speaks at United Nations about Cuba crisis 1962 Event John F. Kennedy addresses TV about Russian missile bases in Cuba 1962 Event John F. Kennedy imposes naval blockade on Cuba, beginning missile crisis 1962 Event Cuban missile crisis began as John F. Kennedy becomes aware of missiles in Cuba 1962 Event U.S. U-2 planes locate missile launchers in Cuba 1962 Birthday Jon Secada, born in Havana, Cuba, born Juan Francisco Secada, singer, songwriter for himself and for Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, Grammy-Award winner 1962 Event U.S. U-2 flight sees SAM launch pads in Cuba 1962 Event Maria Oeljanov, 1st airship with nuclear missiles, arrives in Cuba 1962 Event President Kennedy begins blockade of Cuba 1962 Event President Kennedy bans all trade with Cuba except for food and drugs 1961 Event Fidel Castro announces Cuba will release 1,113 prisoners from failed 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion for $62M worth of food and medical supplies 1961 Event Fidel Castro declares he's a Marxist, and will lead Cuba to Communism 1961 Birthday Elizabeth Pena, Havana Cuba, actress, La Bamba, Jacob's Ladder 1961 Event Beginning of a trend, a U.S. commercial plane is hijacked to Cuba 1961 Birthday Rene Capo, Pinal del Rio Cuba, half-heavyweight judoka 1996 Olympics 1961 Event 1st U.S. airplane hijacked to Cuba 1961 Event Fidel Castro announces there will be no more elections in Cuba 1961 Event Premier Fidel Castro of Cuba receives Lenin-Peace Prize 1961 Event U.S. breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba 1961 Event U.S. breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba 1960 Event Guatemala's "La Hora" reports plan for invasion on Cuba 1960 Event Cuba nationalizes all remaining U.S. businesses 1960 Event U.S. imposes embargo on exports to Cuba 1960 Event Opponents of Fidel Castro executed in Cuba 1960 Event Cuba nationalizes U.S. banks 1960 Event Cuba nationalizes all U.S. owned sugar factories 1960 Event Fidel Castro nationalizes Esso, Shell and Texaco in Cuba 1960 Event U.S. stops sugar import from Cuba 1960 Event U.S.S.R. and Cuba resume diplomatic relations 1960 Event Cuba buys oil from U.S.S.R. 1960 Event French freighter "La Coubre" explodes in Havana Cuba, killing 100 1959 Birthday Franco Iglesia, Cuba, spanish singer 1959 Event Cuba invades Panama 1959 Event Fidel Castro named himself Cuba's premier after overthrowing Batista 1959 Event Miro Cardon, premier of Cuba, resigns 1959 Event Castro leads Cuba to victory as Fulgencio Batista flees to Dom Rep 1958 Birthday Daniel Nunez, Cuba, weightlifter, 1980 Olympics gold 1958 Birthday Maria Caridad Colon, born in Cuba, javelin thrower, 1980 Olympics gold 1957 Birthday Luis Mariano Delis Fournier, Cuba, discus thrower, Olympic-bronze-1980 1957 Birthday Daisy Fuentes, Havana Cuba, VJ, MTV International, claims 1964 1957 Birthday Tony Fossas, Cuba, pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals 1957 Birthday Maria Conchita Alonso, born in Cuba, actress, Moscow on the Hudson 1957 Event Bloody battles after anti-Batista demonstration in Havana Cuba 1957 Birthday Adolfo Horta, born in Camaguey, Cuba, HW boxer, 1980 Olympics silver 1956 Event Fidel Castro lands with "Granma" on coast of Cuba 1956 Birthday Steven Bauer, born in Havana, Cuba, actor, Scarface, Thief of Hearts 1956 Birthday Andy Garcia, Cuba, actor, Stand and Deliver, 8 Million Ways to Die 1956 Birthday Alina Castro, Havanna Cuba, daughter of Fidel 1956 Birthday Hilda Beatriz "Hildita" Guevara, Cuba, daughter of "Che" Guevara 1955 Event 1st live telecast from non-contiguous foreign country-Havana Cuba 1954 Event General Fulgencio Batista elected President of Cuba 1954 Birthday Silvia Chivas, Cuba, 100m/4x100m runner 1972 Olympics bronze 1954 Birthday Silvio Leonard, Cienguegos Cuba, 100m runner 1980 Olympics silver 1954 Birthday Lincoln Diaz-Balart, born in Havana, Cuba, Representative-R-Florida 1993 - 1954 Birthday Alejandro Casanas, Havana Cuba, 110m hurdler, Olympic-silv-1976, 80 1953 Event Fidel Castro arrested in Cuba 1953 Birthday Peter Bergman, born in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, actor, Eat or Be Eaten 1952 Birthday Angel Herrera, born in Cuba, FW/LW boxer, Gold Medals 1976, 1980 Olympics 1952 Birthday Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, born in Havana, Cuba, Representative-R-Florida 1989 - 1952 Birthday Teofilo Stevenson, born in Cuba, heavyweight boxer, Gold Medal 1972, 1976, 1980 Olympics 1952 Event Military coup by general Fulgencio Batista in Cuba 1951 Birthday Danger Alberto Juantorena, Cuba, 800m runner 1976 Olympics gold 1951 Birthday Hector Rodriguez, born in Cuba, lightweight judo 1976 Olympics gold 1950 Birthday Alberto Juantorena, Cuba, 400m dash, Gold Medal 1976 Olympics 1950 Birthday Marlene Elejarde, born in Havana, Cuba, 4x100m runner, Silver Medal 1968 Olympics 1950 Birthday Emilio Estefan, born in Cuba, rocker, Miami Sound Machine-1 2 3 1950 Birthday Rafael Canizares Poey, Alacs Mtnzs Cuba, basketballer, Olympic bronze 1972 1950 Birthday Jose Armando Lopez-Falcon, Cuba, cosmonaut 1947 Birthday Rolando Garbey, Oriente Cuba, light MW boxer, Silver Medal 1968 Olympics 1947 Birthday Miguelina Cobian, born in Santiago, Cuba, 4x100m runner, Silver Medal 1968 Olympics 1946 Birthday Luis Avalos, Havana Cuba, actor, Condo, E/R, I Had 3 Wives 1944 Birthday Cuba Gooding, U.S. singer, Everybody Plays the Fool 1943 Birthday Georg Stanford Brown, born in Havana, Cuba, actor, Terry Webster-Rookies 1942 Event Cuba declares war on Germany, Japan and Italy 1942 Birthday Arnaldo Tamayo-Mendez, Cuba, cosmonaut, Soyuz 38 1940 Birthday Luis Tiant, Cuba, baseball pitcher, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees 1939 Event Tropicana ballet of Havana Cuba, forms 1939 Birthday Leo Brouwer, born in Havana, Cuba, Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida, composer, conductor, guitarist, studied under Vincent Persichetti, Stefan Wolpe, composed solo guitar pieces, over 40 film scores, and several guitar concertos 1938 Birthday Enrique Figuerola Camue, born in Cuba, 100m runner 1964 Olympic silver 1933 Birthday Adolfo, Cardones Cuba, fashion designer, Nancy Reagan 1932 Event Hurricane storm wave sweeps over Santa Cruz del Sur Cuba kills 2,500 1928 Birthday Estelita Rodriguez, born in Cuba, actress, Cuban Fireball, Havana Rose 1928 Birthday Che Guevara, Argentina/Cuba revolutionary, Cuba 1928 Birthday Jacob Lateiner, Havana Cuba, pianist/professor, Juiliard 1927 Birthday Antonia Rey, Havana Cuba, actress, True Colors, Wise Guys 1926 Event Hurricane in Cuba, kills 600 1926 Birthday Fidel Castro, born in Mayari, Oriente, Cuba, dictator 1923 Birthday Italo Calvino, born in Santiago de Las Vegas, Cuba, author, Winter's Night a Traveler 1922 Birthday Denholm Elliott, London, actor, Alfie, Cuba, Doll's House, King Rat 1920 Event Denmark and Cuba join the League of Nations 1920 Birthday Jose Melis, Havana Cuba, orchestra leader, Jack Paar Program 1919 Event Jack Dempsey KOs Jess Willard in Cuba for heavyweight championship 1917 Birthday Alicia Alonso, Havana Cuba, ballerina, American Ballet Theatre 1917 Birthday Desi Arnaz, born in Santiago Cuba, actor, I Love Lucy 1916 Event U.S. invades Cuba for 3rd time, this to end corrupt Menocal regime 1914 Birthday Jorge Bolet, Havana Cuba, pianist, C'eurties Instituka 1914 Event Cuba, Uruguay, Mexico and Argentina proclaim neutrality in WW I 1912 Event U.S. Marines invade Cuba, 3nd time 1912 Event U.S. Marines land on Cuba 1911 Event 1st rescue of an air passenger by a ship, near Havana, Cuba 1910 Birthday Jose Lezama Lima, Havana Cuba, poet and novelist 1909 Event U.S. military forces leave Cuba for 2nd time 1908 Death Tomas Estrada Palma, 1st president Cuba (1902-06), dies 1906 Event U.S. regime names Charles Magoon, governor of Cuba 1906 Event U.S. intervenes in Cuba ousts dictator Estrada Palma 1906 Event U.S. troops reoccupy Cuba, stay until 1909 1906 Event Cuba's 1st president Tomas Estrada Palma asks for U.S. intervention 1904 Event American occupation of Cuba ends 1903 Birthday Millard Mitchell, Havana Cuba, actor, 12 O'Clock High, Gunfighter 1903 Event U.S. signs agreement acquiring a naval station at Guantanamo Bay Cuba 1902 Event Cuba gains independence from Spain 1902 Event U.S. military occupation of Cuba (since Jan 1, 1899) ends 1901 Birthday Fulgencio Batista, president/dictator of Cuba, 1933-44, 1952-59 1899 Event Cuba liberated from Spain by U.S., known as National Day, U.S. occupies until 1902 1898 Event Spanish American War-Spaniards surrender to U.S. at Santiago Cuba 1898 Event U.S. Navy defeats Spanish fleet in Santiago harbor, Cuba 1898 Event American troops, drive Spanish forces from La Guasimas Cuba 1898 Event U.S. Marines attack Spanish off Guantanamo, Cuba 1898 Event 1st U.S. Marines land in Cuba during Spanish-American War 1898 Event 600 U.S. Marines land at Guantanamo Cuba 1898 Event U.S. Marines land in Cuba, during Spanish-American War 1898 Event U.S. declares war on Spain over Cuba 1898 Event Spain declares war on U.S. rejecting ultimatum to withdraw from Cuba 1896 Birthday Ernesto Lecuona, Havana Cuba, composer, Malaguena 1895 Event Jose Marti and others leave New York City for invasion of Spanish Cuba 1888 Birthday Jose Raul Capablanca, Cuba, world chess champion, 1921-27 1886 Event Spain abolishes slavery in Cuba 1868 Event Cuba revolts for independence against Spain 1853 Birthday Jose Marti y Perez, Cuba, poet/essayist/politician 1842 Birthday Jose Maria de Heredia, Cuba, French sonnet poet 1836 Birthday Maximo Gomez, Bana, general, Cuba 1787 Event English slave ship Sisters, from Africa to Cuba, capsizes 1628 Event Bay of Matanzas Cuba: Piet Heyn captures Spanish silver fleet 1519 Event San Cristobal de la Habana forms in Cuba 1492 Event Christopher Columbus learns of maize (corn) from Indians of Cuba 1492 Event Christopher Columbus discovers Cuba and claims it for Spain
