about 5500 B.C.		different tribes live in Nicaragua.
about 3000 B.C.		The Pipil were a subgroup of a nomadic people known as the Nahua, who had migrated into Central America about 3000 B.C.
12 September 1502		Christoph Columbus first visit to eastern Nicaragua.
1522		Gil González Dávila led the Spanish conquest of Nicaraguan territory.
1524		Hernández de Córdoba led an expedition that succeeded in establishing the first permanent Spanish settlement in Nicaragua.
15 September 1821		Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Guatemala declare their independence from Spain and became members of the Empire of Mexico.
1 July 1823		United Provinces of Central America (Costa Rica, El Salcador, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Honduras) declared their independence from Mexico.
30 April 1838		The federation finally dissolved in 1837, and a Constituent Assembly formally declared Nicaragua's independence from the United Provinces of Central America.
1855		A group of armed United States filibusters headed by William Walker, a soldier of fortune from Tennessee who had previously invaded Mexico, sailed to Nicaragua intent on taking over the government.
1857		The final battle of what Nicaraguans called the "National War" (1856-57) took place in the spring of 1857 in the town of Rivas, after which Walker left Nicaragua.
1858		Managua became the capitol of Nicaragua.
1893		General José Santos Zelaya became president after a revolt.
1895		El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua formed the "Greater Republic of Central America" (República Mayor de Centroamerica) via the Pact of Amapala.
1909		The United States broke diplomatic relations with the Zelaya administration after two United States mercenaries serving with the rebels were captured and executed by government forces. Soon thereafter, 400 United States marines landed on the Caribbean coast, which led to the resignation of President Zelaya.
August 1912		A force of 2,700 United States marines once landed at the ports of Corinto and Bluefields to support President Diaz and remain in country until 1925.
1916		The Chamorro-Bryan Treaty omitting the intervention clause, was finally ratified by the United States Senate in 1916. This treaty gave the United States exclusive rights to build an interoceanic canal across Nicaragua.
May 1926		United States sent marines, who landed on the Caribbean coast, ostensibly to protect United States citizens and property.
20 May 1927		Pact of Espino Negro signed.
1927		Army for the Defense of Nicaraguan Sovereignty (Ejército Defensor de la Soberanía de Nicaragua-EDSN) was formed as a guerilla army by Augusto Sandino.
21 February 1934		Sandino was arrested and later executed by members of the National Guard under the command of Anastasio "Tacho" Somoza García.
December 1936		Anastasio Somoza García became president of Nicaragua.
1 January 1937		President Somoza resumed control of the National Guard, combining the roles of president and chief director of the military.
1 May 1947		Leonardo Argüello became president and Somoza García remained as chief director of the National Guard.
21 September 1956		Anastasio Somoza García was assassinated.
1957		Luis Somoza Debayle beacme president and his brother Anastasio "Tachito" Somoza Debayle became dircetor of the National Guard.
1961		The Sandinista National Liberation Front (Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional--FSLN) was formally organized in Nicaragua.
1967		Anastasio Somoza Debayle became president.
23 December 1972		A powerful earthquake shook Nicaragua, destroying most of the capital city.
10 January 1978		Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal was assassinated.
17 July 1979		Anastasio Somoza Debayle resigned and fled to Miami.
23 January 1981		Reagan administration suspended all United States aid to Nicaragua.
1981		Later that year, the Reagan administration authorized support for groups (Contras) trying to overthrow the Sandinistas.
1983		Daniel Ortega leads a three members junta.
10 January 1985		Daniel Ortega began his six-year presidential term.
August 1987		The Arias Plan was signed by the presidents of the five Central American republics (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica) at a presidential summit held in Esquipulas, Guatemala.
25 February 1990		Violeta Barrios de Chamorro won election against Daniel Ortega and became first president of Nicaragua after the end of the civil war.
26 June 1990		Contras completed their demobilization.
1996		Daniel Ortega was again defeated by Arnoldo Aleman Lacayo leading an alliance of liberal and centrist parties.
November 2001		Enrique Bolanos Geyer became president of Nicaragua.