Timeline of Manila

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Manila.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Prior to 20th century

• 1365 - Battle of Manila (1365), Forces of the Kingdoms of Luzon battled the Empire of Majapahit from Java in what is now Manila.
• 1571 - 24 June: Spaniards Martín de Goiti, Juan de Salcedo and Miguel López de Legazpi arrive.
• 1573 - Spanish galleon trade begins.
• 1574 - Chinese pirate Limahong tries to take Manila.
• 1579 - Catholic Diocese of Manila established.
• 1583 - Fire.
• 1584 - Real Audiencia of Manila of the Viceroyalty of New Spain established.
• 1590 - Printing press established.
• 1603 - Chinese unrest.
• 1607 - San Agustin Church consecrated.
• 1611 - University of Santo Tomas established by Catholic Dominicans.
• 1615 - Acapulco-Manila galleon trade begins.
• 1645 - 1645 Luzon earthquake.
• 1762 - British occupation of Manila begins.
• 1764 - British occupation of Manila ends per Treaty of Paris; Spanish in power again.
• 1823 - Population: 38,000.
• 1837 - Port opens to foreign trade.
• 1848 - Diario de Manila newspaper begins publication.
• 1852 - September: Earthquake.
• 1859
  • Escuela Municipal de Manila, the precursor of the Ateneo de Manila University founded.
  • Ilustración Filipina magazine begins publication.
• 1863 - 3 June: Earthquake.
• 1865 - Manila Observatory founded.
• 1866 - Canal de la Reina dug in Binondo.
• 1870 - 23 March: Fire in Binondo.
• 1876 - Population: 93,595.
• 1880 - July: Earthquake.
• 1881 - Hong Kong-Manila telegraph in operation.
• 1882
  • October: Typhoon.
  • Water supply inaugurated.
• 1887 - Population: 176,777.
• 1888 - Commercial Association of Lumber established.
• 1889 - Tabacalera Flor de la Isabela cigar factory built in Paco.
• 1892 - Dagupan-Manila railway begins operating.
• 1893
  • Electrical lighting installed.
  • Fire.
• 1896 - 5 December: 1896 Manila mutiny.
• 1898
  • 25 July - 13 August: Battle of Manila (1898); United States in power.
  • The Manila Times English-language newspaper begins publication.
• 1899
  • 4–5 February: Battle of Manila (1899).
  • Calle Rizal laid out.

20th century

1900s-1940s

• 1900 - Instituto de Mujeres and American Circulating Library established.
• 1901
  • City of Manila administrative entity created, composed of Binondo, Ermita, Intramuros, Malate, Pandacan, Port Area, Quiapo, Santa Cruz, Santa Ana de Sapa, San Nicolas, San Miguel, San Fernando de Dilao (Paco), Sampaloc, San Andres, Santa Mesa, Tondo.
  • Capital of the Philippines relocated to Manila from Malolos.
  • Arsenio Cruz-Herrera becomes mayor.
  • National Museum of the Philippines established.
  • United States military Fort William McKinley established near city.
• 1902 - Manila Grand Opera House in use in Santa Cruz.
• 1903 - Population: 219,928 city; 330,345 metro.
• 1905
  • Manila Elks Club established.
  • Félix Roxas becomes mayor.
• 1908
  • University of the Philippines Manila founded.
  • The famous Manila Carnival is held for the first time.
• 1909 - Philippine Library established.
• 1910
  • Basketball, volleyball, and Boy Scouting are started in the Philippines at the Manila YMCA by YMCA Physical Director Elwood Stanley Brown.
  • "Great Fire in Manila", costing over two million pesos, in Binondo.
• 1912 - Manila Hotel in business.
• 1913
  • The first Far Eastern Championship Games, called "the first Oriental Olympic Games," are held at the Carnival grounds (later the site of the Rizal Memorial Sports Stadium) in Malate, 3–7 February, with participants from the US Philippine Islands, China, Japan, the British East Indies (Malaya), Thailand, and British Hong Kong.
  • Rizal Monument erected.
• 1917 - Justo Lukban becomes mayor.
• 1918 - Population: 285,306 city; 469,955 metro.
• 1919 - United States military Camp Nichols established near city.
• 1920 - Ramón Fernández becomes mayor.
• 1923 - The Peking Council, the Tokyo Council, and the Manila Council, the first Boy Scouts of America Councils in Asia, are organised. (The huge 1973 Golden Jubilee Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines would be dated from this year.)
• 1924 - Miguel Romuáldez becomes mayor.
• 1926 - Legislative Building inaugurated in Ermita.
• 1927 - Tomás Earnshaw becomes mayor.
• 1928 - The Institute of Accountancy, which later became Far Eastern University, is founded in Sampaloc by Nicanor Reyes et al.
• 1930 - Legazpi-Urdaneta Monument erected.
• 1935
  • Metropolitan Theater built.
  • Valeriano Fugoso becomes mayor.
  • Grace Park Airfield begins operating in Caloocan.
  • City becomes capital of the newly formed Commonwealth of the Philippines.
• 1939 - Population: 623,492.
• 1941
  • City of Greater Manila formed, merging city and municipal governments of Manila, Quezon City, San Juan del Monte, Caloocan, etc.
  • Jorge B. Vargas becomes mayor.
• 1942
  • Japanese occupation begins.
  • León G. Guinto, Sr. becomes mayor.
• 1945
  • February: Manila massacre by Japanese forces.
  • 3 February - 3 March: Battle of Manila (1945); Japanese defeated.
  • Juan L. Nolasco becomes mayor.
• 1946 - City becomes part of the newly proclaimed Republic of the Philippines.
• 1947 - Republic Theatre opens.
• 1948
  • Capital of the Philippines relocated from Manila to Quezon City.
  • Manuel A. Roxas High School established in Paco.
  • Manuel de la Fuente becomes mayor.
  • Population: 983,906 city; 1,569,148 metro.
  • Manila American Cemetery and Memorial established near city.
• 1949 - 18 June: City legislative districts for House of Representatives of the Philippines expanded from two to four.

1950s-1990s

• 1952
  • Arsenio Lacson becomes mayor.
  • National Press Club headquartered in city.
• 1954 - Holy Child Catholic School active in Tondo.
• 1959 - Ramon Magsaysay High School established in España, Manila.
• 1960
  • Araneta Coliseum opens in Quezon City.
  • Population: 1,138,611 city; 2,462,288 metro.
• 1961 - Manila Airport new terminal opens.
• 1962 - Antonio Villegas becomes mayor.
• 1966 - Cultural Center of the Philippines founded.
• 1970
  • Zone One Tondo Organization established.
  • Population: 1,330,788 city; 3,966,685 metro.
• 1971 - Ramon Bagatsing becomes mayor.
  • 21 August: Plaza Miranda Bombing.
• 1973 - Some 3000 Boy Scouts camp out and conduct a massive clean-up of Intramuros, 9–11 February.
• 1975
  • 1 October: Thrilla in Manila.
  • Metropolitan Manila Commission created to administer aspects of Caloocan, Mandaluyong, Makati, Malabon, Manila, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Pasay, Pasig, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Pateros, Quezon City, San Juan, Taguig, Valenzuela.
  • Population: 1,479,116 city; 4,880,006 metro.
• 1976
  • Capital of the Philippines relocated to Manila from Quezon City.
  • Philippine International Convention Center built in Pasay.
  • Harrison Plaza, the first shopping mall in the Philippines, opens in Malate, Manila.
• 1979 - Sampaloc flea market officially inaugurated.
• 1980 - Population: 5,924,563 metro.
• 1981 - Sister city relationship established with San Francisco, USA.
• 1982 - Metro Manila Commission for Squatters established.
• 1983 - 21 August: Assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr. at Manila International Airport.
• 1984 - Manila Light Rail Transit System begins operating.
• 1986
  • February: People Power Revolution.
  • May: Mel Lopez becomes mayor.
• 1987 - January: Mendiola Massacre.
• 1992 - Alfredo Lim becomes mayor.
• 1994
  • Museo Pambata opens in Ermita.
  • 20 May: Miss Universe 1994.
• 1995
  • Metropolitan Manila Development Authority established.
  • Catholic pope visits city.
• 1998 - Lito Atienza becomes mayor.

21st century

• 2000
  • 30 December: Rizal Day bombings.
  • Green Papaya Art Projects founded.
  • Population: 1,581,082 city; 9,932,560 metro.
• 2001
  • January: 2001 EDSA Revolution.
  • April–May: EDSA III protest.
• 2002 - Bus bombing.
• 2003 - Army mutiny.
• 2007
  • June: Alfredo Lim becomes mayor again.
  • November: Coup attempt.
  • Asian Network of Major Cities 21 meets in Manila.
  • Mall of Asia opens in Pasay.
  • MO_Space art gallery founded.
• 2009 - September: Typhoon.
• 2010
  • 23 August: Manila hostage crisis in Rizal Park.
  • Population: 1,652,171 city; 11,855,975 metro.
• 2012 - August: Flooding.
• 2013
  • August: Million People March.
  • Joseph Estrada becomes mayor.
• 2015 - January: Catholic pope visits city.

See also

• History of Manila
• Metro Manila
• List of mayors of Manila
• Other names of Manila
• List of historical markers in Manila
• Greater Manila Area
• Mega Manila
• Timeline of Philippine history
• List of cities by population density

Bibliography

Published in the 19th century

Published in the 20th century

• Edilberto De Jesus. 'Manila's first factories', Philippine Historical Review, 4 (1971)
• Daniel F. Doeppers. Manila, 1900-1941: Social change in a late colonial metropolis (New Haven: Yale University Southeast Asia Studies, 1984).
• Melinda Tria Kerkvliet, Manila workers' unions, 1900-1950 (Quezon City: New Day Publishers, 1992).

Published in the 21st century

• Xavier Huetz de Lemps. 'Shifts in meaning of "Manila" in the nineteenth century', in Old ties and new solidarities: Studies on Philippine communities, ed. C. J.-H. Macdonald and G. M. Pesigan (Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2000)