Events in Maltese History
- 0060-02-10 St Paul thought to have been shipwrecked at Malta
When The Bells Rang Out For Freedom
1283-07-08 War of the Sicilian Vespers: Battle of Malta
Knights of Rhodes Surrender
1522-12-20 Suleiman the Magnificent accepts surrender of the surviving Knights of Rhodes, who are allowed to evacuate. They eventually settle in Malta and become known as the Knights of Malta.
- 1565-06-23 Turgut Reis [Dragut], commander of the Ottoman Navy, dies during the Siege of Malta
- 1565-09-08 Turkish siege of Malta broken by Maltese & Knights of St John
- 1799-01-17 Maltese patriot Dun Mikiel Xerri, along with a number of other patriots, is executed
- 1800-09-05 Malta surrenders to British after they blockade French troops
- 1840-10-14 Maronite leader Bashir II surrenders to the British forces and goes into exile in Malta.
- 1919-06-07 Sette giugno: Riot in Malta; four are killed.
End of the Ottoman Empire
1922-11-17 The last sultan of the Ottoman Empire, Mehmed VI, is expelled to Malta on a British warship
- 1940-06-11 Italy declares war on Allies
- 1940-06-11 World War II: First attack of the Italian Air force on the island of Malta
- 1942-03-07 15 Mk-VB Spitfires reach Malta
- 1942-03-20 Major German assault on Malta
Malta the George Cross
1942-04-15 George VI awards George Cross to people of Malta
- 1942-04-28 German Luftwaffe estimated to have flown over 11 thousand sorties against Malta since 20th March
- 1943-05-01 German plane sinks the British ship SS Erinpura in the Mediterranean with the loss of 799 lives
- 1943-09-10 Italian fleet anchors at Malta
- 1959-12-08 Dom Mintoff demands independence for Malta
- 1964-09-21 Malta becomes independent from the United Kingdom.
- 1965-04-29 Malta becomes 18th member of Council of Europe
- 1967-09-23 Radio Malta stops testing
- 1974-04-26 Malta adopts constitution
- 1974-06-02 Malta's constitution goes into effect
- 1974-12-13 Malta becomes a republic
- 1976-09-18 Dom Mintoff's Labour Party wins Malta election
- 1979-03-31 The last British soldier leaves the Maltese Islands. Malta declares its Freedom Day (Jum il-Helsien).
- 1982-02-16 Agatha Barbara elected as 1st female president of Malta
- 1985-11-23 58 die as Egyptian commandos storm hijacked Egyptair jet in Malta
- 1985-11-24 Egyptian commandos storm captured Boeing in Malta, 60 killed
- 1995-10-26 Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Mossad agents assassinate Islamic Jihad leader Fathi Shikaki in his hotel in Malta.
- 2001-08-01 Bulgaria, Cyprus, Latvia, Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia join the European Environment Agency.
- 2002-12-13 The European Union announces that Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia will become members from May 1, 2004
- 2004-05-01 Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia join the European Union, celebrated at the residence of the Irish President in Dublin.
- 2006-05-09 George Preca is canonized as the first Maltese saint in history
- 2007-12-21 The Schengen Agreement area increases to include 9 European Union member states; Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia on land and sea borders.
- 2008-01-01 Malta and Cyprus officially adopt the Euro currency and become the fourteenth and fifteenth Eurozone countries.
- 2014-04-03 Marie Louise Coleiro Preca is elected President of Malta
Famous People from Malta
- 1845-09-01 Paul Methuen, 3rd Baron Methuen, English army officer (Governor of Natal and Malta), born at Corsham Court, Eng;and (d. 1932)
- 1860-12-25 Manuel Dimech, Maltese philosopher and social reformer (d. 1921)
- 1877-11-02 Joseph De Piro, Maltese founder of the Missionary Society of St. Paul, born in Mdina, Malta (d. 1933)
- 1885-11-16 Mikiel Gonzi, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Malta (1944-76), born in Vittoriosa, Birgu, Malta (d. 1984)
- 1897-08-04 Joseph Calleia, Maltese-American stage, screen, and radio actor (The Jungle Book; Gilda; Touch of Evil), born in Mdina, Malta (d. 1975)
- 1910-09-14 Jack Hawkins, British actor (Lawrence of Arabia, Ben-Hur Just Men, Zulu, Malta Story), born in London, England (d. 1973)
- 1913-03-30 Censu Tabone, President of Malta, (d. 2012)
- 1914-02-12 Arvid Pardo, Maltese diplomat, a.k.a "Father of the Law of the Sea Conference", born in Rome, Italy (d. 1999)
- 1916-08-06 Dom Mintoff, Maltese Prime Minister (1955-58, 1971-84), born in Bormla, Malta (d. 2012)
- 1920-05-21 Anthony Steel, British actor and singer (Malta Story, The Wooden Horse), born in London, England (d. 2001)
- 1930-09-24 Angelo Muscat, Maltese-born British actor (The Prisoner, Doctor Who), born in the Republic of Malta (d. 1977)
- 1934-02-07 Eddie Fenech Adami, President of Malta
- 1968-02-08 Claudette Pace (Buttigieg), Maltese pop singer ("Desire"), and politician (Member of Parliament), born in Naxxar, Malta
- 1974-08-06 Adrian Voinea, Focsani Romania, tennis star (1995 Malta)
- 1974-10-16 Deo Grech, Maltese television presenter and songwriter, born in Kalkara, Malta
- 1977-09-13 Ivan De Battista, Maltese actor, singer and composer, born in Gzira, Malta
- 1980-11-09 Dominique Maltais, Canadian snowboarder, born in Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Canada
- 1981-04-27 Fabrizio Faniello, Maltese pop singer ("I'm In Love (The Whistle Hit)": "Somebody Sent Me An Angel"), born in Floriana, Malta
- 1981-07-31 Ira Losco, Maltese singer (Walk on Water), born in Sliema, Malta
- 1982-06-24 Clint Bajada, Maltese television and radio presenter, born in Paola, Malta