Events in Switzerland History
- 1291-08-01 Everlasting League forms, basis of Swiss Confederation (Independence)
- 1294-06-30 Jews are expelled from Berne, Switzerland
- 1315-11-15 Battle of Morgarten: Swiss beat duke Leopold I of Austria
- 1315-12-09 Swiss Woudsteden renews Eternal Covenant (Oath Society)
- 1348-09-21 Jews in Zurich, Switzerland, are accused of poisoning wells
- 1349-01-09 Black Death Massacre: 700 Jews of Basel Switzerland, are burnt to death in a specially constructed building on suspicion of poisoning the community during the Bubonic Plague; part of a wave of pogroms across Western Europe
- 1349-02-16 Jews are expelled from Burgdorf, Switzerland, accused of spreading the Bubonic Plague
- 1349-02-23 Jews are expelled from Zurich, Switzerland, on suspicion of poisoning wells
- 1356-10-18 Basel earthquake, the most significant historic seismological event north of the Alps, destroys Basel in Switzerland.
- 1386-07-09 Battle at Sempach: Swiss beat Duke Leopold III of Austria
- 1388-04-09 Battle of Näfels; Glarius Swiss defeat Habsburg (Austrian) army
- 1422-06-30 Battle of Arbedo between the Duke of Milan and the Swiss cantons
- 1427-05-10 Jews are expelled from Bern, Switzerland
- 1428-08-07 Valais witch trial proceedings begin in Valais Canton, Switzerland, first organized witch trials
- 1474-03-30 Duke Sigismund of Tirol ends contacts with Switzerland
Battle of Morat
1476-06-22 Battle of Morat: Charles the Bold invades Switzerland
Battle of Nancy
1477-01-05 Battle of Nancy: Swiss Confederacy led by René II decisively defeats the Duchy of Burgundy, 7,000+ killed including the Duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold
- 1499-09-22 Switzerland becomes an independent state
- 1506-01-22 The first contingent of 150 Swiss Guards arrive at the Vatican
- 1513-06-06 Battle of Novara, the War of the League of Cambrai: the Swiss Confederacy defeat the French
- 1516-11-29 Treaty of Freiburg: French/Swiss "eternal" peace treaty
- 1525-01-21 Swiss Anabaptist Movement is born when Conrad Grebel, Felix Manz, George Blaurock, and a dozen others baptize each other in the home of Manz's mother in Zürich, breaking a thousand-year tradition of church-state union
- 1531-10-11 Battle of Kappel: Swiss Roman Catholic cantons beat protestant forces of Zurich; Huldrych Zwingli Swiss reformation leader is killed
- 1544-04-14 Battle at Carignano: French troops under Earl d'Enghien beat Swiss
- 1558-01-09 Geneva becomes independent from Berne canton, Switzerland
Gregory Conquers Julius Caesar
1584-01-22 Parts of Switzerland adopt Gregorian calendar (& parts in 1812)
- 1618-09-04 "Rodi" avalanche destroys Plurs, Switzerland, 1,500 killed
- 1648-10-24 Treaty of Westphalia ends The Thirty Years' War in the Holy Roman Empire; Switzerland's independence recognized
- 1709-09-03 1st major group of Swiss German colonists reaches North and South Carolina
- 1718-01-17 Avalanche destroys every building in Leukerbad, Switzerland; kills 53
- 1798-03-29 Republic of Switzerland forms
- 1806-09-02 A side of Rossberg Peak collapses into Goldau Valley Switzerland, kills 500
- 1809-05-05 Citizenship is denied to Jews of Aargau Canton, Switzerland
- 1815-02-03 World's first commercial cheese factory established, in Switzerland
- 1823-07-14 Switzerland signs boundaries for fugitives
- 1845-11-29 The Sonderbund is defeated by the joint forces of other Swiss cantons under General Guillaume-Henri Dufour
- 1848-09-12 Switzerland becomes a Federal state
- 1858-08-11 First ascent of the Eiger in the Bernese Alps in Switzerland
- 1862-05-14 Adolphe Nicole of Switzerland patents chronograph
- 1871-09-17 Mont Cenis railway tunnel in Switzerland opens
- 1874-05-29 Present constitution of Switzerland takes effect
- 1874-10-09 World Postal Union forms in Bern Switzerland
- 1880-02-29 Gotthard railway tunnel between Switzerland & Italy completed
- 1881-09-11 Triple landslides bury Elm, Switzerland
- 1882-05-20 Gotthard rail tunnel between Switzerland & Italy opens
- 1893-08-20 Shechita (ritual slaughtering) prohibited in Switzerland
- 1898-11-22 Construction begins on the Simplon tunnel through the Alps, linking Italy and Switzerland; it becomes the world's longest railroad tunnel
- 1903-09-09 6 km long Engadin-railroad tunnel in Switzerland inaugurated
- 1905-02-24 Simplon railroad tunnel through the Alps in Switzerland achieves breakthrough after 7-1/2 years of construction
- 1906-05-19 Italian King Victor Emmanuel & Swiss President Ludwig Forrer open Simplon Tunnel; the railroad tunnel trough the Alps is world's longest until 1982
- 1907-04-12 In Switzerland, parliament passes a new army bill reorganizing the nation's forces into a standing militia, with training required for all males
- 1911-03-19 1st International Women's Day sees over 1 million men and women attend rallies in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Issues discussed included women's right to vote and to hold public office, the right to work, to vocational training and an end to discrimination on the job.
- 1911-03-30 Lötschberg tunnel in Switzerland (13,735 m) completed
- 1915-09-05 Anti-war conference in Zimmerwald, Switzerland
- 1916-02-03 Tristan Tzara publishes the Dada manifesto in Zurich, Switzerland
Lenin Returns to Russia
1917-04-03 Vladimir Lenin arrives in Petrograd, returning to Russia from exile in Switzerland [NS=April 16]
- 1919-02-03 Socialist conference convenes (Berne, Switzerland)
- 1920-02-08 Swiss men vote against women's suffrage
- 1920-02-13 League of Nations recognizes perpetual neutrality of Switzerland, allowing Switzerland to rejoin the League
- 1922-01-21 1st slalom ski race run at Murren, Switzerland
- 1923-10-16 John Harwood patents self-winding watch (Switzerland)
- 1927-02-08 Belgian-Swiss treaty signed
- 1927-04-15 Switzerland & USSR agree to diplomatic relations
- 1928-02-11 II Winter Olympic Games open in St Moritz, Switzerland
- 1928-02-19 II Winter Olympic Games close at St Moritz, Switzerland
International Congresses of Modern Architects
1928-06-26 First meeting of the International Congresses of Modern Architects (CIAM) at Lake Leman, Switzerland organized by Le Corbusier
First Flight over Kilimanjaro
1929-12-15 Swiss pilot Walter Mittelholzer is the first to fly over Mt. Kilimanjaro
- 1931-05-27 Swiss Auguste Piccard and Paul Kipfer make 1st flight into stratosphere, by balloon from Augsburg, Germany
- 1932-05-03 24 tourists begin 1st air-charter holiday from London, England to Basel, Switzerland
- 1932-08-18 Auguste Piccard and Max Cosyns reach 16,201m in a balloon launched from Dübendorf, Switzerland
- 1932-11-09 Riots between conservative and socialist supporters in Switzerland kill 12 and injure 60.
- 1934-09-17 USSR joins League of Nations (Netherland, Switzerland & Portugal vote no)
- 1935-07-20 Switzerland: A Royal Dutch Airlines plane en route from Milan to Frankfurt crashes into a Swiss mountain, killing thirteen
- 1938-04-01 Nescafé introduces their flagship brand in Switzerland
LSD
1938-11-16 LSD (Lysergic acid diethylamide) is first synthesized by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland
- 1939-09-01 Switzerland mobilizes its forces and the Swiss Parliament elects Henri Guisan to head the Swiss Army (an event that can happen only during war or mobilization)
- 1939-09-01 Switzerland proclaims neutrality at the outbreak of WWII
- 1940-08-14 Dutch Premier De Geer vacations in Switzerland
- 1941-05-13 Willy Lewis' US jazz band performs in Switzerland
- 1943-04-16 Swiss scientist Dr. Albert Hofmann discovers the psychedelic effects of LSD
- 1943-04-19 Bicycle Day - Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann deliberately takes LSD for the first time
- 1945-04-28 US 5th army reaches Swiss border
Hesse Nobel Literature Prize
1946-12-10 German/Swiss novelist Hermann Hesse wins the Nobel Prize in Literature "for his inspired writings which, while growing in boldness and penetration, exemplify the classical humanitarian ideals and high qualities of style"
- 1948-01-30 V Winter Olympic Games open in St Moritz, Switzerland
- 1948-02-08 V Winter Olympic Games close at St Moritz, Switzerland
- 1949-01-29 Great Britain, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand and Switzerland recognize Israel
- 1950-06-23 Swiss parliament refuses voting rights for women
- 1951-09-20 Swiss males votes against female suffrage
- 1954-06-15 UEFA (Union des Associations Européennes de Football) is formed in Basel, Switzerland
- 1954-07-04 FIFA World Cup Final, Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, Switzerland: Helmut Rahn scores twice as West Germany beats Hungary, 3-2
- 1955-09-11 Dedication of the first Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Europe, the Bern Switzerland Temple
- 1955-09-13 Swiss inventor George de Mestral is granted a patent for what would become known as Velcro
- 1956-05-24 1st Eurovision Song Contest: Lys Assia for Switzerland wins singing "Refrain" in Lugano
- 1959-02-01 Swiss men vote against voting rights for women
- 1962-04-05 St Bernard Tunnel finished-Swiss/Italians workers shake hands
- 1963-09-04 Swissair Flight 306 crashes near Dürrenäsch, Switzerland, killing all 80 people on board
- 1965-08-30 Section of Allalin glacier wipes out construction site at Mattmark Dam near Saas-Fee, Switzerland
- 1966-06-26 Kanton Bazel leads female suffrage in Switzerland
- 1969-02-18 PLO-attack El-Al plane in Zurich Switzerland
- 1969-09-14 Male voters of Swiss Canton Schaffhausen reject female suffrage
- 1970-02-24 29 Swiss Army officers die in avalanche (Reckingen, Switzerland)
- 1971-02-07 Switzerland votes for national women's suffrage in a referendum - last European country to do so except for Liechtenstein
- 1971-10-11 Switzerland recognizes North Vietnam
- 1973-04-10 BEA flight to Basel Switzerland, crashes on landing, killing 104 of 143
American Graffiti
1973-08-02 "American Graffiti", directed by George Lucas and starring Richard Dreyfuss and Ron Howard premieres at the Locarno International Film Festival, Switzerland
Film & TV History
1978-03-01 Charlie Chaplin's coffin and remains are stolen from a Swiss cemetery in an extortion plot
- 1979-01-01 Jura, 26th canton of Switzerland, established
- 1979-09-24 Russian Olympic and World Champion figure skaters Oleg Protopopov & Ludmila Beloussova ask for asylum in Switzerland
- 1980-09-05 World's longest road tunnel, St Gotthard in Swiss Alps, opens
- 1982-09-06 Polish dissidents seize Polish Embassy in Bern, Switzerland
Sports History
1983-09-04 Greg LeMond wins UCI World Road Race Championship in 7h 01' 21" in Altenrhein, Switzerland; first American cyclist to take the title
Event of Interest
1988-03-10 Avalanche at Swiss Ski resort Klosters nearly kills Prince Charles
- 1991-03-03 Switzerland votes on lowering voting age from 20 to 18
World Record
1991-08-07 American team of Carl Lewis, Mike Marsh, Leroy Burrell & Dennis Mitchell set 4 x 100m relay world record of 37.67 seconds in Zürich, Switzerland
- 1993-08-18 Historical Kapelbrug in Luzern Switzerland, destroyed by fire
- 1994-09-26 Switzerland bans racist propaganda
- 1997-01-24 The Swiss government and several banks and businesses agree to create a memorial fund for victims of the Holocaust
- 1997-03-21 Ice Dance Championship in Lausanne, Switzerland won by Oksana Grishuk & Evgeny Platov (Rus)
- 1998-02-25 Switzerland's 1st legal brothel opens in Zurich
- 1998-09-02 Swissair Flight 111 crashes near Peggys Cove, Nova Scotia. All 229 people on board are killed.
- 1998-10-29 En route Adana to Ankara, Turkish Airlines flight with crew of 6 and 33 passengers hijacked by Kurdish militant, orders pilot fly to Switzerland. Pilot lands in Ankara tricking hijacker he was landing in Sofia to refuel.
- 2002-03-03 Citizens of Switzerland narrowly vote in favor of their country becoming a member of the United Nations.
- 2002-09-10 Switzerland, traditionally a neutral country, joins the United Nations
Swiss Win America's Cup
2007-07-03 America's Cup: Swiss defender Alinghi beats Team New Zealand by 1 second to take the series 5-2 off Valencia, Spain
Event of Interest
2008-05-10 Philippine court acquits Imelda Marcos in a 17-year-old case of 32 counts of illegal transfer of wealth totaling $863 million in Swiss bank accounts
- 2008-09-10 The Large Hadron Collider at CERN, described as the biggest scientific experiment in the history of mankind is powered up in Geneva, Switzerland
- 2008-09-26 Swiss pilot and inventor Yves Rossy becomes first person to fly a jet engine-powered wing across the English Channel.
- 2009-06-02 Switzerland officially enters the global recession
- 2012-03-13 28 people, including 22 children, are killed in a motorway bus crash near Sierre, Switzerland
- 2014-02-09 Switzerland votes to return immigration quotas
- 2014-05-18 Swiss voters reject a $25 per hour minimum wage
- 2014-11-25 Switzerland's Bern Art Museum agrees to accept artworks looted from their Jewish owners by the Nazis
- 2016-01-31 "World's Best Chef" French-Swiss Benoît Violier found dead after apparent suicide weeks after being named world's best by La Liste
- 2016-06-01 Switzerland’s Gotthard Base Tunnel is completed - world’s longest at 57km and most expensive tunnel costing €11bn
- 2016-06-05 Swiss vote to reject referendum to give each citizen a guaranteed income of $2,500 Swiss francs per month
- 2016-07-17 17 works by Swiss architect Le Corbusier included in UNESCO World Heritage sites list as "an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement"
- 2016-08-20 In a blanket finish American triathlete Gwen Jorgensen takes the Olympic gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 1:56.16; 0.40 ahead of Nicola Spirig Hug of Switzerland, and Great Britain's Vicky Holland by 0:45
- 2017-04-16 World record for gathering of Charlie Chaplin lookalikes - 662 at Manoir de Ban, Chaplin museum in Vevey, Switzerland
- 2017-08-11 Fipronil contaminated eggs now affecting fifteen EU countries, Hong Kong and Switzerland according to European Commission
- 2018-08-05 Vintage Junkers Ju-52 plane crashes near Flims, Switzerland, killing all 20 on board
Famous Swiss People
Alain Delon
Albert Hofmann
Arthur Honegger
Carl Jung
Ernest Bloch
Friedrich Dürrenmatt