Countries Tunisia | History by KabAstro

Events in Tunisian History

Conquest of Tunis

1535-07-14 Emperor Charles V conquers Tunis

1535-07-22 Christians captured in Tunis in uprising against Admiral Barbarossa
1574-09-13 Turkish fleet recaptures Tunis
1655-04-04 Battle at Postage Farina, Tunis: English fleet defeats Barbary pirates
1665-08-02 French expedition against Barbarians in Tunis and Algiers
1705-07-12 Ottoman army officer Al-Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī proclaims himself Bey of Tunis, founding the Husainid Dynasty (dynasty rules till 1957)
1795-11-28 US pays $800,000 & a frigate as tribute to Algiers & Tunis
1815-08-06 US flotilla ends piracy by Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli
1846-01-23 Tunisia becomes the first Arab nation to outlaw slavery in decree issued by Ahmed I Bey [1]
1881-04-28 French troops sent into Tunisia
1881-05-12 Treaty of Bardo, Tunisia becomes a French protectorate
1881-07-26 French marines occupy Tunisian harbor city Sfax
1934-09-03 Tunisia began its move for independence
1943-01-30 WWII: German assault on French in Tunisia
1943-02-10 British 8th Army sweeps through North Africa to Tunisia

Event of Interest

1943-02-13 German assault on Sidi Bou Zid Tunisia, General Dwight D. Eisenhower visits front

34th US President and WWII General Dwight D. Eisenhower

1943-02-14 German offensive against US troops through de Faid-pass, Tunisia begins, starting the Battle of Sidi Bou Zid
1943-02-19 German tanks under Major General Karl Buelowius attack Kasserine Pass, Tunisia
1943-02-20 Allied troops occupy Kasserine pass in Tunisia
1943-02-23 German troops pull back through Kasserine-pass Tunisia
1943-02-26 German assault moves to Beja, North Tunisia

Battle of Medenine

1943-03-06 Battle of Medenine: Erwin Rommel's Axis forces counterattack in North Africa to delay an attack by the British on the Mareth Line in Tunisia

Patton in Tunisia

1943-03-07 US General George S. Patton arrives in Djebel Kouif, Tunisia

1943-03-19 British 8th army opens assault on Mareth line, Tunisia
1943-03-23 German counterattack on US lines in Tunisia
1943-03-27 WWII: US begins assault on Fondouk Pass, Tunisia
1943-04-06 British offensive at Wadi Akarit, South Tunisia
1943-04-07 British and US troops make contact at Wadi Akarit, South-Tunisia
1943-04-10 General Montgomery occupies Sfax, Tunisia
1943-04-14 Generals Alexander, Eisenhower, Anderson and Bradley discuss assault on Tunis
1943-04-22 German counterattack in North Tunisia
1943-04-23 British & US offensive directed at Tunis and Bizerta
1943-04-28 US 34th Division occupies Djebel el Hara, North Tunisia
1943-04-29 US 34th Division occupies Hill 609, North Tunisia
1943-05-02 German troops vacate Jefna, Tunisia
1943-05-03 US 1st armour division occupies Mateur, Tunisia
1943-05-06 British 1st army opens assault on Tunis
1943-05-07 British 11th Hussars occupy Tunis
1943-05-07 US 1st Armour division occupies Ferryville, Tunisia
1943-05-07 US 9th Infantry division occupies Bizerta/Bensert, Tunisia
1943-05-09 5th German Panzer army surrenders in Tunisia

Hermann Goering Division Surrenders

1943-05-11 German Luftwaffe armoured Hermann Göring division in Tunisia surrenders - its commander Colonel Joseph Schmid escapes

1943-05-12 German troops in Tunisia, North Africa, surrender
1943-05-20 French, British and US victory parade in Tunis, Tunisia
1943-07-08 US invasion fleet passes Bizerta, Tunisia
1952-02-01 General strike against French colonial rule in Tunisia
1952-04-12 Salaheddine Baccouche forms Tunisian government
1952-06-14 General strike in Tunisia
1954-07-06 Tunisian government of M'zali, resigns
1954-08-02 Tahar Ben Ammar appointed premier of Tunisia
1955-05-30 Tunisia begins domestic self governing
1955-06-01 Tunisian nationalist leader Habib Bourguiba returns to Tunisia after imprisonment and exile in France
1956-03-20 Tunisia gains independence from France when the Protocol agreement signed between the two countries
1956-07-20 France recognizes Tunisian independence
1957-07-25 Monarchy in Tunisia abolished in favor of a republic
1957-11-18 Tunisia refuses Russian weapons
1958-02-08 French planes bomb Sakiet, Tunisia, 75 die
1958-04-16 French government of Gaillard falls due to Tunisia crisis
1958-10-15 Tunisia drops diplomatic relations with Egypt
1959-06-01 Constitution of Tunisia promulgated (National Day)
1959-11-08 Tunisian president Habib Bourguiba's Nes Destour party wins every seat
1961-07-20 French military forces break the Tunisian siege of Bizerte
1962-01-23 Libya, Morocco, Algeria. and Tunisia plan to form United Arab Maghreb; planning continues until an agreement is reached in 1989
1962-07-20 France and Tunisia recover diplomatic relations
1963-10-10 France cedes control of the Bizerte naval base to Tunisia
1964-10-14 Little known American distance runner Billy Mills scores major upset by winning the 10,000m at the Tokyo Olympics; beats Mohammed Gammoudi of Tunisia by 0.4s; only American to ever win the event
1974-01-12 Libya & Tunisia announces they are merging as "Islamic Arab Republic"
1978-01-26 Strikers riot in Tunisia, killing about 40

Film & TV History

1978-09-16 Filming begins for "Monty Python's Life of Brian", on location in Monastir, Tunisia

1984-01-02 Riot in Tunis kills over 100
1985-08-20 Libya throws out 1000s Tunisian/Egyptian gas workers
1985-09-26 Tunisia drops diplomatic relations with Libya
1985-10-01 Israeli air raid on PLO-headquarter at Tunis, 68 killed
1987-11-07 Tunisian premier Zine al-Abidine fires President Habib Bourguiba
1989-02-17 Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia & Libya form common market
2002-04-11 The Ghriba synagogue bombing by Al Qaeda kills 21 in Tunisia
2011-01-14 Tunisian president Ben Ali, flees to Saudi Arabia after popular protests known as the Jasmine Revolution
2014-02-21 11 people are killed after a Libyan Air Force plan crashes in Tunisia

Tunisia's 1st Elected President

2014-12-31 Beji Caid Essebsi is sworn in as Tunisia's 1st ever freely elected President

2015-06-26 Gunman opens fire at beach resort in Sousse, Tunisia, killing 38. Isis claims responsibility.
2015-10-09 The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
2015-11-24 Tunisia declares state of emergency after an attack on a bus in Tunis carrying presidential guards kills at least 12
2018-01-15 Protests against the current government turn violent in Tunis, Tunisia marking the seventh anniversary of the revolution
2018-06-03 Boat capsizes off eastern Tunisia drowning at least 48 migrants
2018-07-03 Souad Abderrahim is elected the first female mayor of Tunis, Tunisia
2019-05-09 At least 65 migrants drown off the coast of Tunisia when their boat capsizes after leaving Libya according to the UN
2019-10-13 Tunisian presidential election won by academic Kais Saied defeating media mogul Nabil Karoui
2020-06-11 Bodies of 46 migrants recovered off the coast of Tunisia after a boat capsized a few days before
2021-06-27 Boat sinks off Tunisia, drowning 43 migrants with 84 rescued by Tunisian navy [1]
2021-07-26 Tunisian government in crisis after President Kais Saied sacks Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and suspends parliament with the help of the army because of its handling of COVID-19
2021-08-01 394 migrants rescued from a stricken vessel by humanitarian NGO ships in Tunisian waters [1]
2021-09-29 Tunisian President Kais Saied appoints Najla Bouden Romdhan as Tunisia's and the Arab world's first female prime minister
2022-07-09 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan claims her first Grand Slam title with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over Tunisia's Ons Jabeur; first Kazakhstani player to win a major title
2022-09-10 US Open Women's Tennis: World #1 Iga Świątek of Poland wins her 3rd major title with a 6–2, 7–6 (7–5) victory over Tunisia's Ons Jabeur
2023-07-15 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Czech left-hander Markéta Vondroušová beats Ons Jabeur of Tunisia 6–4, 6–4 to become first unseeded player to win the women's singles title in the pro era

Tunisian History Timeline