Timeline of Cape Town
From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
The following is a timeline of the history of Cape Town, South Africa.
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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 19th century
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- 1651 - Jan van Riebeeck visits the Cape as part of a rescue mission to save stranded sailors.
- 1652
- 6 April: Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company arrives.
- Fort de Goede Hoop built.
- 1653 - Arrival of the first slave, Abraham van Batavia.
- 1654 - Redoubt Duijnhoop built.
- 1658 - Conflict between the Khoi and settlers.
- 1679
- Castle of Good Hope built.
- Simon van der Stel becomes commander of Dutch colony.
- 1688 - French Huguenot immigrants begin arriving.
- 1699
- 1725 - Chavonnes Battery built.
- 1755 - Town House built.[2]
- 1761 - Dessinian Library established.[3]
- 1772 - Hospital founded.[2]
- 1780 - Lutheran Church built.[2]
- 1786 - Committee of the High Court established.[4]
- 1787 - Württemberg Cape Regiment in residence.
- 1790 - Castle of Good Hope rebuilt.
- 1795
- British in power in Cape Colony.[5]
- Johann Christian Ritter sets up printing press.
- 1798
- Fire.[6]
- Auwal Mosque built.
19th century
- 1802 - Freemason's Lodge built on Bouquet Street.[7]
- 1803 - Dutch regain power in Cape Colony by the Treaty of Amiens.[5]
- 1804 - Coat of arms of Cape Town in use.
- 1806
- British in power in Cape Colony again.[5][8]
- Noon Gun firing begins.
- 1807
- Palm Tree Mosque congregation formed.
- Slave Trade Act passed.
- 1814 - Cape Town ceded to Britain by the Anglo–Dutch Treaty of 1814.[9]
- 1819
- 1820 - Royal Observatory founded.[6]
- 1821
- South African Public Library founded.[7]
- Flagstaff erected on Lion's Rump hill.[10]
- 1823 - Population: 15,500.[11]
- 1824
- Green Point Lighthouse built.
- South African Commercial Advertiser begins publication.[12]
- South African Literary Society founded.[citation needed]
- 1825 - South African Museum founded.[13]
- 1827 - Colonist newspaper begins publication.[14]
- 1829
- Vagrancy and pass laws of 1809 repealed.[citation needed]
- South African College inaugurated.
- 1830 - Cape of Good Hope Literary Gazette begins publication.[15]
- 1831 - De Zuid-Afrikaan newspaper begins publication.[12][16]
- 1834
- Slaves freed in British Empire.[8]
- St. George's Church built.
- Popular Library established.[3]
- 1839 - Cape Town Municipality established.[6]
- 1841 - Cape Town Mail newspaper begins publication.[17]
- 1844 - Nurul Islam Mosque founded.
- 1845 - Mutual Life Assurance Society of the Cape of Good Hope established.
- 1846
- Gaslight introduced.[6]
- South African Mining Company founded.[citation needed]
- 1847 - Anglican Diocese of Cape Town established.
- 1848
- Hercules Crosse Jarvis becomes mayor.
- Botanic Garden established.[18]
- 1849 - Anti-convict demonstrations.[14]
- 1851 - South African Fine Arts Association organizes exhibition in the Company's Garden.
- 1853 - Anti-Mormon riots.[6]
- 1854 - First establishment of the Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope
- 1857 - Cape Argus newspaper and Cape Monthly Magazine begin publication.[19]
- 1858 - Smallpox outbreak.[14]
- 1859 - Prison built.[7]
- 1860
- Wellington-Cape Town railway begins operating.[6]
- Harbor works begun.[1]
- Public Library building constructed.[2]
- Telegraph begins operating (Simon's Town - Cape Town).[6]
- 1861 - first Railway station built.
- 1863
- Horsecar trams begin operating.
- Grey Library opens.[20]
- 1864 - Somerset Hospital opens.
- 1867 - District Six formed.
- 1868 - Population: 22,543.[5]
- 1870 - Alfred Basin constructed.[2]
- 1871 - South African Art Gallery founded.[2]
- 1872
- The Cape attains responsible government, led by its first Prime Minister John Molteno
- Cape Government Railways founded.[21]
- 1873
- Founding of the University of the Cape of Good Hope, later UNISA
- First official use of Dutch in the Cape Parliament.
- 1874
- Founding in Cape Town of the South African Teachers' Association.
- Founding of the Cape Government Railways
- The "Molteno Regulations", drawn up in Cape Town, establish the South African public library system.[22]
- 1875.
- Population: 33,000.
- The Cape's first water engineer, John Gamble, appointed by the Cape Government and begins work on Cape Town's water infrastructure.[1]
- The Cape Town railway station built.[23]
- Opening of Cape Western railway line (11 May 1875), Cape Town Docks to junction with mainline, 7 miles 1 chain (11.3 kilometres).[24]
- 1876
- Cape Times newspaper begins publication.
- Villagers Cricket Club is founded.
- Opening of the Cape Town to Worcester railway line (16 June 1876)
- South Africa's first official archives established by Cape Government in Cape Town.[25]
- 1877
- First South African International Exhibition is held in Cape Town.
- Cape Council of Education is established.[26]
- 1878
- Railway station enlarged.
- The first telephones are set up in the Cape.[2]
- 1879 - Wesleyan Methodist Church built.[2]
- 1880 - School of Art established.[27]
- 1881 - Opening of the Molteno Dam in Oranjezicht
- 1884 - Opening of the new Cape Parliament building
- 1885 - Standard Bank of South Africa headquarters relocates to Cape Town.[28]
- 1886 - Houses of Parliament built.[2]
- 1887 - Kaapse Klopse minstrel festival begins.[29]
- 1889 - Newlands Cricket Ground in use.
- 1891
- Valkenberg Hospital and Mountain Club[30] founded.
- Population: 51,251.[1]
- 1892 - The Franchise and Ballot Act of Cecil Rhodes places restrictions on the multiracial Cape Qualified Franchise
- 1894 - Owl Club formed.
- 1896 - Electric trams begin operating (approximate date).
- 1897
- Woodhead Dam constructed.
- Museum and General Post & Telegraph Offices open.[2]
- 1898 - Jewish Tailors Union organized.[31]
- 1899 - Mount Nelson Hotel in business.[32]
20th century
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| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
| 1658 | 360 | — |
| 1731 | 3,157 | +3.02% |
| 1836 | 20,000 | +1.77% |
| 1875 | 45,000 | +2.10% |
| 1891 | 67,000 | +2.52% |
| 1901 | 171,000 | +9.82% |
| 1950 | 618,000 | +2.66% |
| 1955 | 705,000 | +2.67% |
| 1960 | 803,000 | +2.64% |
| 1965 | 945,000 | +3.31% |
| 1970 | 1,114,000 | +3.35% |
| 1975 | 1,339,000 | +3.75% |
| 1980 | 1,609,000 | +3.74% |
| 1985 | 1,933,000 | +3.74% |
| 1990 | 2,296,000 | +3.50% |
| 1996 | 2,565,018 | +1.86% |
| 2001 | 2,892,243 | +2.43% |
| 2007 | 3,497,097 | +3.22% |
| 2011 | 3,740,025 | +1.69% |
| 2014 | 3,750,000 | +0.09% |
| Note: Census figures (1996–2011) cover figures after 1994 reflect the greater Cape Town metropolitan municipality reflecting post-1994 reforms. Sources: 1658-1904,[33] 1950-1990,[34]
1996,[35] 2001, and 2011 Census;[36] 2007,[37] 2014 Census estimates.[citation needed] |
||
- 1900 - St. James Church built.
- 1902 - African Political Organization founded.
- 1904
- 1905 - Cape Town City Hall and Synagogue built.[2]
- 1910
- Cape Town in Cape Province becomes capital of Union of South Africa.[8]
- Groote Schuur becomes official Cape residence of Prime Ministers of South Africa.
- 1912 - Rhodes Memorial dedicated on Devil's Peak.
- 1913 - Botanical Society organized.[38]
- 1914
- Cape Philharmonic Orchestra active.
- Koopmans-de Wet House museum opens.
- 1915 - Die Burger newspaper begins publication.
- 1918
- University of Cape Town active.[39]
- Langa (suburb) established.[40]
- 1919 - Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union founded.
- 1928 - Table Mountain Aerial Cableway begins operating.
- 1930 - South African National Gallery building opens.
- 1934 - UCT Ballet Company established.
- 1935 - Trolleybuses begin operating.
- 1936 - St. George's Cathedral and Table Bay power station[39] constructed.
- 1938 - Groote Schuur Hospital founded.
- 1939 - Catholic Vicariate of Cape Town active.[41]
- 1940 - Mutual Building constructed.
- 1942 - Varsity student newspaper begins publication.
- 1945 - Duncan Dock constructed.[42]
- 1946 - Wingfield Aerodrome active (approximate date).[43]
- 1948 - Nyanga (suburb) established.[40]
1950s-1980s
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- 1950s - Cape Flats populated per race-based legislation.
- 1950 - Maynardville Open-Air Theatre founded (1 December 1950), by the Athlone Committee for Nursery Education.[44][45]
- 1952 - Athlone Teachers’ Training College founded (February 1952), South Africa's first college for coloured teachers of pre-school children, using money raised from the Maynardville Theatre's performances.[46][47]
- 1953 - Coloured People's Organisation active.[39]
- 1954 - D.F. Malan Airport opens.
- 1956
- Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital opens.
- Maynardville Open-Air Theatre holds its first Shakespeare performance (29 January 1956), circa five years after its founding.[48]
- Clarke's Bookshop in business.[49]
- 1958 - Gugulethu (suburb) established.[40]
- 1960
- Sentinel News begins publication.[citation needed]
- University College of the Western Cape opens.
- Milnerton Lighthouse commissioned.
- 1961
- City becomes part of the Republic of South Africa.
- Cape Town railway station rebuilt.
- 1962
- Athlone Power Station commissioned.
- Naspers Centre built.
- 1964
- Pollsmoor Prison established.
- Robert Selby Taylor becomes archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Cape Town.[39][50]
- 1967 - Cape Town Philharmonia Choir founded.
- 1968
- Non-whites banned from District Six and houses demolished per race-based legislation.
- Centre for Conflict Resolution headquartered in Cape Town.[51]
- 1971 - Nico Malan Theatre Center opens.
- 1972
- Student protest; crackdown.[50]
- Athlone Stadium and 1 Thibault Square built.
- Waterworks Museum and Space Theatre founded.
- 1976
- August: Racial unrest.[50]
- UCT Radio begins broadcasting.
- Good Hope Centre built.
- 1978
- Cape Argus Cycle Race begins.
- Cape Town Civic Centre built.
- 1979 - Hout Bay Museum opens.
- 1986 - Desmond Tutu becomes archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Cape Town.
- 1987 - Table Talk newspaper begins publication.
- 1989
- 2 September: Purple Rain Protest.
- 13 September: Cape Town peace march.
1990s
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- 1990
- 3 February: Peace Ritual begins.
- 11 February: Nelson Mandela gives public speech after his release from prison.
- Women's Centre organized.[52]
- Club Eden opens.
- 1993 - Metlife Centre built.
- 1994
- 27 April: South African general election held.
- District Six Museum opens.[53]
- 1995
- MFM 92.6 and Voice of the Cape radio begin broadcasting.
- Two Oceans Aquarium opens.
- 1995 Rugby World Cup held.
- 1996
- Cape Town/Central, Tygerberg, South Peninsula, Blaauwberg, Oostenberg, and Helderberg municipalities created.
- Gallery Mau Mau active.
- Flag of Cape Town redesign adopted.
- Population: 987,007.[54]
- 1997 - Cape Talk radio begins broadcasting.
- 1998
- Table Mountain National Park established.
- August: Restaurant bombing.
- 1999
- Surfing competition begins.
- National Library of South Africa,[55] Cape Town Opera, and Ajax Cape Town football team established.
21st century
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- 2000
- City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality formed by merger of Cape Town/Central, Tygerberg, South Peninsula, Blaauwberg, Oostenberg, and Helderberg.
- Central City Improvement District and Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign organized.
- MTN Sciencentre[56] and Canal Walk shopping centre open.
- Homegrown (drum and bass event) begins.
- Institute for Justice and Reconciliation established.[51]
- 2001
- Cape Town Pride parade begins.
- Baphumelele Children's Home founded.
- Gold Museum opens.[57]
- Population: 827,218.
- 2003
- Mayoral Committee of the City of Cape Town active.
- Die Son newspaper begins publication.
- Cape Town International Convention Centre and Mzoli's open.
- 2003 Cricket World Cup held.
- 2004 - Africa Centre established.
- 2005
- Cape Peninsula University of Technology and Cape Cobras cricket team established.
- Daily Voice newspaper begins publication.
- 2006
- Cape Town Book Fair begins.[58]
- Homeless World Cup football contest held.
- Neighbourgoods Market in business in Woodstock.[59]
- 2007
- University of Cape Town's African Centre for Cities active (approximate date).[60]
- Isango Portobello theatre group active.
- 2008
- Cape Town TV and Hillsong Church established.
- Chavonnes Battery museum opens.[61]
- Spier Poetry Exchange (festival) and Infecting the City (arts festival) begin.
- 2009
- Cape Town Stadium opens.
- Dan Plato becomes mayor.
- Silicon Cape Initiative founded.
- Organised Chaos LAN Party begins (approximate date).[citation needed]
- 2010
- June–July: FIFA World Cup held.
- Chippa United Football Club formed.
- 2011
- MyCiTi bus begins operating.
- Patricia de Lille becomes mayor.[62]
See also
- History of Cape Town
- List of mayors of Cape Town
- List of Cape Town suburbs
- Fortifications of the Cape Peninsula
- Governors of the Cape Colony (1652–1910)
- History of Cape Colony before 1806
- History of Cape Colony from 1806 to 1870
- History of Cape Colony from 1870 to 1899
- History of Cape Colony from the Second Anglo-Boer War
- Other cities in South Africa
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Bond J.: They were South Africans. London: Oxford University Press. 1956. Chapter 19, The Makers of Railways: John Molteno. p.170.
- ↑ Friis, T. 1962. The public library in South Africa - an evaluative study. Cape Town: Afrikaanse Pers-Boekhandel. p.69
- ↑ Burman, Jose (1984), Early Railways at the Cape, Cape Town: Human & Rousseau, ISBN 0-7981-1760-5
- ↑ Statement Showing, in Chronological Order, the Date of Opening and the Mileage of Each Section of Railway, Statement No. 19, p. 181, ref. no. 200954-13
- ↑ Cape Archives
- ↑ http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/amersfoort-legacy-timeline-1658-present
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 39.0 39.1 39.2 39.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ History of Maynardville - Old Wynberg Village
- ↑ "Arts Page, Official Opening of the Maynardville Theatre". Cape Times. 27 November 1950.
- ↑ Maynardville Theatre - History (City of Cape Town Website)
- ↑ "Arranged for Athlone Nursery School". Cape Times. 1 December 1950.
- ↑ Cape Times, Arts Supplement. 1950–56. p.14 (var.)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 50.0 50.1 50.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ World Literature Today, 2007
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Further reading
- Published in the 19th century
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- Published in the 20th century
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- Published in the 21st century
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- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (about Cape Town, Johannesburg, Libreville, Lomé)
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External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to History of Cape Town. |
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- New York Public Library. Images related to Cape Town, various dates
Categories:
- Use dmy dates from January 2013
- Use South African English from January 2013
- All Wikipedia articles written in South African English
- Articles with unsourced statements from January 2012
- Articles using small message boxes
- Articles with unsourced statements from July 2015
- Commons category link is locally defined
- Pages with broken file links
- History of Cape Town
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