Timeline of Harare
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Harare, Zimbabwe.
Prior to 20th century
- 1890 – Fort Salisbury founded in Mashonaland by British South Africa Company.
- 1891 – Mashonaland Herald and Zambesian Times newspaper begins publication.
- 1896 – Salisbury Polo Club formed.
- 1897
- * Harare Township built.
- * Salisbury attains municipal status.
- 1899 – Beira-Salisbury railway begins operating.
20th century
- 1902
- * Botswana-Salisbury railway begins operating.
- * Queen Victoria Memorial Library founded.
- 1915 – Meikles Hotel in business.
- 1923 – Town becomes capital of Southern Rhodesia, a self-governing British colony.
- 1927 – Salisbury Technical School established.
- 1933 – Town House built.
- 1936 – Library of the National Archives founded.
- 1939 – Honorary Consulate of Poland opened.
- 1945 – Railway strike.
- 1946
- * Reformed Industrial and Commercial Workers Union established.
- * Population: 54,090.
- 1948
- * General strike.
- * Zimbabwe College of Music established.
- 1950 – Gwebe College of Agriculture established.
- 1951
- * Stock exchange established.
- * Population: 90,024.
- 1953
- * City becomes capital of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
- * Helping Hand Club formed.
- 1955 – University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland and Salisbury City Youth League established.
- 1956
- * Salisbury Airport commissioned.
- * Bus boycott.
- 1957 – Rhodes National Gallery opens.
- 1959 – Pearl Assurance House built.
- 1960 – Central Film Laboratories in business.
- 1962
- * First International Congress of African Culture held in city.
- * Queen Victoria Memorial Library rebuilt.
- 1964 – Greenwood Park established.
- 1969 – The Financial Gazette begins publication.
- 1970 – Chapungu Sculpture Park founded.
- 1972
- * Zimbabwe National Library and Documentation Service headquartered in city.
- * Construction of New Mabvuku begins.
- 1973 - Population: 502,000 urban agglomeration.
- 1975 – Mabvuku High School opens in Mabvuku.
- 1977 – 6 August: Bombing.
- 1978 – Oil storage tanks set on fire by the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army.
1980s–1990s
- 1980 18 April: City becomes part of independent Republic of Zimbabwe.
- 1981
- * December: Bombing of ZANU-PF headquarters.
- * National Heroes' Acre monument built near city.
- 1982 18 April: City renamed "Harare."
- 1984 – Harare Publishing House established.
- 1985 – Karigamombe Centre built.
- 1986 – September: City hosts Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.
- 1990
- * Sister city relationship established with Cincinnati, US.
- * ZANU–PF Building is completed
- 1991 – October: City hosts Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1991; Harare Declaration issued.
- 1992 - Population: 1,189,103.
- 1995 – September: City hosts 1995 All-Africa Games.
- 1996
- * Rainbow City Cinema in business.
- * Eastgate built.
- * Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe headquartered in city.
- 1997 – New Reserve Bank tower built.
- 1998
- * Weaver Press publishing house established
- * Economic protest.
- * Zimbabwe International Film Festival begins.
- * December: City hosts meeting of World Council of Churches.
- 1999
- * Daily News begins publication.
- * Zimbabwe Catholic University established.
- * Harare International Festival of the Arts begins.
- * Media Monitoring Project headquartered in city.
- 2000 – Millennium Towers built.
21st century
2000s
- 2001 – Harare Tribune newspaper begins publication.
- 2002 – Elias Mudzuri becomes mayor.
- 2003
- * Water shortage.
- * Sekesai Makwavarara becomes acting mayor.
- 2004 – Harare International Airport terminal built.
- 2005 – Operation Murambatsvina.
- 2008
- * Emmanuel Chiroto elected mayor, succeeded by Muchadeyi Masunda.
- * Harare Residents Trust organised.
- * Cholera outbreak.
- 2009
- * First Floor Gallery Harare in business.
- * Population: 1,513,173.
2010s
- 2010
- * NewsDay begins publication.
- * Zimbabwe Fashion Week begins.
- * Joina City tower built.
- 2012 - Population: 1,485,231.
- 2013 - Bernard Gabriel Manyenyeni becomes mayor.
- 2017 - The military of Zimbabwe seize power and place the president under house arrest.