View source for Timeline of Zambia

{{History of Zambia}}
This page contains a chronological timeline of some of the key events that happened in [[Zambia]]n history.


==2021 - present==
*'''2024 Jun 22''' - Freedom fighter and former [[Cabinet Minister]] in the [[UNIP]] Government [[Aaron Milner]] dies in Harare, Zimbabwe at age 92.
*'''2023 July 20''' - [[Senior Chief Inyambo Yeta]] of the [[Lozi people]] of [[Sesheke district|Sesheke]], [[Mwandi district|Mwandi]] and [[Mulobezi district|Mulobezi]] districts dies at the [[Maina Soko Military Hospital]] in [[Lusaka]]<ref>[https://www.znbc.co.zm/news/senior-chief-inyambo-yeta-dies/ Senior Chief Inyambo Yeta Dies], 21 July 2023, [[ZNBC]]</ref>
*'''2023 March 31''' - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris visits Zambia
*'''2022 Dec 29''' - [[Katele Kalumba]] and three others sentenced to five years imprisonment for corrupt practices. Chief Justice Mumba Malila upheld the five years jail term earlier imposed on the four by the LUSAKA Magistrate Court in 2010. Their conviction arose from the payment of US$20 million made to US security companies Systems Innovation and Wilbain Incorporation involving US$20 million during the time Kalumba served as finance minister in the [[MMD]] under the leadership of second republican president late [[Frederick Chiluba]].<ref>[https://www.znbc.co.zm/news/ex-minister-kalumbathree-others-jailed-for-corruption/ Ex Minister Kalumba,Three Others Jailed For Corruption], 29 December 2022, [[ZNBC]]</ref>
* '''2022 Nov 11''' - Government shuts down [[Kamwala Remand Prison]], transfers inmates to [[Mwembeshi Correctional Facility]].<ref>[https://diggers.news/local/2022/11/11/govt-shuts-down-kamwala-remand-prison-moves-inmates-to-mwembeshi/ Govt shuts down Kamwala Remand Prison, moves inmates to Mwembeshi], Diggers, 11 Nov 2022</ref>
* '''2021 Aug 24''' - [[Inauguration of Hakainde Hichilema]] takes place at [[National Heroes Stadium]].
* '''2021 Aug 16''' - [[Hakainde Hichilema]] is declared [[president]]-elect.
* '''2021 Aug 12''' - [[Zambian general election, 2021|2021 general election]] are held.
* '''2021 Jun 17''' - First president of Zambia [[Kenneth Kaunda]] dies at age 97.

==2011 - 2020==
*'''2020 Mar 18''' - Zambia’s [[Ministry of Health|Health Minister]] [[Chitalu Chilufya]] announces the country's first recorded two cases of the global pandemic coronavirus (COVID-19) in [[Lusaka]]<ref>[https://www.znbc.co.zm/news/zambia-records-two-coronavirus-cases/ Coronavirus: Zambia records first two confirmed cases], [[ZNBC]] News</ref>
* '''2018 July 12''' [[Comesa market]] in [[Lusaka]] second class trading area has gone up in [[2018 Comesa market fire|flames]]
* '''2018 July 12''' [[Mufulira]]’s [[Buteko Market]] [[2018 Buteko Market fire|gutted]]
* '''2017 Oct 6''' The [[Minister of Health]] declared an [[2017-18 Zambia cholera outbreak|outbreak of cholera]]  in the [[Lusaka|capital city]].
*'''2017 July 4'''- [[Lusaka City Market]] is [[ 2017 Lusaka City market fire |burnt]]
*'''2017 March 12'''- [[Zambia national under-20 football team|Zambia U20]] win the [[2017 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations |U20 Africa Cup]] for the first time in history.
*'''2017 Feb 3''' - Singer [[Joe Chibangu]] dies at his home in [[Lusaka]].
*'''2016 Aug 19''' - [[Hakainde Hichilema]], [[UPND]] President & running mate [[Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba]]  filed a [[2016 Zambian presidential election petition|a presidential election petition]] against President-Elect [[Edgar Lungu]], [[PF]] President & running mate [[Inonge Wina]].
*'''2016 Aug 15''' - President [[Edgar Lungu]] is announced as president-elect after the [[Zambian general election, 2016|August 11 elections]]
*'''2016 Jul 28''' - President [[Edgar Lungu]] commissions [[Robert Makasa University]] in [[Chinsali]], [[Muchinga Province]].
*'''2016 Jul 28''' - Ballot papers for the [[Zambian general election, 2016|August 11 elections]] arrive in the country from Dubai where they were being printed. Political party representatives, civil society organisations and the media were present to witness the arrival.
*'''2016 Jul''' - The [[National Heritage Conservation Commission]] excavates a skeleton believed to have been a woman who lived between 700 AD and 1100 AD at [[Ingombe Illede National Monument]].
*'''2016 June''' - Zambia's first ever online encyclopedia was launched [[Chalo Chatu]]
*'''2016 Apr''' - Rioting and looting following accusations that Rwandans who have fled to [[Zambia]] have been involved in ritual killings. President Lungu speaks of his country's collective shame over mob attacks on foreigners.
* ''' 2015 Oct 20 ''' - 18 October declared as [[ National Day of Prayer|
the day of national prayers, peace and reconciliation]].
*'''2015 Jul 16''' - [[Edgar Lungu]] commutes the death sentences of 332 prisoners to life in prison and condemned the massive overcrowding at the [[Mukobeko Prison]], calling it "an affront to basic human dignity".
*'''2015 Apr 20''' - [[Zambia]] slashes by more than half a controversial mineral royalty tax after investors threatened to pull out of the copper-rich country.
*'''2015 Apr 6''' - 17 people are killed when a light truck they were in hit a shop before turning over in [[Mazabuka]].
*'''2015 Mar''' - President [[Edgar Lungu|Lungu]] has surgery in South Africa. He collapsed at an event the month before.
*'''2015 Jan 25''' - [[Edgar Lungu]] is [[President Edgar Lungu’s inauguration ceremony, 25 January 2015|inaugurated as the country’s new president]] after being declared the winner of [[Zambian presidential election, 2015|Zambia's Jan 20 presidential election]].
*'''2015 Jan 24''' - Opposition leader [[Hakainde Hichilema]] holds a briefing in which he described the Jan 20 election as a sham.
*'''2015 Jan 20''' - Zambia holds [[Zambian presidential election, 2015|presidential elections]]. The winner of the election will serve out the remainder of late President [[Michael Sata]]’s term until elections next year. Patriotic Front candidate [[Edgar Lungu]] (58) received 48.3 percent of the vote, while [[Hakainde Hichilema]] (52) of the [[United Party for National Development]] came in second with 46.7 percent after votes were tallied from all [[List of Zambian parliamentary constituencies|150 constituencies]].
*'''2014 Nov 21''' - Ruling [[Patriotic Front]] said it has suspended acting president [[Guy Scott]] as acting head of the party for "unconstitutional conduct", in the latest twist of a bitter power struggle ahead of a January election.
*'''2014 Oct 29''' - [[Guy Scott]] becomes acting president after the death of [[Zambia]]'s fifth president, [[Michael Sata]]'s.
*'''2014 Oct 28''' - President [[Michael Sata|Sata]] dies in a London hospital at the age of 77. 
*'''2014 Oct 24''' - At least 26 people died, most of them children, when a ferry capsized on [[Lake Kariba]].
*'''2014 Jun''' - President [[Michael Sata|Sata]] goes to Israeli on a ''working holiday" amid rumours about his health.
*'''2014 May 23''' - Ranger [[Dexter Chilunda]] is killed while investigating reports of gunshots in [[Liuwa Plain National Park]]. Two suspected poachers were arrested on June 1.
*'''2014 Mar 21''' - Zambia scraps restrictions on the use of dollars and other foreign currencies as it tried to halt the slide in its currency, which has lost nearly a fifth of its value in recent months.
*'''2014 Feb''': Nationwide strike after tax hike and public sector wage freeze prohibited salary increases and new hires.
*'''2014 Jan 6''' - Police arrest and charged opposition leader [[Frank Bwalya]] with defamation, after he referred to President [[Michael Sata]], in a radio interview, as "Chumbu Mushololwa." The Bemba term literally refers to a sweet potato that breaks when it is bent and is used to describe someone who does not heed advice.
*'''2013 Dec 24''' - [[Edgar Lungu]] becomes  Minister of Defence after [[Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba]] resigned from his ministerial post.
*'''2013 Dec 23''' - Defense minister [[Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba]] resigns.
*'''2013 Nov 1''' - Dozens of Zambian separatists appeared in court on charges of treason for trying to create a new state called [[Barotseland]] in the west of the country. A total of 84 defendants, mostly from the [[Lozi people|Lozi tribe]], were rounded up in a recent crackdown on those protesting for Barotseland.
*''2013 Mar 25''' - Former president, [[Rupiah Banda]] (76), is arrested by police for alleged abuse of authority and corruption, shortly after being stripped of immunity. He was released on bail of Kwacha 500,000 ($100,000) and ordered to turn in his passport.
*'''2013 Feb 7''' - A [[Zambia Postal Services]] bus carrying passengers toward its capital Lusaka, smashes into a semi-truck and another car killing at least 53 people in one of the worst traffic crashes in the nation in recent history.
*'''2013 Feb''' - The government takes over the Chinese-owned [[Collum Coal Mine]] after revoking its licence because of safety lapses.
*'''2012 Aug 13''' - Opposition leader, [[Hakainde Hichilema]], is arrested and charged with publishing false information after he claimed on June 11 that ruling party youth were being trained by Sudanese militia.
*'''2012 Aug''' - Chinese mine manager killed during pay protest.
*'''2012 May 31''' - Investigators arrest [[Andrew Banda]], the oldest son of former president [[Rupiah Banda]], for corruption and possessing assets bought with "dirty money".
*'''2012 Feb 3''' - Corruption investigators arrested a former minister on theft charges and recorded a statement from ex-president [[Rupiah Banda]]'s wife in another probe. Mines minister [[Maxwell Mwale]] was arrested and charged over the theft of 20 bicycles belonging to small-scale miners. The bicycles were worth K5,500 Kwacha (1,050 dollars, 800 euros) in total.
*'''2011''' - Zambia’s population numbered about 13 million people.
*'''2011 Oct 20''' - [[Zambia]], Africa's biggest copper producer, said it has suspended the renewal and issue of new mining licenses and would undertake an audit of the sector.
*'''2011 Oct 14''' - Malawi agrees to allow back into the country new Zambian President [[Michael Sata]], who had been deported four years ago while still head of the Zambian opposition. 
*'''2011 Oct 4''' - Zambia announced that it has halted all metal exports, in a move to ensure that mining firms accurately report their sales. New rules on metal exports should be ready by October 16. The ban was lifted on Oct 6 as it would take too long for new rules to be drawn up.
*'''2011 Oct 1''' - [[Michael Sata]] appoints [[Rosewin Wandi]] as Director General of the [[Anti-Corruption Commission]] (ACC).
*'''2011 Sep 25''' - New president [[Michael Sata]] says his government would follow the tenets of the 10 Biblical Commandments.
*'''2011 Sep 20''' - Zambia held [[Zambian general election, 2011|elections for a president]], 150 lawmakers and over 1,000 municipal councilors. Incumbent president [[Rupiah Banda]] was in a close race with populist rival [[Michael Sata]]. [[Zambian general election, 2011|Elections]] results on Sep 23 said Michael Sata won with 1,150,045 votes, or 43% of the total, to 961,796 votes, or 36.1% for incumbent Rupiah Banda.
*'''2011 Aug 9''' - The [[High Court of Zambia]] dismissed a bid by the main opposition to block President Rupiah Banda from contesting polls next month over claims that he had lied about his parents' nationality.
*'''2011 Jun 18''' - Former president [[Frederick Chiluba]] (68) dies.
*'''2011 Jan''' - Deadly clashes between police and demonstrators agitating for secession of western Zambia, known as [[Barotseland]].

==2001 - 2010==
*'''2001 Apr 30''' - The ruling party [[Movement for Multi-Party Democracy|MMD]] nominated President [[Frederick Chiluba|Chiluba]] for re-election following a vote to amend the constitution to allow him to run for third term.
*'''2001 May 2''' - Setback for governing [[Movement for Multi-party Democracy]] as Vice President [[Christon Tembo]], 8 Cabinet members and 11 other senior officials hive off to create [[Forum for Democracy and Development]] (FDD). They're opposed to Chiluba's bid for a third term in office.
*'''2001 May 4''' - President [[Frederick Chiluba|Chiluba]] announced he would not run for a 3rd term.
*'''2001 May 27''' - Archbishop [[Emmanuel Milingo]] married Maria Sung in a mass ceremony conducted by Rev. Sun Myung Moon in NYC. In Aug Milingo was reported to have recommitted his life to the Catholic Church. Marie Sung went on a hunger strike. Sung later resigned herself to Milingo’s return to the Church.
*'''2001 June 21''' - Zambia experiences a total solar eclipse. This attracted a lot of tourists to come and view the spectacular occurrence.
*'''2001 July''' - [[Paul Tembo]], former campaign manager for [[Frederick Chiluba|Chiluba]] who joined the opposition, is murdered shortly before he is due to testify against three ministers in a high-level corruption case.
*'''2001 July''' - Zambia appeals for aid to feed some 2 million people after poor harvests caused by floods and drought.
*'''2001 Jul 20''' - The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) was formally adopted at the 37th session of the (OAU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government in [[Lusaka]], [[Zambia]]. This was the final summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), launch of the African Union.
*'''2001 Dec 11''' - [[Mainza Chona]] dies at age 71 in South Africa.
*'''2001 Dec 27''' - Zambia held national elections. Early returns showed a virtual tie between [[Levy Mwanawasa]] of the ruling [[Movement for Multiparty Democracy]] (MMD) and [[Anderson Mazoka]] (d.2006) of the [[United Party for National Development]] (UPND). Mwanawasa won with 29% of the vote.
*'''2002 Jan 2''' - [[Levy Mwanawasa]] (1948-2008) of the ruling (MMD) was sworn in as president despite protests of ballot stuffing and voter intimidation. An appeal for a recount was rejected. Unrest closed much of [[Lusaka]]. Zambia’s inflation at this time was 21.7%.
*'''2002 May 29''' - In Zambia Pres. Levy Mwanawasa declared a national food crises with 4 million people facing starvation due to drought. 
*'''2002 Jul''' - Parliament votes to remove ex-president [[Frederick Chiluba]]'s immunity from prosecution.
*'''2002 Aug 16''' - The Zambian government has rejected donations of genetically modified maize from the United States, even though a massive food shortage threatens nearly 2.3 million of its people with starvation.
*'''2002 Nov 2''' - [[Rex Mwanawasa]] (43), the brother of Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa, is found dead in a hotel room in Pretoria, South Africa.
*'''2002''' - Former President [[Frederick Chiluba]] divorces his wife, [[Vera Chiluba|Vera]]. She tried to sue him for $400 million, her alleged share of the riches he had accumulated over a decade in power. Her case was dismissed.
*'''2003 Feb 24''' - Former President [[Frederick Chiluba]] (59) is arrested and charged with stealing from the government while in office. In August Chiluba was charged with stealing over $40 million during his rule.
*'''2003 May 6''' - It was reported that AIDS in [[Zambia]] had cut the average life expectancy to 33 years from 44 a decade ago. One in 5 adults was reported to have HIV.
*'''2003 Dec''' - Supreme Court confirms death sentences on 44 soldiers for their role in [[1997 coup d'état attempt|1997's failed coup]]; sentences are later commuted by President Mwanawasa.
*'''2004 Sept''' - Many charges of corruption against former president [[Frederick Chiluba]] are dropped, but within hours he is re-arrested on six new charges.
*'''2004''' - White farmers from Zimbabwe moved to [[Zambia]] and leased some 150 farms.
*'''2005 Apr''' - World Bank approves $3.8 billion debt relief package which will write off more than 50% of Zambia's debt.
*'''2005 Apr 8''' - In northern Zambia a truck packed with high school students skidded off a mountain road, killing at least 38 and seriously injuring 50.
*'''2005 Apr 21''' - At least 51 people were killed in a blast at a Chinese-owned mining-explosives factory in [[Chambishi]].
*'''2005 Jul 16''' - It was reported that at least 1 million Zambians were infected with HIV, out of a population of 10.5 million and that 1-20% had full blown AIDS.
*'''2005 Jul 28''' - An official reported anonymously that Haroon Rashid Aswat (31) has been arrested in the border town of Livingstone, having crossed into Zambia from Zimbabwe. Aswat was sought in connection with the July 7 attacks in London that killed 56 people.
*'''2005 Aug 7''' - [[Zambia]] deported Haroon Rashid Aswat (31), a Briton who has been questioned in connection with the July 7 London transit bombings and is suspected of links to al-Qaida.
*'''2005 Oct 28''' - The UN food agency warned that at least 1.7 million Zambians need food, and the situation is deteriorating rapidly.
*'''2005 Nov''' - President Mwanawasa declares a national disaster and appeals for food aid. He says more than a million Zambians face food shortages owing to drought.
*'''2005''' - Zambia’s population stood at about 10.5 million.
*'''2006 Apr''' - President Mwanawasa suffers a minor stroke. He resumes "light duties" after some weeks and later declares himself fit to run for re-election towards the end of the year.
*'''2006 Jun 17''' - Inflation was reported to have fallen under 10%. The [[Zambian Kwacha]] gained strength as the economy improved due to a lower debt burden and government moves toward a more market-oriented economy.
*'''2006 Jul 27''' - President [[Levy Mwanawasa]] called elections for Sept. 28 and dissolved parliament and Cabinet.
*'''2006 Sep 28''' - Zambians voted to decide whether President [[Levy Mwanawasa]] would stay in office for a second term despite a strong challenge from opposition candidates who lambasted his economic policies. Voters jammed polling stations after a national election campaign marked by bitter debate about the president's effort to increase foreign investment and combat poverty and corruption. 
*'''2006 Oct 1''' - Rioting erupts in Lusaka after President [[Levy Mwanawasa]] surged ahead in presidential polls and his principal rival slipped into third place.
*'''2006 Oct 2''' - The [[Electoral Commission of Zambia]] (ECZ) said that President [[Levy Mwanawasa]] was re-elected to a second term, collecting 43% of the votes cast in last week's balloting.
*'''2006 Oct''' - President [[Levy Mwanawasa|Mwanawasa]] announces discovery of oil in the west.
*'''2006 Nov 17''' - The court rules that ailing former president [[Frederick Chiluba]] is currently unfit to stand trial for corruption and should be immediately sent to South Africa for treatment.
*'''2006 Dec 31''' - President [[Levy Mwanawasa]] rejects IMF directives to introduce more taxes in [[Zambia]] amid high levels of poverty.
*'''2006''' Employees at a Chinese owned copper mine in [[Chambishi]] were sprayed with gunfire while protesting working conditions.
*'''2007 Feb 3''' - Chinese President Hu Jintao inaugurates a huge mining investment zone at the end of a two-day visit. His itinerary is cut short due to planned protests against the alleged exploitation of local workers by Chinese firms.
*'''2007 Mar 1''' - Lands Minister [[Gladys Nyirongo]] acknowledges at a major conference on graft in Africa that "Corruption is everywhere, in the villages, wherever." Hours later she was sacked. President [[Levy Mwanawasa]] said: "She gave land to herself, her two daughters, her sons and her husband."
*'''2007 March''' Malawi arrests and deports Zambian opposition leader [[Michael Sata]] after he flew there on personal business and to meet former Malawi president Bakili Muluzi.
*'''2007 Mar 20''' - President [[Levy Mwanawasa]] urged southern Africa to take a new approach to Zimbabwe, which he likened to a "sinking Titanic" as millions flee economic and political turmoil.
*'''2007 Apr 22''' - The annual Goldman Environmental Prizes were announced on Earth Day. The winners included Julio Cusurichi of Peru for his work to fight illegal logging; Willie Corduff of Ireland for his work to halt an energy project that disregarded local and environmental concerns; Sophia Rabliauskas of Canada for her work to help protect the boreal forest in Manitoba; Orri Vigfussen of Iceland for his work on the North Atlantic Salmon Fund; Ts. Munkhbayar for his work against unregulated mining in Mongolia; and [[Hammerskjoeld Simwinga]] for his work in organizing microloan programs in [[Zambia]].
*'''2007 May 4''' - A British court finds [[Frederick Chiluba]], Zambia's first democratically elected president (1991-2001), guilty of stealing $46 million in government funds and ordered him to repay the entire sum. He had gone on trial in Zambia in 2003, accused of 169 counts of corruption, abuse of power and theft, but was declared unfit to stand trial on the grounds of ill health.
*'''2007 Jun 2''' - At least 12 soccer fans are crushed to death as a crowd rushed from the Lusaka stadium after [[Zambia national football team|Zambia]]'s victory over Congo Brazzaville in an African Cup qualifier.
*'''2007 July 3''' - Lusaka Province police commanding officer [[Wasakaza Ng'uni]] (57) dies in a road accident.
*'''2007 Aug 16''' - Zambia hosts the 27th Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in [[Lusaka]]. The 2-day summit provided scant hope for the people of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe rejected the need for political reform at the summit of regional leaders that is meant to find ways to ease the country's political and economic crisis.
*'''2007 Oct 19''' - [[Kenneth Kaunda]] is awarded the 2007 [http://allafrica.com/stories/200710160163.html Ubuntu Award].
*'''2007 Nov 22''' - The UN resumed the repatriation of 12,000 Congolese refugees from Zambia which was suspended three months ago due to insecurity in the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) Katanga province.
*'''2008 Aug 19''' - President [[Levy Mwanawasa]] (b.1948) dies in France. He had been hospitalised at a French military hospital since suffering a stroke in June.
*'''2008 Oct 30''' - Zambia votes for a successor to the late President [[Levy Mwanawasa]] in an election the main opposition leader, [[Michael Sata]], accused the ruling party of rigging. Sata was ahead in early presidential election results, but his lead was slowly narrowed. [[Rupiah Banda]] won 40% of the vote and opposition leader Michael Sata secured 38%.
*'''2008 Nov 2''' - Veteran diplomat [[Rupiah Banda]] (72) is sworn in as the new president of Zambia following a narrow and disputed victory over a populist rival in an election necessitated by the death of the country's former leader, [[Levy Mwanawasa]].
*'''2008 Nov 2''' - [[Zambia's first]] Minister of Agriculture [[Elijah Mudenda]] dies at age 81 at [[Maina Soko Medical Centre]] in [[Lusaka]].
*'''2009 Jul 20''' - Zambia's Catholic bishops and the International Press Institute condemned the arrest on obscenity charges of a newspaper editor who says she was trying to draw attention to the consequences of a health workers' strike. [[Chansa Kabwela]], editor of the independent [[The Post|Post], was arrested last week after e-mailing pictures of a woman giving birth in the streets to policy makers and aid groups.
*'''2009 Aug 17''' - Former President [[Frederick Chiluba]] (1991-2001) was cleared of corruption charges following a six-year trial after a magistrate ruled that $500,000 of allegedly embezzled funds could not be traced to government money. The head of the anti-corruption task force is sacked after initiating an appeal against Chiluba's acquittal.
*'''2009''' - [[Dambisa Moyo]], native of Zambia and former World Bank consultant, authored ''“Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way For Africa."''
*'''2009''' [[Zambian Airways]] is liquidated. The government refused to let foreign airlines use Lusaka as a hub in the unlikely event that the airline would one day fly again.
*'''2010 Feb''' - [[Zambia]] and China sign mining cooperation agreement and deal to set up joint economic zone.
*'''2010 Aug''' - Zambia, China agree to build a second hydroelectric power plant on the [[Kafue River]].
*'''2010 Oct 17''' - [[Zambia Police]] said managers at a Chinese-run coal mine who shot at workers protesting poor working conditions will be charged with attempted murder. 12 workers at [[Collum Coal Mine]] in the southern town of [[Sinazongwe]] were injured a day earlier when mainly Chinese managers fired randomly at the protesting workers.

==1991 - 2000==

*'''2000''' - [[Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines]] (ZCCM) privatized after 4 years of negotiations.
*'''2000 Dec 4''' - UN officials estimate that up to 60,000 refugees fleeing fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo move to Zambia in less than a week.
*'''2000 July''' - Environment Minister [[Ben Mwila]] expelled from the MMD and dropped from the cabinet after announcing his intention to run for [[Zambian general election, 2001|president in 2001]].
*'''2000 May''' - Fighting between Angolan forces and UNITA rebels spills over into [[Zambia]]n territory.
*'''2000 Mar 10''' - Over 12,000 people lost their homes when the spillways of [[Kariba Dam]] in southern [[Siavonga]] were opened to relieve pressure.
*'''1999 Nov 4'''  - [[Wezi Kaunda]] (47), the son of [[Kenneth Kaunda]], is shot and killed by 4 gunmen at his front gate in [[Lusaka]]. Wezi was a retired army major who was a rising figure in his father's opposition [[United National Independence Party]] and had been expected to assume a top post in the party in December of 1999.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/05/world/gunmen-kill-son-of-kaunda-former-president-of-zambia.html Gunmen Kill Son of Kaunda, Former President of Zambia], 5 Nov 1999, New York Times</ref>
*'''1999 Mar 31''' - The high court declared former leader [[Kenneth Kaunda]], born to Malawian missionaries, a non-citizen. 
*'''1999 Feb 28''' - A bomb exploded at the Angolan Embassy and 4 other locations in [[Lusaka]].
*'''1999''' - The [[High Court]] sentences 59 soldiers to death after they are found guilty of treason for the [[1997 coup d'état attempt|failed coup attempt in 1997]].
*'''1998''' - Celtel began mobile phone operations in [[Zambia]]. In 2003 it expanded to rural areas and the service became a cheap way to transfer money.
*'''1998 Jun 1''' - Zambia dropped charges against former President [[Kenneth Kaunda]] and released him after Kaunda pledged to retire.
*'''1998 Mar 17''' - The state of emergency imposed after the [[1997 coup d'état attempt|October 1997 coup attempt]] was lifted.
*'''1998 Jan 14''' - Two officers told a court in [[Lusaka]] that they were tortured into accusing [[Kenneth Kaunda]] of plotting a failed coup.
*'''1998 Jan 10''' - A court filing accused [[Kenneth Kaunda]] of paying army officers $270 to stage an October coup, promising another $13,300 if the insurrection was successful.
*'''1997 Dec 31''' - A team of 50 Zambian and South African doctors led by American neurosurgeon, Dr Ben Carson, successfully separate [[Zambia]]n conjoined twins, [[Joseph and Luka Banda]].
*'''1997 Dec 31''' - [[Kenneth Kaunda]] (73) was released from prison and placed under house arrest.
*'''1997 Dec 25''' - Former president [[Kenneth Kaunda]] confined to prison on suspicion of being linked to the [[1997 coup d'état attempt|Oct 28 coup attempt]].
*'''1997 Oct 28''' - [[Captain Solo]] (Steven Lungu) attempts [[1997 coup d'état attempt|a coup]] against President [[Frederick Chiluba]]. Scores of people, mostly soldiers, were later arrested and a state of emergency imposed.
*'''1997 Aug 24''' - [[Kenneth Kaunda]] accused [[Frederick Chiluba]]  of trying to kill him after he was wounded by riot police during a protest rally.
*'''1996 Nov 20''' - [[Frederick Chiluba]] and his [[Movement for Multiparty Democracy]] (MMD) won re-election. Former president [[Kenneth Kaunda]] and his [[United National Independent Party]] boycotted because he was declared ineligible to run. 
*'''1996 Jun 16''' - 15 soccer fans were crushed to death and 52 injured during a stampede after [[Zambia national football team|Zambia]] beat Sudan.
*'''1996 Jun 4''' - Nine opposition politicians were charged with treason and masterminding the [[Black Mamba group]].
*'''1996 May 21''' - The government adopts new constitutional amendments to prevent [[Kenneth Kaunda]] from running for president. The amendments require that candidates be at least second-generation Zambians. Kaunda is the son of immigrants from Malawi.
*'''1994''' - [[Francis Grogan]] and [[Carl Irwin]] founded [[Zambeef]] with a staff of 60 people. In 2013 the company employed 5,000.
*'''1993 Apr 27''' - The [[Zambia national football team]] perishes in the [[1993 Zambia national football team air disaster|1993 air crash disaster in Gabon]] as the team was flying to the FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Senegal in Dakar. The crash left all on board dead.
*'''1993 March 4''' - President [[Frederick Chiluba]] declared a state of emergency, alleging the existence of a plot to overthrow the government by illegal means. The plot, known as the "[[Zero Option Plan]]" was said to have been devised by members of the previous ruling party [[United National Independence Party]] (UNIP), with support from the governments of Iraq and Iran.
*'''1993''' - Government establishes [[The Human Rights Commission]].
*'''1991''' - [[Kenneth Kaunda]] was voted out of office. President [[Frederick Chiluba]] and the [[Movement for Multi-Party Democracy]] (MMD) won in the first multi-party elections.
*'''1991''' - Xu Jianxue arrived in Zambia and began a civil-engineering and construction firm with his 4 brothers. Some 300 Chinese lived in Zambia at this time. By 2006 the number was estimated at 3,000.

==1981 - 1990==
*'''1991''' - Multi-party constitution adopted. [[Movement for Multi-party Democracy]] (MMD) wins elections and its leader, [[Frederick Chiluba]], becomes president.
*'''1990 Jul 1''' - [[Mwamba Luchembe]] attempts to coup [[Kenneth Kaunda]]. Luchembe made his way into the [[Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation]] (ZNBC) radio studios where he announced that the [[Zambia Army]] had taken over Government and he cited food riots of the previous week as reasons for his action.
*'''1990 Jun 27''' - [[1990 food riots|Food riots rock Zambia]]. The three-day unrest began after the government more than doubled the price of mealie meal as part of an economic reform program. About 27 people were killed and more than 100 wounded.
*'''1985 Nov''' - [[Zambia Congress of Trade Unions]] (ZCTU) withdrew from all the boards of parastatal enterprises to which it belonged in protest against the foreign exchange auction which had raised the cost of living beyond acceptable limits and against economic reforms in general (Rakner 1992).
*'''1983 Aug 7''' - [[Lusaka]] Archbishop [[Emmanuel Milingo]] resigned under pressure for his faith healings and exorcisms. He was brought to Rome as a functionary and retired in 2000. In 2001 he (71) married Marie Sung (43) of South Korea in a New York City wedding conducted by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/07/world/zambian-archbishop-quits-under-fire.html ZAMBIAN ARCHBISHOP QUITS UNDER FIRE], 7 August 1983, New York Times</ref>
*'''1982 Nov 26''' - [[Adamson Mushala]], leader of the rebel group [[Democratic Supreme Council]] is gunned down by Zambian security forces.

==1971 - 1980==

*'''1980 Apr 1''' - The Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC) was established by 9 countries with the [[Lusaka Declaration]] (Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, [[Zambia]], Zimbabwe). The main aim was coordinating development projects in order to lessen economic dependence on apartheid South Africa.  On August 17, 1992, it was transformed into SADC. By 2008 it included 15 members.
*'''1976 Jul''' - China completed the construction of a railway between Tanzania and [[Zambia]].
*'''1976''' - [[Zambia]] declares support for the independence struggle in Rhodesia. Zambian help proves crucial to the transition of Rhodesia to an independent Zimbabwe.
*'''1975 May 27''' - President [[Kenneth Kaunda]] names [[Elijah Mudenda]] as the Prime Minister after [[Mainza Chona]] resigned.
*'''1975''' - [[Tanzania-Zambia Railway]] (TAZARA) opened, providing a link between the Copperbelt to the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam, reducing Zambian dependence on Rhodesia and South Africa for its exports.
*'''1973 Aug 25''' - Zambia adopts new constitution.
*'''1973 Jun 27''' - The new constitution dubbed the [[Choma Declaration]] is signed in [[Choma]], marking the beginning of the one-party rule. 
*'''1973''' -  The [[National Marketing Board]] (NAMBOARD) is formed and designated as the sole purchaser of maize and cotton in order to ensure fair and adequate agricultural distribution.
*'''1972 Dece 13''' [[Kenneth Kaunda]] announces the introduction of a [[one-party state]] outlawing all existing and future opposition political parties. 
*'''1972 Dec''' - Rev [[Paul Mushindo]] is killed in a hit and run road accident when he was cycling from an evangelisation trip back to [[Malashi]].
*'''1972''' - [[The W.I.T.C.H.]] release their first [[Zamrock]] album, [[Introduction (1972 album)|Introduction]].
*'''1972''' - [[Zamrock]] (Zambian rock) music genre is started.
*'''1971 August''' - [[Simon Kapwepwe]] resigns from [[UNIP]] and the government, and announced that he was, indeed, the leader of the [[United Progressive Party]] (UPP)

==1961 - 1970==

*'''1970 Oct''' - China began construction of the 1,870 km (1,160 miles) [[Tanzania-Zambia Railway]] (TAZARA) between [[Lusaka]] and the Tanzanian port of Dar es Salaam. China brought in its own workers for the project, which in 1976 finished ahead of schedule. 
*'''1970 Jan''' - [[Zambia]] had acquired majority holding in the Zambian operations of the two major foreign mining interests, the Anglo American Corporation and the Rhodesian Selection Trust (RST). The two became [[Nchanga Consolidated Copper Mines]] (NCCM) and [[Roan Consolidated Mines]] (RCM).
*'''1969 Sep''' - [[James John Skinner]] resigns as Chief Justice of [[Zambia]] following a clash with President [[Kenneth Kaunda]] over the sentencing of Portuguese soldiers from neighbouring Angola caught in Zambia.
*'''1969 Aug 11''' - [[Kenneth Kaunda]] declares 51% takeover of the mining companies during the [[Matero Reforms]] nationalisation meeting, leading to the formation of the parastatal [[Mining Development Corporation]] (MINDECO). This was despite Kaunda's disavowal to do so on 19th April 1968 at the first nationalisation meeting dubbed the [[Mulungushi Reforms]]. 
*'''1969''' - [[Emmanuel Milingo]] (39) was named archbishop of [[Lusaka]].
*'''1969''' - [[Chipata|Fort Jameson]], the capital of the [[Eastern Province]], was renamed [[Chipata]].
*'''1968 Apr 19''' - [[UNIP]] holds first nationalisation meeting ([[Mulungushi Reforms]]) where Kaunda declared 51% takeover of all industrial companies. The [[Industrial Development Corporation]] (INDECO) is formed as a government parastatal body to manage government stakes in these companies. 
*'''1968 Feb 5''' - President [[Kenneth Kaunda]] temporarily resigns because of bitter tribal factions. This was at the National Council meeting. 
*'''1967 Sep''': - The government delegations of China, Tanzania and [[Zambia]] held talks in Beijing and formally signed the "Agreement of the Government of the People's Republic of China, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Government of the Republic of [[Zambia]] on the Construction of the [[Tanzania-Zambia Railway]] (TAZARA)".
*'''1966''' - Opposition party [[United Party]] is formed by [[Lozi]] [[Members of Parliament]] as a result of the growing disenchantment and relative deprivation felt by many political leaders of Lozi origin at what they regarded as [[Bemba]] domination of [[UNIP]]. However, UP was banned after violent clashes with UNIP supporters on the [[Copperbelt]] during the [[1968 elections]] campaigns. 
*'''1964 Dec 24''' - [[Kenneth Kaunda]]'s [[Chilenje House 394]] is achieved as a national monument. 
*'''1964 Oct 24''' - [[Zambia]] gains independence from Britain.  President [[Kenneth Kaunda]] and his [[United National Independence Party]] (UNIP) ran the country until 1991. 
*'''1963''': [[Northern Rhodesia]] (later [[Zambia]]) ended the [[Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland|Federation]] with Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
*'''1961 Sep 18''': Dag Hammarskjold, Secretary-General of the UN, was killed in a plane crash in [[Northern Rhodesia]] (now [[Zambia]]). He was flying to negotiate a cease-fire in the Congo. Hammarskjold was the son of a former Swedish prime minister. In 1953, he was elected to the top UN post and in 1957 was reelected. During his second term, he initiated and directed the United Nation's vigorous role in the Belgian Congo. Hammarskjold had sent Conor O’Brien (1919-2008), an Irish diplomat, to the Congo where a rebellion was openly being backed by Belgium and secretly by Britain and France. O’Brien ordered in UN troops, but the mission ended in disarray and the UN repudiated the mission. O’Brien recounted his version of the events in his book “To Katanga and Back" (1962).

==1900 - 1960==

*'''1960 Aug 25''' - [[Lusaka]] gains city status.
*'''1960 May 17''' - The [[Kariba Dam]] is opened.
*'''1960''' - [[United National Independence Party]] (UNIP) formed by [[Kenneth Kaunda]] to campaign for independence and dissolution of federation dominated by white-ruled Southern Rhodesia.
*'''1959 October''': [[United National Independence Party]] (UNIP) is formed as a successor to the [[Zambian African National Congress]] (ZANC), which had been banned earlier in the year.
*'''1957''' - [[Alice Lenshina]] founded and led the [[Lumpa Church]] in [[Chinsali]], a religious sect that embraced a mixture of Christian and native beliefs and rituals.
*'''1955-59''' -  Construction of the [[Kariba Dam]].
*'''1953''' - Creation of the [[Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland]], comprising [[Northern Rhodesia]], Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Nyasaland (now Malawi).
*'''1951''' - [[Lusaka Playhouse]] built.
*'''1950-1959''': Zambia’s [[Chibuku Beer]] was developed in the 1950s by Max Heinrich, a German brewer. He ramped the indigenous home-brew to a commercial scale. In 1999, after passing through many hands, it was acquired by SABMiller and branded as [[Chibuku Shake Shake]].
*'''1948''' - [[Northern Rhodesia Congress]] (NRC) established with [[Godwin Mbikusita Lewanika]] as its first president. It was the first African political party in the country.
*'''1935''' - [[Lusaka]] becomes the capital city of [[Zambia]] (then [[Northern Rhodesia]]}<ref>[http://www.lcc.gov.zm/lusakahistory.php History of Lusaka], [[Lusaka City Council]]</ref>
*'''1937''' - [[City of Lusaka Football Club]] formed.
*'''1936''' - [[Kitwe]] is founded as a copper mining center. 
*'''1929''' - The [[Football Association of Zambia]] is founded.
*'''1928''' - Copper is discovered in the region now known as the [[Copperbelt]].
*'''1924''' - British Colonial Office took control of Northern Rhodesia as a Territory from BSAC. [[Livingstone]] chosen as the first capital.
*'''1921''' - Skull of [[Broken Hill Man]] is discovered in [[Kabwe]].
*'''1920''' - First plane flys over [[Lusaka]] air space. 
*'''1920s''' - Discovery of copper, which later encourages an influx of European technicians and administrators.
*'''1913''' - Translation of the Bible from English to [[Bemba language]] begins at [[Mpandala]]. The task was led by Rev Robert McMinn who worked with [[Rev Paul Mushindo]] and was only completed 53 years later in 1966 at [[Lubwa Mission|Lubwa]].
*'''1911''' - North-Eastern Rhodesia and North-Western Rhodesia, administered as separate units, were merged to form the British Colony of [[Northern Rhodesia]] (Later [[Zambia]]).
*'''1905''' - [[Cecil Rhodes]] brought about the construction of a 650 foot iron bridge to connect Zambia and Zimbabwe near [[Victoria Falls]].

==1800 - 1899==
*'''1891 Jun 11''': Portugal assigned [[Barotseland]], now in Zambia, to Britain, and Nyasaland becomes a British protectorate.
*'''1889''' - Britain establishes control over [[Northern Rhodesia]], administering the area using a system of indirect rule which leaves power in the hands of local rulers.
*'''1873 May 1''': [[David Livingstone]] (60), British physician, explorer, died in [[Chitambo]], [[Zambia]]. His body passed through Zanzibar for a funeral in London in Apr 18, 1874.
*'''1855''' - [[David Livingstone]], English physician and explorer, first saw the 328-foot waterfall on the Zambezi River. Livingstone named the falls, which straddled the [[Zambia]] and Zimbabwe border, [[Victoria Falls]]. The local name is [[Musi-oa-Tunya]] (the smoke that thunders).
*'''1851''' - British missionary David Livingstone visits.

==19th Century==

*Instability generated by migration as well as slave-trading by Portuguese and Arabs.

==18th Century== 

*Portuguese explorers visit.

==16th Century==

*Arrival of peoples from Luba and Lunda empires of Zaire to set up small kingdoms.

==12th Century==

*Shona people arrive in the area, later establishing the empire of the [[Mwene Mutapa]], which includes southern [[Zambia]].


==See also==
*[[History of Zambia]]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:History of Zambia]]