Before 200 B.C.—Earliest people lived in caves in northern Spain; were conquered by Iberians, then Celts. Phoenicians and Greeks came, and finally all were conquered by Carthaginians.

201 B.C.—Romans conquered Carthaginians, began a rule lasting more than 500 years.

406 A.D.—Barbarians, especially Visigoths, came into Spain from central Europe and eventually drove out the Romans.

711 A.D.—The Moors came from North Africa and conquered all Spain in less than 10 years. Although the Christian Spaniards started fighting almost immediately for the "Reconquest" of Spain, the Moors were masters for almost 800 years.

January 2, 1492—The Reconquest of Spain was completed when the armies of Ferdinand and Isabella drove the Moors out of the Alhambra in Granada, their last stronghold.

August, 1492—Columbus sailed with his three ships from Palos in an effort to reach the Far East by sailing west; on October 12, he made his first landfall in the New World and claimed it for Spain.

1492-1588—The Golden Age of Spain. Columbus discovered more lands in the New World, and Conquistadores planted the Spanish flag all through North and South America. Spain controlled most of Europe. It was a time of great artists and writers like Velasquez, El Greco, Murillo, Lope de Vega and Cervantes.

1588—Spain's great naval Armada was defeated by England and the power of Spain began to decline throughout the world. Last overseas possessions were lost at the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898.

1931—King Alfonso XIII abdicated from his throne, went into exile; Spain became a republic.

1936-1939—The Spanish Civil War. Nationalists led by General Francisco Franco won the war and the General became Chief of State.

1947—The Law of Succession was adopted by Spanish Parliament, providing for a future King and new Spanish monarchy; this law altered in 1956 so that the monarchy may be established sooner than originally planned.

1953—American aid program began; airfields, pipelines and other construction projects using American money and American builders help Spain develop a defense network and natural resources.

1956—Spain admitted to the United Nations.