Malaysia · Politics1903—1990
History · Sourced explainers
Dates become history through people
Start with a turning point, follow its chronology, then meet the reformers, leaders, citizens and athletes whose lives make the larger story legible.
97 essential timelines
From anticolonial struggle to democratic and economic change
Each guide distinguishes similar dates, answers common search questions and links major claims back to official, institutional or primary records.
1967—2025
ASEAN History Timeline
The Bangkok Declaration, first summit, six accessions, ASEAN Charter, Community and Timor-Leste’s admission in one chronology.
Read the timeline 1976—presentASEAN Secretaries-General
All 15 officeholders, their countries and terms, plus how the Secretariat’s senior role changed from 1976 to the Charter era.
Read the timeline 27 November 1971ZOPFAN
Why five ASEAN states declared a Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality—and what the Cold War-era goal did and did not mean.
Read the timeline 23–24 February 1976TAC and Bali Concord I
The first ASEAN summit, six principles of interstate conduct, a wider cooperation programme and the permanent Secretariat.
Read the timeline 2007–2008The ASEAN Charter
How a binding constituent treaty gave ASEAN legal personality, clearer institutions and a codified decision-making framework.
Read the timeline 31 December 2015The ASEAN Community
The political-security, economic and socio-cultural pillars, their long development and the limits of regional integration.
Read the timeline 1898—2002Southeast Asia Independence Dates
Compare all eleven countries and distinguish declarations, sovereignty transfers, federation, separation and restored independence.
Read the timeline 31 August 1957Malayan Independence
From elected self-government and the London talks to the proclamation at Stadium Merdeka and admission to the United Nations.
Read the timeline 16 September 1963Formation of Malaysia
Follow the proposal, the Cobbold Commission, the Malaysia Agreement and the federal bargain joining Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore.
Read the timeline 1819—todaySingapore History Timeline
Colonial port, Japanese occupation, self-government, Malaysia, independence, industrial transformation and four prime ministers in one chronology.
Read the timeline 1955—1959Singapore Self-Government
The Rendel Constitution, David Marshall’s failed mission, the 1958 settlement and the election that created Singapore’s first prime minister.
Read the timeline 16 September 1963—9 August 1965Singapore Independence
Political and economic disputes inside Malaysia, secret negotiations, the separation agreement and the proclamation of a sovereign republic.
Read the timeline 1960—1980sSingapore Industrialisation and Jurong
High unemployment, the EDB, planned industrial land, foreign investment and the shift from labour-intensive factories to higher-value production.
Read the timeline 1960—todaySingapore Public Housing History
Emergency construction, home ownership, CPF finance, new towns and the enduring debate over affordability, leases and social policy.
Read the timeline Barcelona 1992—Paris 2024Malaysia’s Olympic Medal Timeline
Every Summer Olympic podium in one chronology: 15 medals, seven medal-winning Games and the athletes behind each result.
Read the timeline 1825—todayIndonesia History Timeline
A country chronology connecting the Java War, national awakening, occupation, revolution, New Order and Reformasi.
Read the timeline 1825—1830The Java War and Prince Diponegoro
Court conflict, colonial intervention, village hardship, guerrilla war and the capture that ended five years of resistance.
Read the timeline 1908—1942The Indonesian National Awakening
Education, print, mass organisations and the Youth Pledge transformed diverse anticolonial politics into a national movement.
Read the timeline 17 August 1945—27 December 1949Indonesian Independence
The proclamation by Sukarno and Hatta, four years of revolution and diplomacy, and the distinction between independence and sovereignty transfer.
Read the timeline 18—24 April 1955The Bandung Conference
Twenty-nine Asian and African governments met around decolonisation, racial equality, development, peace and sovereign cooperation.
Read the timeline 1965—21 May 1998Indonesia’s New Order Era
Suharto’s rise, the 1965 violence, authoritarian institutions, economic growth, East Timor and the crisis that ended thirty-two years of rule.
Read the timeline 1997—2004Reformasi and Democratic Transition
From financial collapse and student protest to competitive elections, constitutional amendments, decentralisation and direct presidential voting.
Read the timeline 1851—todayThailand History Timeline
Royal reform, the 1932 constitutional break, Cold War military rule, popular uprisings, financial crisis and electoral conflict in one chronology.
Read the timeline 24 June 1932The Siamese Revolution
The People’s Party, King Prajadhipok, the first constitutions and the end of absolute monarchy in Siam.
Read the timeline 6—14 October 1973The Thai Popular Uprising
Student organisation, mass mobilisation, state violence and the fall of Thanom Kittikachorn’s military government.
Read the timeline 1997—1999The Asian Financial Crisis in Thailand
Foreign borrowing, fragile finance companies, the baht float, IMF programme, recession and regional contagion.
Read the timeline 1521—todayPhilippines History Timeline
A national chronology connecting precolonial networks, Spanish rule, revolution, independence, martial law, People Power and constitutional restoration.
Read the timeline 1935—presentVice Presidents of the Philippines
A complete officeholder timeline explaining vacancies, presidential succession, split-ticket elections and the disputed 1986 claim.
Read the timeline 1916—presentSenate Presidents of the Philippines
A complete officeholder chronology from Manuel Quezon through constitutional interruptions, democratic restoration and the disputed leadership changes of 2026.
Read the timeline 1907—presentSpeakers of the Philippine House
Every Assembly, House and Batasan leader, with colonial change, occupation, martial-law closure, restoration and the 2025 transition explained.
Read the timeline 1892—1899The Philippine Revolution
From the Katipunan and the disputed Cry of 1896 to Tejeros, the declaration of independence and the First Philippine Republic.
Read the timeline 1899—1901The First Philippine Republic
Malolos, the 1899 Constitution, a government at war and the republic’s place in the longer struggle for sovereignty.
Read the timeline 1899—1902The Philippine–American War
Competing claims to sovereignty, conventional battle, regional guerrilla resistance, civilian costs and the contested official ending.
Read the timeline 1942–1945The Japanese Occupation of the Philippines
Invasion, rival governments, civilian life, resistance, liberation and the difficult politics of wartime choice.
Read the timeline 7 January–9 April 1942The Battle of Bataan
Defensive lines, a predominantly Filipino army, shrinking supplies, disease and the surrender that ended three months of resistance.
Read the timeline April 1942The Bataan Death March
Two starting points, the route through San Fernando and Capas, death-toll evidence and the separate catastrophe at Camp O’Donnell.
Read the timeline December 1941–6 May 1942The Battle of Corregidor
The island fortress, Commonwealth government, Malinta Tunnel, Japanese landing and the surrender of the remaining conventional command.
Read the timeline 20 October 1944The Leyte Landing
The Allied return, Filipino guerrilla intelligence and the restoration of Commonwealth government on Philippine soil.
Read the timeline 23–26 October 1944The Battle of Leyte Gulf
Four connected naval actions, the Japanese counterattack and the defence of the Leyte invasion fleet.
Read the timeline 3 Feb–3 Mar 1945The Battle of Manila
Liberation, Japanese massacres, American artillery and more than 100,000 civilian deaths in a month of urban war.
Read the timeline 18 March 1945The Liberation of Panay
Peralta’s guerrilla organisation, Confesor’s civil government and the landing that accelerated Japanese withdrawal.
Read the timeline 1 June–14 June 1945The Battle of Bessang Pass
Filipino forces captured the mountain position guarding northern Luzon and opened the route toward Cervantes.
Read the timeline 4 July 1946Philippine Independence in 1946
From Commonwealth and occupation to recognition of independence, the Third Republic and unequal postcolonial ties.
Read the timeline 1946–1954The Hukbalahap Rebellion
Wartime origins, land conflict, political exclusion, failed amnesty and the counterinsurgency that preceded Luis Taruc’s surrender.
Read the timeline 1946–1947The Bell Trade Act and Parity Rights
Trade preferences, currency controls, war-damage pressure and the constitutional dispute over economic sovereignty.
Read the timeline 1953–1957The Ramon Magsaysay Presidency
The 1953 election, public-access reforms, Huk surrender, Cold War alignment and an abrupt presidential succession.
Read the timeline 1961–1965The Diosdado Macapagal Presidency
Economic decontrol, the move to June 12, the Agricultural Land Reform Code, Maphilindo and the limits of a four-year reform programme.
Read the timeline 9 November 1965The 1965 Philippine Presidential Election
Three tickets, a major party switch, campaign issues, results and the competitive vote that brought Ferdinand Marcos to power.
Read the timeline 11 November 1969The 1969 Philippine Presidential Election
Marcos, Osmeña, the first presidential reelection under the 1935 Constitution and the economic and political strain surrounding the campaign.
Read the timeline January—March 1970The First Quarter Storm
The SONA protest, Battle of Mendiola, wider mass mobilisation and the place of youth activism on the road to martial law.
Read the timeline 21 August 1971The Plaza Miranda Bombing
The attack on a Liberal Party rally, the casualty record, suspension of the writ and the unresolved dispute over responsibility.
Read the timeline 1971–1972The 1971 Philippine Constitutional Convention
Elected delegates, reform debates, allegations of pressure and a draft completed after martial law transformed the political setting.
Read the timeline 1972—1986The Marcos Martial Law Era
A careful distinction between the formal martial-law period, wider authoritarian rule, documented violations and democratic resistance.
Read the timeline 1972–1973The 1973 Philippine Constitution
The postponed plebiscite, citizens’ assemblies, Proclamation No. 1102 and the divided Supreme Court decision in Javellana.
Read the timeline 21 August 1983The Ninoy Aquino Assassination
The airport killing, Agrava investigation, failed first trial and the political crisis that followed.
Read the timeline 7 February 1986The 1986 Philippine Snap Election
The rival Marcos and Aquino campaigns, competing counts and collapse of trust that led directly to People Power.
Read the timeline 22—25 February 1986The People Power Revolution
The disputed election, military breakaway, civilian mobilisation on EDSA and transition to a new constitutional order.
Read the timeline 1986—1987The 1987 Philippine Constitution
From the Freedom Constitution and Constitutional Commission to the plebiscite and restored institutional checks.
Read the timeline 22 January 1987The Mendiola Massacre
An agrarian-reform march, the deaths of thirteen farmers, an official inquiry and unresolved accountability.
Read the timeline 1—9 December 1989The 1989 Philippine Coup Attempt
Military rebellion, fighting in Metro Manila and a constitutionally bounded response to national emergency.
Read the timeline 16 September 1991The Philippine Senate Vote on U.S. Bases
The restored Senate’s 12–11 rejection of a new basing treaty and its meaning for sovereignty and alliance.
Read the timeline 11 May 1992The 1992 Philippine Presidential Election
Seven candidates, Fidel Ramos’s plurality victory, Miriam Santiago’s protest and the first regular post-EDSA presidential succession.
Read the timeline 2 September 1996The 1996 MNLF Peace Agreement
Integration, regional institutions and the unfinished work of implementing negotiated autonomy in Mindanao.
Read the timeline 1997–1999The Asian Financial Crisis in the Philippines
Peso pressure, bank resilience, recession and recovery during a regional economic shock.
Read the timeline 11 May 1998The 1998 Philippine Presidential Election
Estrada’s decisive plurality, de Venecia’s loss, an Arroyo split ticket and the first limited test of election automation.
Read the timeline 16—20 January 2001EDSA II and Presidential Succession
The Estrada impeachment crisis, mass protest, military withdrawal and Supreme Court ruling on Arroyo’s succession.
Read the timeline 10 May 2004The 2004 Philippine Presidential Election
The official canvass, Fernando Poe Jr.’s unfinished protest and the later Hello Garci legitimacy crisis.
Read the timeline 10 May 2010The 2010 Philippine Presidential Election
Aquino’s reform mandate, the narrow Binay–Roxas split ticket, nationwide automation and a protest dismissed after the term expired.
Read the timeline 29 May 2012The Renato Corona Impeachment
The Senate’s 20–3 conviction of the chief justice, centred on constitutional asset disclosure and institutional accountability.
Read the timeline 9 May 2016The 2016 Philippine Presidential Election
Automated voting, split-ticket winners and the national realignment that brought Rodrigo Duterte to the presidency.
Read the timeline 9 May 2022The 2022 Philippine Presidential Election
Official Marcos–Duterte majorities, candidate totals, automated voting, candidacy challenges and political realignment.
Read the timeline 13 March—7 May 1954The Battle of Điện Biên Phủ
The 56-day siege, Võ Nguyên Giáp’s logistical strategy, the French defeat and the Geneva settlement that followed.
Read the timeline 1955—1975The Vietnam War
Partition, rival Vietnamese states, international escalation, the Tet Offensive, the Paris agreement and the fall of Saigon.
Read the timeline 30 April 1975—2 July 1976The Fall of Saigon and Reunification
The final offensive, Operation Frequent Wind, South Vietnam’s surrender, postwar transition and the creation of a unified state.
Read the timeline From December 1986The Đổi Mới Reforms
How agricultural incentives, markets, private enterprise, foreign investment and trade transformed Vietnam’s economy.
Read the timeline 1994—1995U.S.–Vietnam Normalization
The trade embargo, POW/MIA diplomacy, July announcement, August restoration of relations and the embassies that followed.
Read the timeline 1999—2000Vietnam’s 1999 Enterprise Law
How registration replaced discretionary approval, unnecessary licences were challenged and formal private-enterprise entry accelerated.
Read the timeline 1995—2007Vietnam’s WTO Accession
A twelve-year path through market-access negotiations, domestic legal reform, ratification and membership as the WTO’s 150th member.
Read the timeline 1863—todayCambodia History Timeline
French protection, royal independence, civil war, Democratic Kampuchea, the Paris settlement and constitutional restoration in one chronology.
Read the timeline 9 November 1953Cambodian Independence
How wartime change, postwar politics and Norodom Sihanouk’s Royal Crusade produced full sovereignty from France.
Read the timeline 1950s—1975Cambodia’s Golden Age of Popular Music
Radio, cinema, Khmer pop and electric rock before 1975—and the records, cassettes and archives that carried the music forward.
Read the timeline 18 March 1970—17 April 1975Cambodia’s 1970 Coup and Civil War
Sihanouk’s removal, the Khmer Republic, regional intervention, rural destruction and the road to the Khmer Rouge victory.
Read the timeline 17 April 1975—7 January 1979The Khmer Rouge and Democratic Kampuchea
Forced evacuation, collectivisation, security centres, mass death, the regime’s fall and the limits of later accountability.
Read the timeline 23 October 1991—24 September 1993Paris Peace Agreements and UNTAC
The comprehensive settlement, refugee return, UN transition, 1993 election, new constitution and restored monarchy.
Read the timeline 1997—presentThe Khmer Rouge Tribunal
Why Cambodia and the UN created the ECCC, who it convicted, how victims participated and what its limits were.
Read the timeline 1945—1954Lao Independence and the Kingdom
Lao Issara, the French return, negotiated sovereignty and the 1954 Geneva settlement without national partition.
Read the timeline 1955—1975Laotian Civil War and Secret War
The Three Princes, failed coalitions, foreign intervention, mass bombing and the Pathet Lao victory.
Read the timeline 1975—1986Revolution and the New Economic Mechanism
The end of the monarchy, socialist transformation and the market reforms adopted in 1986.
Read the timeline 1959—1984Brunei’s Constitution and Independence
Internal self-government, revised protection agreements, full sovereignty, ASEAN and United Nations membership.
Read the timeline 1962—1963The Brunei Revolt and Malaysia Decision
The People’s Party, armed revolt, British intervention and the multiple reasons Brunei remained outside Malaysia.
Read the timeline 1929—todayBrunei’s Oil and Gas History
Seria, offshore gas, LNG exports, public development and the continuing challenge of economic diversification.
Read the timeline 1947—1948Panglong and Myanmar Independence
Negotiation with Britain, the Panglong federal bargain, assassination, constitution and sovereignty.
Read the timeline 1962—1988The 1962 Coup and Burmese Way to Socialism
Why Ne Win ended parliamentary government and how nationalisation and isolation reshaped the country.
Read the timeline March—September 1988Myanmar’s 8888 Uprising
Student protest, nationwide mobilisation, military repression and the birth of a new democracy movement.
Read the timeline April—December 1975Timor-Leste: Declaration and Invasion
Portuguese decolonisation, civil conflict, the 28 November declaration and Indonesia’s 7 December invasion.
Read the timeline May—October 1999The Timor-Leste Independence Referendum
The UN-organised vote, its 78.5% rejection of autonomy and the violence that followed.
Read the timeline 1999—2002UNTAET and Restored Independence
International administration, constitution-making and the transfer of sovereignty on 20 May 2002.
Read the timelineLives inside the timeline
Begin with eleven lives across eleven countries
Malaysia · Politics
Indonesia · Politics1901—1970
Sukarno
First President of IndonesiaAn independence leader, orator and Indonesia’s first president, who helped unite a vast archipelago around a new republic.Read biography
Thailand · Politics1900—1983
Pridi Banomyong
Statesman, jurist and prime ministerA jurist and statesman who helped end absolute monarchy, founded Thammasat University and led the civilian Free Thai resistance during the Second World War.Read biography
Philippines · Politics1933—2009
Corazon Aquino
President of the Philippines, 1986–1992The opposition leader who became president after People Power and restored constitutional government following the Marcos dictatorship.Read biography
Vietnam · Politics1890—1969
Hồ Chí Minh
Revolutionary leader and president of North VietnamThe revolutionary leader who declared Vietnamese independence in 1945 and served as president of North Vietnam until his death in 1969.Read biography
Singapore · Politics1910—1970
Yusof Ishak
First President of SingaporeA journalist, publisher and public servant who became Singapore’s first president and represented a multiracial national identity during the transition to independence.Read biography
Cambodia · Politics1922—2012
Norodom Sihanouk
King, head of state and independence leaderThe king, independence campaigner and head of state whose long public career crossed colonial rule, neutrality, civil war, exile and Cambodia’s restored monarchy.Read biography
Laos · Politics1890—1959
Phetsarath Ratanavongsa
Prime minister and leader of Lao IssaraThe royal reformer who headed Laos’s 1945 independence government and became the symbolic leader of the Lao Issara movement.Read biography
Brunei · Politics1914—1986
Omar Ali Saifuddien III
28th Sultan of Brunei and architect of the modern stateThe 28th Sultan who used oil revenue for national development, promulgated Brunei’s written constitution and guided the state toward self-government.Read biography
Myanmar · Politics1915—1947
Aung San
Independence leader and architect of modern BurmaThe nationalist organiser and military leader who negotiated Burma’s route to independence but was assassinated before sovereignty arrived.Read biography
Timor-Leste · Politics1946—