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1st century B.C. |
The territory that is now Switzerland comes under Roman rule during the Gallic wars, and remains a Roman province until 4th century A.D.
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800 A.D. |
The territory that is now Switzerland becomes part of Charlemagne's empire.
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1291 |
August 1
Representatives of the ruling families of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden
meet on a Rütli meadow overlooking Lake Lucerne and sign a
charter to keep peace and pledge their mutual support regarding
their autonomous demonstrative and judicial rule. Thus, a meeting
in a field arising from an initial threat from the Hapsburg Empire,
Switzerland begins as a confederacy, and a people make their first
step toward self-rule and eventual independence.
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1315-1388 |
The
three Swiss Confederates defeat the Hapsburgs thus insuring Swiss
independence. They sign the Brunnen pact which states then none of
the members of the Confederation can make peace, treaties or negotiate
with outsiders without first consulting the other cantons. Five other
regions ('cantons' in today's vocabulary) join the original three.
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1332 |
Luzern
joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1351 |
Zürich
joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1352 |
Glarus
joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1352 |
Zug
joins the Swiss confederacy.
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1353 |
Bern
(German spelling) or Berne (French spelling) joins the Swiss
confederacy. |
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1476 |
After
Charles the Bold of Burgundy attacks the town of Grandson on Lake
Neuchâtel, the Swiss army attacks and defeats Charles' army.
A few months later the Burgundian army is destroyed at the Battle
of Murten with 10,000 killed. |
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1481 |
Freiburg
(German spelling) Fribourg (French spelling) joins the Swiss
Confederation. |
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1481 |
Solothurn
joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1499 |
Swiss gain formal independence from the Holy Roman Empire.
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Basel |
Basel
joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1501 |
Schaffhausen
joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1504 |
Lands
of Neuchâtel go to the French house of Orléans
- Longueville. |
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1513 |
Appenzell
joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1530 |
French
preacher Guillaume Farel brings the Protestant Reformation
to Neuchâtel. |
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1648 |
Swiss neutrality
recognized in the Treaty of Westphalia. |
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1707 |
Lands
of Neuchâtel go to King Frederick of Prussia
after the family line of the family Orleans-Longueville becomes
extinct. |
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1797-1798 |
Napoleon of France invades and annexes much of Switzerland. Loose confederation replaced with a centrally governed state.
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1803 |
Sankt
Gallen joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1803 |
Graubünden
joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1803 |
Aargau
joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1803 |
Thurgau
joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1803 |
Ticino
joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1803 |
Vaud
joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1815 |
Congress of Vienna re-establishes previous Swiss confederation, and establishes Swiss neutrality in international law.
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1815 |
Neuchâtel
joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1815 |
Valais
(French spelling) Wallis (German spelling) joins the Swiss
confederacy. |
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1815 |
Genève
joins the Swiss confederacy. |
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1848 |
After a brief civil war Switzerland opts for a federal state modeled, in part, on the Constitution of the United States. Cantons, however, keep a large measure of autonomy.
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1857 |
William
IV of Prussia gives up his claims on Neuchâtel. |
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1874 |
The Swiss constitution is extensively amended introducing direct democracy by popular referendum and establishing federal responsibility for trade, defense and various legal matters.
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1882 |
The
Salvation Army begins to work in Switzerland when Catherine Booth,
daughter of the founder of the
organisation, arrives in Geneva. |
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1908 |
Birth of
Swiss writer, traveler, photographer, lesbian and morphine addict
Annemarie Schwarzenbach.
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Nov. 9,
1938 |
Twenty-five year old Marice
Bavaud attempts to assassinate Adolf Hilter in Munich, Germany. His motives, Bavaud states, were Hitler's threat to Catholicism, Christianity, humanity and to Swiss independence. Bavuad is captured and guillotined in a Berlin prison in 1941. |
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1947 |
Artist
Christiane Dubois born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.
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1950's |
French-speaking
residents of the Jura region of Canton Bern demand,
with some violence, the creation of a Jura canton. They are
unsuccessful this time . . . but not later. |
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1959 |
Switzerland
joins the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). |
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1960 |
The
Swiss Jacques Piccard, and American Don Walsh, set
record of 10,916 meter below sea level in the Bathyscaphe submarine,
Trieste. |
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1963 |
Switzerland joins the Council of
Europe.
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1964 |
Switzerland
displays their post-war achievements at the National Exhibition
in Lausanne. |
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1967 |
June 16
First Montreux Jazz Festival
lasts three days and includes the artists Charles Lloyd and
DeJohnette. Twelve jazz groups compete. The Festival continues
as one of the preeminent annual jazz events in the world.
The jazz festival was founded by Claude Nobs with the help of the
head of Atlantic Records, Nesuhi Ertegun who Nobs met in
New York. Nobs had been born near Montreux and Ertegun's
parents had been Turkish ambassadors in Berne. |
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1971 |
Rather late in the
game the Swiss vote for the women's suffrage. Better late than never. |
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1973 |
The
first Ikea opens in Switzerland. Ikea, a popular Swedish furniture
store chain, was started in Sweden in the 1950s by Ingvar Kamprad. Ingvar, now a multi-billionaire and one of the richest men in the
world, has made his home in Switzerland for the last thirty years
or so. |
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1978 |
Some
Swiss Jura mountain villages win their bid to leave Canton
Bern and found the new Jura canton. |
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1984 |
October 2
The combined federal assembly elects Elisabeth Kopp as Bunderat
(executive authority), the first woman to hold this position. |
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1992 |
The Swiss people,
reaffirming their independent tendencies, vote against becoming a member
of the European Economic Area (EEA). |
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July 31
Claude Nicollier takes off on board the space shuttle Atlantis
becoming the first Swiss in space. |
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1993 |
March 10
The combined federal assembly elects Ruth Dreifuss as the
second woman as Bunderat. Ms Dreivus' husband does not get in the
way. |
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December 2
Claude Nicollier makes a second journey on board the space
shuttle. Claude's job is to catch the Hubble space telescope with
the shuttle's mechanical arm so repairs can be made. |
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1998 |
The Swiss government
agrees to pay US$1.2 billion compensation to relatives of holocaust victims
whose funds were deposited in Swiss banks. |
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1999 |
March 11
The combined federal assembly elects Ruth Metzler as the
third woman as Bunderat. She is only 34 years old. |
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March 20
Swiss scientist Bertrand Piccard, and British co-pilot Brian
Jones, become the first balloonists to circumnavigate the earth
without stopping and without refueling. It takes them 19 days, 21
hour and 55 minutes to travel the 46,759 kilometers. This distance
can be done much faster on a 747, but the seating is more cramped. |
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April 18
The Swiss vote into being a new Federal Constitution. |
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December 26
One of the biggest storms in the history of Switzerland hits
the country blowing tiles off Swiss roofs like bits of paper, and
saving the logging industry about three years of work cutting down
trees. |
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2000 |
May 21
Swiss accept
the bilateral contracts with the European Union. |
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2001 |
0ctober 2
The
largest corporate failure in Swiss history to date grounded Switzerland's
airline Swissair. The corporate failure left a debt of $13.7 billion
and the loss of 5,000 jobs. |
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2001 |
January
Swiss authorities open an investigation into the alleged money laundering
Activities of Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, son of the late
French president. The news causes sleepless nights to many other notables
around the globe. |
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February
France accuses Switzerland of dragging its feet in the global
battle against money laundering. Is this France's response to one of their
own countryman being accused of the same? Hmmm . . . no, it is too unlikely
to consider . . . |
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February
Swiss banks release the names of 21,000 accounts thought to have belonged
to holocaust victims. |
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2002 |
September 10
Switzerland
joins the United Nations. |
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2002 |
Ten million visitors attended the national exhibit Expo 2002. |
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2005 |
June 5
Swiss voters approve joining Europe's passport-free zone by 2007. |
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| 2005 |
June
22
Swiss trains famous for their punctuality come to a halt nation-wide
in the worst breakdown in the nation's history due to problems with
the railroad's electrical supply. Rail travelers are stranded for
hours nationwide. This problem would not have occurred if Switzerland
continued using steam engines. |
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2005 |
November
Swiss voters accept a five year moratorium on genetically modified
organisms (GMOs) in Swiss agriculture. The vote was
55.7 per cent in favor and 50.6 percent opposed. |
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2005 |
December
12
Swiss Federal Railways introduces a smoking ban on its trains. |
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2006 |
March 12
By a majority vote of 79.1 per cent Ticino in Switzerland's southern Italian-speaking region becomes the first Swiss canton to ban smoking in public places. |
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2007 |
Switzerland ranked sixth of 21 industrialized nations
for childhood quality of life the the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) says. Ranked higher than Switzerland are The Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Spain in that order. Ranked lower are Norway, Italy, Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Canada and Greece who tied, Poland Czech Republic, France, Portugal, Austria, Hungary, United States and United Kingdom. The study compared forty key indicators including relationships, health and safety, risk-taking and children's own sense of well-being. |
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