Havana

:This article is about the Cuban city. For other places named Havana, please see Havana (disambiguation)

History

Conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar founded Havana in 1515 on the southern coast of the island, near the current town Surgidero de Batabanó. Havana moved to its current location by the then called Carenas bay in 1519.

Related Topics:
Conquistador - Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar - 1515 - 1519

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Havana was originally as a trading port, and became the capital of the Spanish colony of Cuba in 1607, and the main port of the Spanish colonies in the New World.

Related Topics:
Spanish - 1607 - New World

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Havana suffered from being burnt by buccaneers in 1538, and looted in 1555 and 1553.

Related Topics:
Buccaneer - 1538 - 1555 - 1553

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Great Britain seized the city in 1762 in the Seven Years' War, when they opened the port to free trade, bringing in thousands of enslaved Africans. When the war was over, they exchanged it for Florida the following year.

Related Topics:
1762 - Seven Years' War - Enslaved Africans - Florida

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After regaining the city, the Spanish made it the most heavily fortified city in the Americas.

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In the 1920s during Prohibition in the United States, Havana became a popular vacation destination for Americans; the nightclubs and gambling survived Repeal, but most were closed in 1959 after the Cuban Revolution.

Related Topics:
1920s - Prohibition - United States - 1959 - Cuban Revolution

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On the night of July 8-9, 2005, the city took a direct hit from Hurricane Dennis.

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Havana was a candidate to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, but was not shortlisted. The city is also twinned with Glasgow, Scotland.

Related Topics:
2012 Summer Olympic Games - Glasgow - Scotland

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