The Eliza (Joseph Winn) trades and collects turtle shell, taking a resident white interpreter aboard.
The Federated States of Micronesia, 1820s to today
Two hundred years of four stars, told from home.
A sourced history of Pohnpei, Kosrae, Chuuk and Yap from the 1820s to today: 1,049 dated events, each linked to its evidence, with disputed facts shown openly.
Each star is a state at its true position. Choose one to open its page, or read about the outer islands.
On this day
Coming up in 4 days: 30 October
2 events on this date, 4 days from 26 October.
Drag the star around the year, or use the arrow keys. Dots mark dates with events.
Falcam attends the 31st Forum in Tarawa; the South Pacific Forum is renamed Pacific Islands Forum that month.
Two centuries at a glance
Ten chapters, from first contact to this year
The eras overlap where history did. The stars mark moments that shaped the islands.
1854: The whaler Delta lands smallpox-stricken…
1865: Confederate raider CSS Shenandoah burns four…
1885: German gunboat SMS Iltis raises the German…
1887: Governor Isidoro Posadillo lands at…
1911: Fifteen men are shot in Kolonia (MicSem and…
1914: Japanese naval forces occupy Ponape without…
1944: Operation Hailstone: 500+ US carrier…
1965: The Congress of Micronesia first convened…
1979: The FSM Constitution entered into force, now…
1986: Compact enters into force and US…
2026: Super Typhoon Sinlaku hits Chuuk Lagoon…
Chapter 1 of 10
1820s–1886
The contact era
Ships, guns, missions and smallpox arrive; Pohnpeian teachers carry Christianity to the Mortlocks.
Read the chapter: The contact eraChapter 2 of 10
1886–1899
Spanish rule
Spain rules from two small posts, and Pohnpeians fight three wars.
Read the chapter: Spanish ruleChapter 3 of 10
1899–1914
German rule
Sokehs rises against German rule in 1910; its people are exiled to Palau.
Read the chapter: German ruleChapter 4 of 10
1914–1941
Japanese rule
Japanese and Okinawan settlers arrive in numbers; Sokehs exiles come home from Palau.
Read the chapter: Japanese ruleChapter 5 of 10
1941–1945
World War II
Chuuk’s fleet base is wrecked in 1944; bypassed islands face bombing and hunger.
Read the chapter: World War IIChapter 6 of 10
1945–1979
The Trust Territory
A US-run UN trust: “zoo theory” years, then Kennedy-era money and schools.
Read the chapter: The Trust TerritoryChapter 7 of 10
1965–1979
Road to nationhood
Micronesians lead a Congress, write a constitution, and four districts vote yes.
Read the chapter: Road to nationhoodChapter 8 of 10
1982–2026
Free association
Voters approve the Compact; US funding and open migration reshape the nation.
Read the chapter: Free associationChapter 9 of 10
1979–2026
Politics and society since 1979
The new federation opens a Supreme Court, moves its capital, and amends its constitution.
Read the chapter: Politics and society since 1979Chapter 10 of 10
2023–2026
Recent years
A new Compact, a Chuuk typhoon, and a dispute over a Yap defense site.
Read the chapter: Recent yearsA moment that shaped the islands
1854
Pohnpei
The whaler Delta lands smallpox-stricken crew; the epidemic kills about 4,000, roughly 40% of Pohnpeians.
Source: Hezel, Disease; MicSem ship list: Pohnpei
Open in the timelineA moment that shaped the islands
1865
Pohnpei
Confederate raider CSS Shenandoah burns four whalers in Madolenihmw, stranding about 120 sailors.
Source: Vance et al., World History Connected; Wikipedia, Pohnpei
Open in the timelineA moment that shaped the islands
1885
Yap
German gunboat SMS Iltis raises the German flag on Yap ahead of the Spanish ceremony.
Source: Habele, Yap Conflict; MicSem ship list: Yap
Open in the timelineA moment that shaped the islands
1887
Pohnpei
Governor Isidoro Posadillo lands at Mesenieng with 50 soldiers, 50 Filipino convicts and six Capuchins, founding Santiago de la Ascensión (Kolonia).
Source: MicSem, Catholic Church: Pohnpei; Spanish Navy biography
Open in the timelineA moment that shaped the islands
1911
Pohnpei
Fifteen men are shot in Kolonia (MicSem and Habele say 17 executed, unsupported by German sources).
Source: Bundesarchiv; MicSem
Open in the timelineA moment that shaped the islands
1914
Pohnpei
Japanese naval forces occupy Ponape without resistance; Japanese Wikipedia says four ships entered the harbor .
Source: Habele, Establishment of the Japanese Mandate; AOGC postal exhibit
Open in the timelineA moment that shaped the islands
1944
Chuuk
Operation Hailstone: 500+ US carrier aircraft strike Truk, destroying 250–275 of about 365 Japanese aircraft.
Source: NHHC, H-Gram 026-3
Open in the timelineA moment that shaped the islands
1965
National
The Congress of Micronesia first convened, the first Micronesia-wide legislature; the date is now FSM Law Day.
Source: FSM Mission to UN
Open in the timelineA moment that shaped the islands
1979
Pohnpei Kosrae Chuuk
The FSM Constitution entered into force, now marked as Constitution Day.
Source: FSM Mission to UN; Jensen 2016
Open in the timelineA moment that shaped the islands
1986
National
Compact enters into force and US administration ends; FSM–US diplomatic relations date from this day.
Source: Wikipedia, TTPI; Wikipedia, Foreign relations
Open in the timelineA moment that shaped the islands
2026
Chuuk
Super Typhoon Sinlaku hits Chuuk Lagoon: over 34,000 affected and about 4,200 displaced. Death toll reported as 1, 4, 5 or 7.
Source: ReliefWeb PHT SitRep 1; WHO
Open in the timelineWhere the sources disagree
Old records give different numbers for the same events. Instead of quietly picking one, this site shows both and says which is better supported.
| Item | Figures | Better supported |
|---|---|---|
| German flag on Yap | 25 Aug vs 2 Aug 1885 | 25 August (fits Spanish arrival) |
| Posadillo’s first name | Isidoro, Isidro or José | Isidoro (two sources) (Navy biography; MicSem; Cabello) |
| Posadillo’s death | 3–4 July vs 5 July 1887 | 3–4 July (two sources) (Navy biography; Cabello; Moya 1891) |
| Ohwa dead, June 1890 | 28 vs 33 vs 34 | Unresolved; about 30 (Moya 1891; Cabello) |
Through other eyes
Spanish, German, Japanese, French and Russian records, with the original words beside an English translation.
„Der Aufstand begann am 18. Oktober 1910 im Zuge von Wegebaumaßnahmen auf der Insel Dschokadsch.“
Translation: “The uprising began on 18 October 1910 in the course of road-building work on the island of Dschokadsch [Sokehs].”