Pohnpei
Pohnpei, long recorded as Ponape, with Kolonia once named Santiago de la Ascensión.
337 events in the record, 1824–2026
How much was written down
Each star is an event in the record for Pohnpei, set in the era it falls in. Dense skies mean many foreign ships, missions and officials wrote things down; sparse ones mean they did not, not that less happened.
Read the counts as a table
| Era | Pohnpei | Kosrae | Chuuk | Yap | Outer islands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The contact era 1820–1885 | 63 | 67 | 39 | 47 | 45 |
| Spanish rule 1885–1899 | 41 | 12 | 4 | 25 | 2 |
| German rule 1899–1914 | 46 | 10 | 16 | 30 | 8 |
| Japanese rule 1914–1941 | 37 | 10 | 28 | 25 | 8 |
| World War II 1941–1945 | 15 | 9 | 19 | 13 | 7 |
| The Trust Territory 1945–1979 | 53 | 13 | 44 | 32 | 8 |
| Road to nationhood 1965–1979 | 27 | 7 | 20 | 20 | 3 |
| Free association 1982–2026 | 95 | 42 | 72 | 51 | 17 |
| Politics and society since 1979 1979–2026 | 100 | 47 | 80 | 58 | 19 |
| Recent years 2023–2026 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 16 | 2 |
Pohnpeian leaders in the wars with Spain
A caution on names
The names below come from Spanish army and scholarly accounts, not Pohnpeian sources. Several look like Spanish renderings of titles, such as Kroun, rather than personal names (Cabello). A Pohnpeian-language reader and oral history should check each one before publication.
1887: “the kings of Not and Yokoy”
Spanish accounts name the leaders of the July 1887 rising only by polity: “the kings of Not [Net] and Yokoy [Sokehs]” (Navy biography). The chiefs answered the governor that “if the Governor was Governor, they were the kings there” (Moya 1891). None of the Spanish sources used here gives a Pohnpeian death count.
1890: Madolenihmw’s leaders at Ohwa and Ketam
Cabello Berdún names “Krown Chapalap and Tok Herú of the Metalanim” as leaders of the 25 June attack (Cabello). He also records that the Pohnpeian Nampei hid Spanish survivors. Moya says chief “Chaulik” died in the trenches, and “Kronniletan, Tog, Nampig, Nalam” were wounded (Moya 1891).
Moya claims over 100 Pohnpeian casualties at Ohwa and about 200 at Ketam (Moya 1891). These are partisan figures from a Spanish army account. One failed Spanish assault at Ketam alone cost Spain 83 dead and wounded.
1898: Awak and Net
Cabello names “Pablo” as king of Metalanim in 1898 and says the king of Net sought to make everyone Catholic (Cabello). A COM-FSM study names “Soulik en Awak” as a suspect in the killing that set off this war (COM-FSM).
1910: Jomatau and Palikir
German files call the Sokehs leader “Jomatau (Somadau en Sokehs)” and admit they hold little on his life or aims (Bundesarchiv). A Pohnpei history site names Lepen Palikir as the ally who joined Sokehs (Pohnpei-adventure). The 1920 Kolonial-Lexikon confirms Palikir’s people were banished with Sokehs (Kolonial-Lexikon, Ponape).
Pohnpei through every era
Ten chapters, most recent open. Each starts with what the chapter says about Pohnpei, then a spread of its events.
The contact era
At Pohnpei, about forty canoes surrounded the ship from 14 January 1828 (Lütke, vol. II). Only one man came aboard, and Lütke refused to force a landing. Canoe men gave him place names.
Pohnpei’s beach community grew from about 50 whites in 1840 to about 150 by 1850 (Hezel, “Role of the Beachcombers”). They worked as pilots, carpenters and trade middlemen who set produce prices until the 1850s. By about 1870 their number fell back to 50 as Pohnpeians took over trade.
Events
12 of 63 events, spread across the era.
- 18 Jun
The Coquille calls at Mokil, where islanders trade food for iron.
- 3 Jan
Capt. J. H. Eagleston of the barque Peru sights Pohnpei, already charted as “Ascension Island.”
-
About thirty Englishmen live on Pohnpei; chiefs nearly decide to kill all whites but are overruled.
- 13–14 Dec
Fr. Désiré Maigret lands at Madolenihmw, burying Fr. Bachelot, who died at sea, in the first Catholic mission attempt.
- 16 Apr
The whaler Ohio takes on wood and water and leaves a sick seaman ashore.
- 13 Oct
The whaler Sharon buys provisions; several crew desert, Hezel says eleven men left ashore.
- 21 Apr
Madolenihmw’s chief visits the Samos, which stays a week.
- 16 Feb
The Oneco carries off crew of the wrecked Boy from Pohnpei.
- May–Oct
Kitti’s population falls from 2,156 to 1,039 during the smallpox epidemic.
-
A seaman writes that Pohnpei has for years been the chief whalers’ rendezvous in the Carolines.
- Apr–Aug
Madolenihmw’s Wasai, excluded from sharing the stranded sailors, clashes with the Nahnmwarki’s forces, falling “just short of all-out war.”
-
Influenza strikes Pohnpei.
Spanish rule
Pohnpei became the seat of the Eastern Carolines, which included Chuuk and Kosrae. Spain took no part in the copra trade, which German firms dominated. (Valencina 1917)
Kosrae saw “no attempt to govern” its internal affairs (Kosrae outline). The sources used here don’t document any Spanish post in Chuuk. In practice the Spanish era is mainly a Pohnpei story, with Yap second.
Events
12 of 41 events, spread across the era.
- 14 Mar
Governor Isidoro Posadillo lands at Mesenieng with 50 soldiers, 50 Filipino convicts and six Capuchins, founding Santiago de la Ascensión (Kolonia).
- 31 Oct (MicSem: “end of October”)
The San Quintín returns with new governor Luis Cadarso; three warships restore Spanish control.
- Jan
The first Catholic boys’ school opens in the colony, and work starts on a small chapel.
- 1 Sep
Colonel Isidro Soto’s relief expedition (named Gutiérrez Soto or Pérez de Soto) arrives from Manila.
- Feb
A new governor replaces Cadarso; five governors serve in quick succession over 1891–1894.
- May
Eight Capuchins arrive in two groups.
- Mar
A Catholic school opens at Awak, U.
-
Measles epidemic on Pohnpei.
- About Apr
The Soulik of Awak (Chaulik) and some of his people are baptized.
- About Apr
About 900 men from Kitti, U and Madolenihmw attack Awak and are routed by defenders, Net and Sokehs allies and a warship.
- Jan
American whalers sell arms to Madolenihmw; the Catholic residence at Aleniang, Kitti, is burned.
-
A Catholic station opens at Nanpohnsapw, Net.
German rule
Germany took over Pohnpei on 12 October 1899, under the governorship of German New Guinea (Bundesarchiv, “Aufruhr auf Ponape”). An imperial order of 18 July 1899 claimed possession. Handovers followed at Yap on 3 November and Saipan on 17 November (Kolonial-Lexikon; Spennemann).
A severe 1905 typhoon brought famine to Pohnpei, and residents traded many guns for food relief (Habele, “German Period”). Another typhoon devastated Woleai in Yap’s outer islands in 1907. Disarmament stayed partial, which helps explain why the 1910 rebels were well armed.
Events
12 of 46 events, spread across the era.
- Jan
American whalers sell arms to Madolenihmw; the Catholic residence at Aleniang, Kitti, is burned.
- 12 Oct
Ceremonial handover; the German flag is raised and Vice-Governor Albert Hahl takes charge of the Eastern Carolines.
- Dec
The first German Capuchin contingent of seven arrives.
-
During the post-typhoon famine, Pohnpeians finally surrender many, not all, guns in exchange for food relief.
-
Governor Hahl visits from New Guinea and announces the “abolition of feudalism” to assembled chiefs.
- 1909/1910 (Hahl announcement 1907)
Feudal land tenure is legally abolished on Pohnpei.
- 17 Oct
District Officer Boeder orders ten strokes of the cane for a Sokehs road worker.
-
The Corpus Christi procession draws 800 to 1,000 Catholics.
- 13 Feb
Rebel leader Jomatau (Soumadau en Sokehs, Samuel) surrenders; the last followers give up by 22 February.
-
The remaining Sokehs and Palikir people, 426 (Kolonial-Lexikon) or 460 (MicSem), are exiled via Yap to Palau.
-
Georg Fritz publishes Ad majorem Dei gloriam!, his account of the background to the 1910–11 uprising.
- Dec
Garrisons and military-government offices set up in five districts including Truk and Ponape; another JACAR page says six districts.
Japanese rule
The civilian Nan’yō-chō ruled from Koror, with branch offices on Yap, Truk (on Natsushima, now Tonoas) and Pohnpei (JACAR branches). Kosrae was run from the Pohnpei branch. TIGHAR lists a Kosrae office, but JACAR is the official source (TIGHAR, citing Peattie).
The Nan’yō-chō was created by ordinance on 31 March 1922 and began work on 1 April 1922 (JACAR; Habele; Wikipedia). 1920 was the year of the mandate. Japan also let the Sokehs exiles return, starting in 1917 and finishing by 1927 (Wikipedia, Sokehs rebellion).
Events
12 of 37 events, spread across the era.
- Oct
A Japanese warship arrives and seizes Pohnpei (Japanese Wikipedia: four ships, bloodless).
-
The last German Catholic missionaries are expelled from the Carolines and Marshalls.
- — (or 1922)
Four Jesuits, including Frs Luis Herrera and Pedro Castro, disembark on Ponape.
- c. 1920–21
Japanese authorities build the concrete Japanese Elementary School for Ponapean Children.
- 1 Apr
Branch offices set at Ponape (Kolonia, covering Kusaie), Truk (Natsushima) and Yap by South Seas Government Order No. 4.
- 25 Dec
Instruction No. 50 sets branch-office duties; the 1924 reform lets police or clerical officials head branches.
- 1 Jan
Fukushima Taira is on record as head of the Ponape branch office.
- 1 Aug
Tadano Abō is on record as Ponape branch head and Nakahashi Shūichi as Yap branch head.
- by 1932
About 120 Micronesians have finished year-long agricultural training at stations on Ponape, Saipan and Palau.
- 1 Aug
Tanaka Shigeru is on record as Ponape branch head; Oimatsu Hideo is acting Yap branch head.
-
Haruki (春来) at Palikir functions as a government-designated settlement and local central place.
-
Okinawans on Ponape reach 1,145, about 30% of Japanese residents, mainly in fishing and farming.
World War II
US aircraft bombed Pohnpei from February 1944 to February 1945 (Pacific Wrecks). Japanese sources date the first raid to 15 February 1944, with heavy raids through May (ja.wikipedia, Pohnpei).
Kolonia burned, crops were destroyed, and survivors sheltered in caves (Pohnpei-adventure.com). A 1944 airfield stood where the national government complex at Palikir now sits.
Events
12 of 15 events, spread across the era.
- Apr
The Navy’s 42nd Guard Unit is formed for Ponape, with a Kusaie detachment.
- 5 Nov (or 4 Nov)
Truk, Ponape and Jaluit branches merge into the Eastern Branch at Truk; Ponape becomes a sub-office.
- Jan
Army troops that become the 52nd Independent Mixed Brigade land on Ponape; the brigade is formally reorganized in May 1944.
- 14 Feb (or 15 Feb)
First US air raid on Ponape, by 40+ B-24s; Japanese Wikipedia dates the first large raid to 15 February.
- Feb
An Okinawan father is drafted locally; his evacuated wife and children survive a strafed, burning ship.
- 26 Mar
Marine Corsairs fly the first fighter escort for B-25s over Ponape; a B-25G is lost.
- 1 May
A US cruiser bombardment group shells Satawan in the Mortlocks and Ponape.
- by about May
Japanese civilians in the Eastern Branch are evacuated to Japan, though about 5,600 Japanese remain on Ponape at war’s end.
- 6 Feb
Marine PBJ bombers strike Palikir Airfield No. 2, the last listed US mission against Ponape; one PBJ is lost.
- 11 Sep
The Ponape garrison signs the surrender.
- 9 Dec; 23 Dec
Units of the 52nd Independent Mixed Brigade leave Ponape, landing at Uraga on 22 December 1945 and 5 January 1946.
-
The central and eastern Carolines hold 14,066 Japanese, Okinawan and Korean civilians plus about 8,000 troops.
The Trust Territory
The Pacific Islands Central School trained a generation of leaders. It moved from Guam to Chuuk in 1948 and to Pohnpei in 1959 (Wikipedia, TTPI). Future president Tosiwo Nakayama attended it in 1951–1953 (FSM Government).
Events
12 of 53 events, spread across the era.
- 6 Feb
Marine PBJ bombers strike Palikir Airfield No. 2, the last listed US mission against Ponape; one PBJ is lost.
-
The central and eastern Carolines hold 14,066 Japanese, Okinawan and Korean civilians plus about 8,000 troops.
-
The census counted 1,177 non-Pohnpeians on Ponape, 664 of them Mortlockese.
- 12 Nov
Typhoon Lola flooded Mokil’s settlement, wrecked the new PICS site at Kolonia and forced food relief to Pingelap; no deaths reported.
- Feb–Mar
After a polio outbreak in the Marshalls, crash Sabin vaccination covered nearly all of Ponape Island, then Kusaie, Truk and Ponape’s outer atolls.
-
Pohnpei’s Bethwel Henry became Speaker of the House of the Congress of Micronesia and held the post until 1979.
- 3 Nov
Congress elections sent Ambilos Iehsi (Ponape), Andon Amaraich (Truk) and Petrus Tun (Yap) to the Senate.
- 31 May
Typhoon Lola struck Pohnpei directly, damaging houses.
- Jan
The Fifth Congress opened on Saipan; Truk’s Nakayama became Senate President and Ponape’s Henry was re-elected Speaker.
- 2 Nov
Congress elections gave the new Kosrae district two senators (Joab Sigrah, Hirosi Ismael) and re-elected Olter, Nakayama and Mangefel.
- 9 Jan
Tosiwo Nakayama and Bethwel Henry petitioned the UN; the Congress of Micronesia was disbanded that year.
- 10 May (Jensen: 19 May)
The FSM Constitution entered into force, now marked as Constitution Day.
Road to nationhood
Interior Secretary Udall’s Order 2882 created the Congress of Micronesia on 28 September 1964 (Wikipedia, Congress of the TTPI). It first convened on 12 July 1965, now FSM Law Day (FSM Mission to the UN). Its lower house gave Truk five seats, Ponape four and Yap two.
Pohnpei’s Bethwel Henry was House Speaker from 1966 to 1979. Hanlon says Chuuk’s Nakayama was Senate president from 1968 to 1979 (Hanlon, ANU Press). All agree he led it through most of the 1970s (FSM Government).
Events
12 of 27 events, spread across the era.
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Pohnpei’s Bethwel Henry became Speaker of the House of the Congress of Micronesia and held the post until 1979.
- 13 Jan
The new Congress met; Bethwel Henry was again elected Speaker and Amata Kabua Senate President. Ambilos Iehsi won a Ponape Senate by-election that month.
- 3 Nov
Congress elections sent Ambilos Iehsi (Ponape), Andon Amaraich (Truk) and Petrus Tun (Yap) to the Senate.
- 23 Jun
The High Court ruled in Shoniber v. Shoniber that German-deed land on Ponape passes to the eldest son and cannot be willed.
- Aug – 2 Sep
The Congress of Micronesia held a 20-day Special Session in Ponape, funding CCM dormitories and historic sites; status talks stalled.
- 7 Nov
Congress elections returned Bailey Olter (Ponape) and Tosiwo Nakayama (Truk), and elected John Mangefel (Yap) to the Senate.
- Jan
The Fifth Congress opened on Saipan; Truk’s Nakayama became Senate President and Ponape’s Henry was re-elected Speaker.
- 5 Nov
Congress elections sent Ambilos Iehsi (Ponape), Nick Bossy (Truk) and Petrus Tun (Yap) to the Senate.
- 12 Jul
Voters ratified the FSM Constitution: Yap 94.75%, Pohnpei 74.72%, Chuuk 69.72%, Kosrae 61.36% yes. The Marshalls and Palau rejected it.
-
Koizumi Fumio’s team made field recordings, “Micronesia 78: Ponape, Yap”, now held at Tokyo University of the Arts.
- 27 Mar
Voters elected all 14 members of the first FSM Congress (four at-large senators and ten two-year members), all as independents.
- 10 May (Jensen: 19 May)
The FSM Constitution entered into force, now marked as Constitution Day.
Free association
Pohnpei was the one state to vote no. Nationally, 58% chose independence on the fallback question (Wikipedia, 1983; FSM newsletter 1983).
Events
12 of 95 events, spread across the era.
- 1 May
Resio S. Moses succeeds Leo Falcam as Ponape governor (to 3 Jan 1992).
- 8 Nov
New state constitution takes effect and changes the name Ponape to Pohnpei.
- 5 Jun
Mwoakilloa (formerly Mokil) implements its constitution and inaugurates its airstrip.
- Dec
Pohnpei hosts the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Union assembly; Speaker Jack Fritz becomes APPU president.
-
Pohnpei adopts its state flag.
- Apr
Storms Isa and Jimmy trigger over 30 landslides; 19 dead in Oumoar and Iohl.
- 11 May
Leo Falcam (Pohnpei) seated as fifth president, with Redley Killion as vice president.
- 12 Nov–26 Dec
Third Constitutional Convention sits in Palikir and approves 14 proposals.
- 8–26 Dec
Tidal surges and high tides flood outer islands. Pohnpei (19 Dec), Kosrae (24 Dec), Chuuk and Yap (26 Dec) declare emergencies.
- 7 Mar
Election for the two-year seats of the 20th Congress; incumbents Nethon (Chuuk) and Martin (Pohnpei) are unseated.
- c. 6–8 Jan
First COVID-19 case recorded: a crew member of MV Chief Mailo, quarantined in Pohnpei’s lagoon (imported case).
- 2026 (48th session)
UNESCO keeps Nan Madol on the Danger List and wants a plan aligned with Pohnpeian living traditions.
Politics and society since 1979
Hanlon records strains over making Chuuk’s Faichuk region a separate state. Leo Falcam warned in 1986 that “blood would run through the streets of Pohnpei” (Hanlon). Congress had passed Faichuk statehood in 1981; Nakayama vetoed it (Habele, Chuuk).
The fourth convention opened in Palikir on 7 January 2020 and paused for COVID (ConstitutionNet). On 4 July 2023, all nine amendments on the ballot passed, and President Simina ratified them on 4 October 2023 (Wikipedia, 2023 referendum). Dual citizenship was one of the nine and passed in every state, from 78.6% in Yap to 87.5% in Pohnpei (Wikipedia, 2023 referendum; Hawaii Public Radio).
Events
12 of 100 events, spread across the era.
- 9 Jan
Tosiwo Nakayama and Bethwel Henry petitioned the UN; the Congress of Micronesia was disbanded that year.
- 2 Sep
FSM Congress unanimously approves the Compact; the Ponape State Legislature disapproves it.
- 18 Oct
Ngatik is renamed Sapwuahfik as its municipal constitution takes effect.
- 31 Jan
Pohnpei wins the first FSM national basketball title, 130–113 over Kosrae.
- 8–10 Jan
Typhoon Axel hits Kosrae, Pohnpei and Pingelap; US declaration DR-934 on 7 February.
- 8 Jan
Del S. Pangelinan succeeds Johnny David as Pohnpei governor (to 10 Jan 2000).
-
Pohnpei hosts the 29th South Pacific Forum, themed on private-sector investment.
- 17 Apr–17 Jul
Cholera outbreak, spread by funeral feasts: 2,207 treated, 512 admitted, 15 suspected deaths.
- 23 & 26 Sep
Two FSM citizens in the US Army die: PFC Glendon Nery of Ulithi in Texas, and PFC Henry Paul of Pohnpei in Iraq.
- Jul (40th session)
Nan Madol is inscribed on the World Heritage List and on the Danger List at the same session, in Istanbul (Decision 40 COM 8B.22).
- c. 6–8 Jan
First COVID-19 case recorded: a crew member of MV Chief Mailo, quarantined in Pohnpei’s lagoon (imported case).
- 2026 (48th session)
UNESCO keeps Nan Madol on the Danger List and wants a plan aligned with Pohnpeian living traditions.
Recent years
The 4 March 2025 midterm filled 10 of 14 seats, all with independents (Wikipedia, 2025 election). The 24th Congress kept Pohnpei’s Esmond Moses as Speaker and made Chuuk’s Julio Marar Floor Leader (Congress of the FSM).
In March 2025, US Defense Secretary Hegseth announced $400 million to upgrade Yap’s airport for military use (Asia Matters for America). The source puts total Yap military spending at both “at least” and “up to” $2 billion. The East Micronesia Cable landed on Kosrae around September 2025, linking it to Pohnpei (SubTel Forum).
Events
- 7 Mar
Merlynn Abello-Alfonso becomes the first Pohnpeian woman senator; Konman is re-elected.
- 23 May
Compact III agreements signed in Palikir, after the planned Port Moresby signing was cancelled.
- 8 Jan
Stevenson Joseph becomes Pohnpei governor.
- 17 Sep
VP Palik opens the 19th PNA (Parties to the Nauru Agreement) ministerial meeting in Pohnpei.
- 15 Nov
Foreign Affairs Secretary Lorin S. Robert dies at 69; state funeral and Pohnpeian burial rites follow.
- 22 Jul
Simina opens the four-day KAMORALE Expo 2026 in Pohnpei.
- 27 Jul
First Kitti Memorial Day honors the 179 Kitti men sent to Kosrae during WWII.
- 2026 (48th session)
UNESCO keeps Nan Madol on the Danger List and wants a plan aligned with Pohnpeian living traditions.