| Guam was first discovered and inhabited by | | | | Treaty of Paris which ended the war. (Spain later |
| sea-faring people who came from Asia (possibly | | | | sold the Northern Mariana Islands to Germany). |
| Indonesia or the Philippines), around about 2000 | | | | During World War II, Japanese forces invaded the |
| BC. These people, the Chamorros, developed a | | | | islands and subjected them to a brutal 31-month |
| complex society, and traded with other islands in | | | | occupation. The islands were eventually |
| Micronesia. | | | | recaptured in the Battle of Guam which took |
| On March 6th, 1521, the first Europeans arrived: | | | | place between July 21st and August 10th of 1944 |
| Ferdinand Magellan's ships, on their expedition to | | | | Following World War II, a series of acts relaxed |
| circumnavigate the globe. The Chamarros natives | | | | the U.S. administration of Guam, established the |
| of the islands welcomed the Spanish with food | | | | island as an unincorporated organized territory of |
| and drink. The Chamarros expected to be paid, | | | | the United States, granted US citizenship to all |
| whereas the Europeans believed these supplies to | | | | persons born on Guam since 1899, allowed a |
| be gifts, so the Chamarros stole iron from the | | | | non-voting Guam delegate in the US House of |
| decks of the Spanish ships. The Spanish retaliated | | | | Representatives, and allowed the islanders to elect |
| by killing several islanders and burning homes. | | | | their own governor and lieutenant governor. In |
| Magellan consequently named Guam and the other | | | | 1982, Guam residents overwhelmingly voted for a |
| Mariana Islands, "Las Islas de los Ladrones" (The | | | | closer relationship with the United States as a |
| Islands of Thieves). | | | | Commonwealth. However, progress towards |
| In 1667, Spain claimed the islands and established | | | | implementing the decision has been slow. |
| a colony there. In 1668, Padre San Vitores, the | | | | In recent years, Guam has suffered a number of |
| first Spanish missionary, arrived. He renamed the | | | | setbacks, including the 1990s Asian economic |
| islands "Las Marianas" after Mariana of Austria, | | | | crisis, and September 11th attacks, damaging the |
| widow of King Philip IV of Spain, and remained on | | | | tourism industry, the 1990s military cutbacks |
| the islands until his murder in 1672. | | | | affecting the military-dependant part of the |
| On June 21st, 1898, Guam was captured by US | | | | island's economy, and the supertyphoons Paka in |
| forces during the Spanish-American war, and was | | | | 1997, and Pongsona in 2002. |
| ceded to the United States by the subsequent | | | | |