- August 25th, 1515 Conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar founded Havana near the present town of Surgidero de Batabanó on the southern coast of the island.
- King Philip II of Spain granted Havana the title of City on December 20th, 1592. Later on, the Sapnish Crown officially designated the city as "Key to the New World and Rampart of the West Indies".
- During the Seven Years' War the city was captured by the British. It began on June 6th, 1762 when a British fleet, comprising more than 50 ships and a combined force of over 11,000 men sailed into Cuban waters.
- The first railroad was constructed in 1837 which was used for transporting sugar from the valley of Guinness to the harbor. It's a 51 km (32 mi) stretch between Havana and Bejucal.
- The new régime under Fidel Castro, after the revolution of 1959, promised to improve social services, public housing, and official buildings.
- A number of streets and squares have been rehabilitated in Old Havana in an effort of rebuilding it for tourist purposes, but the restoration efforts concentrate in all on less than 10% of its area due to the fact that Old Havana is a large city.
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