The History of Java
Java: Bandung - Jakarta - Surabaya - Yogyakarta
Historical Events
- 1596-06-22 Cornelis de Houtmans fleet reaches Banten Java
- 1596-09-05 Dutch fleet commander Cornelis de Houtman taken hostage in Java
- 1596-09-07 Dutch fleet bombards Banten, Java
- 1597-06-24 Cornelis de Houtman's Dutch fleet reaches Bantam, West Java
- 1597-08-14 Cornelis de Houtmans fleet is 1st Dutch visit to Java
- 1598-05-01 Jacob van Neck's merchant fleet departs for Java, modern day Indonesia
- 1598-11-25 Jacob Cornelius van Neck's merchant fleet reaches Bantam, West-Java on second Dutch expedition to Indonesia
- 1599-01-11 Jacob van Neck's fleet leaves Bantam, Java in modern day Indonesia with 1 million pounds of pepper and cloves and a further half a ship full of nutmeg, mace and cinnamon
- 1599-07-19 Jacob van Necks merchant fleet leaves Java
- 1619-03-12 Dutch settlement on Java changes name to Batavia
- 1621-03-04 Jacarta, Java, renamed Batavia
- 1628-08-27 Java: Sultan Agung of Mataram attacks Batavia
- 1679-12-27 Dutch troops capture Madurees prince Trunudjojo in Java
- 1755-02-13 Rebel leader Mangkubuni signs Treaty of Gianti Java
- 1757-03-17 Prince Mas Saïd of Mataram surrenders to Mangkubumi in Java
- 1772-08-11 Explosive eruption blows 4,000' off Papandayan Java, kills 3,000
Victory in Battle
1811-09-18 British East India Company force led by Baron Minto conquers Java, part of the Dutch East Indies, Stamford Raffles appointed lieutenant governor
Stamford Raffles
- 1816-08-19 Java again in Dutch hands
- 1822-10-08 First eruption of Galunggung in Java sends boiling sludge into valley
- 1822-10-12 Second eruption of Galunggung in Java destroys summit of mountain
- 1825-07-21 Java princess Dipo Negoro/Mangkubumi declare war on all non-islamics
- 1826-07-30 Java prince Dipo Negoro surprise attacks Dutch colony, 82 killed
- 1826-11-15 Dutch Business Me gets monopoly on opium trade in Java/Madura
- 1827-01-01 Dutch Trade Company NHM gets opium monopoly on Java
Krakatoa: The World’s Mightiest Explosion
1883-08-27 Krakatoa volcano, west of Java in Indonesia, erupts with a force of 1,300 megatons and kills approximately 40,000 people
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- 1890-08-09 First 44 Javans arrive in Suriname to work 5 years on sugar plantations
- 1916-06-17 1st national congress of Sarekat Islam at Bandoeng Java
- 1919-05-19 Kelud volcano on Java, erupts killing 5,160
- 1920-07-03 Java Technical School, Bandung, opens
- 1924-10-01 1st Dutch airliner, the Fokker F.VII takes off from Amsterdam for Batavia (Java)
- 1924-11-24 1st Dutch airliner, Fokker F.VII lands in Batavia (Java) after flying from Amsterdam
- 1926-11-13 Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) uprising in Bantam, West Java
- 1927-01-01 Communist uprising in West Java
Event of Interest
1929-12-29 Dutch colonial authorities arrest Sukarno and other key PNI leaders in Java
Sukarno
- 1941-12-12 European reservists on Java mobilize
- 1942-02-03 1st Japanese air raid on Java
- 1942-02-27 Battle of Java Sea began: 13 US warships sunk and 2 Japanese
- 1942-02-28 Japanese land in Java, last Allied bastion in Dutch East Indies
- 1942-03-01 3 day Battle of Java Sea ends, US suffers a major naval defeat
- 1942-03-01 Japanese troops occupy Kalidjati airport in Java
- 1942-03-02 Admiral Helfrich departs Java for Ceylon
- 1942-03-08 KNIL, Dutch colonial army on Java, surrenders to Japanese armies
- 1942-03-27 Japan forces Java to use "Tokyo time" 1½ hour forward
- 1942-04-16 Japanese occupying army on Java installs film censorship
- 1942-11-11 Lt-general Kumakashi Harada becomes Japanese commander on Java
- 1943-01-09 Japanese government in Java limits sale & use of motorcars
- 1943-03-15 Allied reconnaissance flight over Java
Event of Interest
1943-07-07 -10] Japanese premier Hideki Tojo visits Java
Hideki Tojo
- 1943-10-03 Operations begin at PETA Java, defending (Japanese) fatherland
- 1944-02-14 Anti-Japanese revolt on Java
- 1944-05-17 -18] Allied air raid on Surabaja, Java
- 1944-09-18 British submarine Tradewind torpedoes Junyo Maru: 5,600 killed, including 1,377 allied POWs and 4,200 Javanese slave labourers.
- 1944-10-06 Royal Dutch Navy submarine Zwaardvis (Swordfish) sinks German submarine U168 in the Java Sea
- 1945-01-28 Dutch airplanes dump pamphlets on Java
- 1945-04-25 Allied air raid on Surabaja, Java
- 1945-11-14 Java: Sutan Sjahrir appointed as forming government
- 1947-07-20 1st political action of Netherlands Army on Java and Sumatra
- 1948-12-19 2nd political action of Java/Sumatra
- 1948-12-28 Middel-Java as a whole in Dutch hands
- 1948-12-31 Dutch police actions up Java gone on strike
- 1950-01-23 Rebel army of Dutch military officer Raymond Westerling occupies Bandung, Java
- 1951-03-20 Indonesian army offensive against Darul Islam on Java
- 1958-10-01 Britain transfers Christmas Island (south of Java) to Australia
- 1985-01-21 Bomb attack on Borobudur temple in Java
- 1994-06-03 5.9 earthquake/floods SE Java (150+ killed)
- 1996-01-23 The first version of the Java programming language released
- 2004-11-30 Lion Air Flight 538 crash lands in Surakarta, Central Java, Indonesia, killing 26
- 2005-08-18 Massive power blackout hits the Indonesian island of Java, affecting almost 100 million people.
- 2006-05-26 The May 2006 Java earthquake kills over 5,700 people, leaves 200,000 homeless.
- 2006-05-27 Earthquake strikes Java, Indonesia at 5:53:58 AM local time (22:53:58 UTC May 26) devastating Bantul and the city of Yogyakarta, killing over 6,600 people
- 2013-09-27 At least 22 people are killed after a refugee ship capsizes off the island of Java
- 2014-12-28 Indonesia AirAsia Flight QZ8501 crashes in bad weather in the Java Sea, killing all 162 people on board
Famous Birthdays
- 1565-04-02 Cornelis de Houtman, Dutch navigator (1st Dutch trip to Java), born in Gouda, Holland (d. 1599)
- 1833-04-06 Johan H C Kern, Dutch linguist (Sanskrit, Old Javan)
- 1865-03-01 Gerard Vissering, Dutch banker/president (Bank of Java)
- 1870-02-13 Leopold Godowsky, Polish pianist and composer (Java Suite, 53 Studies on Chopin's Études), born in Žasliai, Russian Empire (now Lithuania), (d. 1938)
- 1879-04-21 Kartini, Indonesian national heroine, born in Jepara, Central Java, Dutch East Indies (d. 1904)
- 1879-06-07 Joan Voûte, Dutch astronomer, born in Madioen, Java (d. 1963)
- 1888-06-05 Raden Mas Noto Soeroto, Javanese poet (Melatiknoppen), born in Yogyakarta, Indonesia (d. 1951)
- 1888-07-18 Alexander Rosemeier, Indonesian-Dutch painter, born in Soerakarta, Java (d. 1992)
- 1889-04-28 Karel Doorman, Dutch rear admiral (Java Sea), born in Utrecht, Netherlands (d. 1942)
- 1899-08-24 Johan Fabricius, Dutch novelist (Island of Demons), born in Bandung, Java, Indonesia (d. 1981)
Sukarno
1901-06-06 Sukarno, 1st President of Indonesia (1945-67), born in Surabaya, Java (d. 1970)
Sukarno
- 1907-01-17 Henk Badings, Dutch opera composer (Orestes), born in Bandung, Java, Dutch East Indies (d. 1987)
- 1909-11-06 Henk Bijvanck, Dutch composer, born in Kudus, Java (d. 1969)
- 1911-07-10 Djuanda Kartawidjaja, 11th and final Prime Minister of Indonesia, born in Tasikmalaya, West Java, Dutch East Indies (d. 1963)
- 1915-04-25 Aksel Quintus Bosz, Surinamese lawyer, born in Pasuruan, Java, Indonesia (d. 1993)
Suharto
1921-06-08 Suharto, 2nd President of Indonesia (1967- 98), born in Yogyakarta, Java (d. 2008)
Suharto
- 1924-05-09 Bulat S Okudzjava, Russian author (Student!)
- 1924-08-23 Siti Hartinah Suharto, 2nd First Lady of Indonesia, wife of President Suharto of Indonesia, born in Jaten village, Surakarta, Central Java (d. 1996)
- 1925-02-20 Pramudya Ananta Tur, Javanese author (Anak semua bangsa)
- 1925-04-04 Erna Spoorenberg, Dutch singer, born in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia (d. 2004)
- 1928-07-07 Ali Sadikin, Indonesian politician and governor of Jakarta (1966-77), born in Sumedang, West Java, Dutch East Indies (d. 2008)
- 1933-08-03 Thé Tjong-Khing, Dutch illustrator of children books (Miep Diekman), born in Purworedjo, Java
- 1934-07-19 Willem Nijholt, Dutch actor (De Nietsnut, Respect, Op Afbetaling), born in Gombong, Central Java
- 1935-06-13 Christo [Javacheff], Bulgarian artist and wrapper (Running Fence), born in Gabrovo, Kingdom of Bulgaria (d. 2020)
- 1940-09-07 Abdurrahman Wahid, 4th President of Indonesia, born in Denanyar, East Java, Dutch East Indies (d. 2009)
- 1970-11-30 Yayuk Basuki, Indonesian tennis player and politician, born in Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia
- 1990-08-20 Ranomi Kromowidjojo, Dutch-Javanese Surinamese swimmer (Olympic gold 2008, 12), born in Sauwerd, Netherlands
Famous Weddings
Wedding of Interest
1947-12-26 President of Indonesia Suharto (26) weds Siti Hartinah (24) in Surakarta at a traditional Javanese ceremony
Suharto
Wedding of Interest
1986-12-24 President of Indonesia Joko Widodo (25) weds Iriana (23) in Solo, Central Java
Joko Widodo
Famous Deaths
- 1596-09-13 Pieter D Keyzer/Keyser, astronomer/navigator (Java)
- 1599-09-11 Cornelis de Houtman, Dutch navigator (1st Dutch trip to Java), murder at 35
- 1629-10-21 Tumengung Buraksa, Matarams/Javanese general, dies in battle
- 1686-02-08 Francois Tak, Dutch diplomat on Java, murdered
- 1722-04-14 Pieter Erberveld, German-Thai merchant on Java, Indonesia. He was accused of plotting a rebellion with the Javanese, tortured and executed at around 62
- 1749-12-20 Pakubuwono II, susuhunan of Mataram Java, dies
- 1938-11-21 Leopold Godowsky, Polish pianist and composer (Java Suite, 53 Studies on Chopin's Études) dies of stomach cancer at 68
- 1942-02-27 Karel Doorman, Dutch rear-admiral (Java Sea), KIA at 52
- 1945-09-16 Johannes "Pa" van der Steur, Dutch missionary and philanthropist (Java), dies at 80
- 1951-11-25 Raden Mas Noto Soeroto, Javanese poet (Wayang Songs), dies at 63
- 1992-05-08 Margaretha D Ferguson-Wigerink, Dutch author (Fear on Java), dies at 71
- 1992-12-24 Abdulkadir Widjojoatmodjo, Java diplomat, dies