1970 - Salvador Allende becomes world's first democratically elected Marxist president

 

1973 - Gen Augusto Pinochet ousts Allende in CIA-sponsored coup and proceeds to establish a brutal dictatorship.

 

1974 - The military junta appoints Pinochet as President by a joint decree. From the beginning, the government implemented harsh measures against its political opponents. According to various reports and investigations 1,200–3,200 people were killed, up to 80,000 were interned, and up to 30,000 were tortured by his regime including women and children.

 

1980 - Pinochet's regime is given a legal framework through a highly controversial plebisite, which approved a new Constitution drafted by a government-appointed commission.

 

1988 - Gen Pinochet loses a referendum on whether he should remain in power, leading to democratic elections.

 

1998 - Gen Pinochet retires from the army and is made senator for life but is arrested in the UK at the request of Spain on murder charges.

 

2000 - Chilean courts strip Gen Pinochet of his immunity from prosecution several times, but attempts to make him stand trial for alleged human rights offence fail, with judges usually citing concerns over the general's health.

 

2006 -

 

• 2006 January - Michelle Bachelet wins the second round of presidential elections to become Chile's first woman president and the fourth consecutive head of state from the center-left Concentration coalition. She takes office in March.

 

• Pinochet dies with about 300 criminal charges still pending against him in Chile for numerous human rights violations, tax evasion and embezzlement during his 17-year rule and afterwards. Pinochet was accused of having corruptly amassed a wealth of US$28 million or more.

 

2010 -

 

•  Hundreds die and widespread damage is caused as massive earthquake strikes central Chile. The 8.8 magnitude quake is the biggest to hit the country in 50 years.

 

• 33 miners trapped deep underground for 69 days are winched to safety, watched by TV audiences around the world.

 

2011 - Thousands of high school and university students take to the streets to demand a more equal education system. Copper miners strike over government plans to restructure the industry.

 

Information directly from BBC News [1]