The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Harare, Zimbabwe.

Prior to 20th century

Part of a series on the
History of Zimbabwe
Ancient history Leopard's Kopje c. 900 – c. 1075 Mapungubwe Kingdom c. 1075 – c. 1220 Zimbabwe Kingdom c. 1220 – c. 1450 Butua Kingdom c. 1450–1683 Mutapa Kingdom c. 1450–1760
White settlement pre-1923 Rozvi Empire c. 1684–1834 Mthwakazi 1823-1894 Rudd Concession 1888 BSA Company rule 1890–1923 First Matabele War 1893–1894 Second Matabele War 1896–1897 World War I involvement 1914–1918 Colony of Southern Rhodesia 1923–1965 World War II involvement 1939–1945 Malayan Emergency involvement 1948–1960 Federation with Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland 1953–1963 Rhodesian Bush War 1964–1979 Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) 1965 Rhodesia 1965–1979 Zimbabwe-Rhodesia June–December 1979 Lancaster House Agreement December 1979 British Dependency 1979–1980 Zimbabwe 1980–present Gukurahundi 1982–1987 Second Congo War 1998–2003 Coup d'état 2017
v t e

• 1890 – Fort Salisbury founded in Mashonaland by British South Africa Company.^[1]
• 1891 – Mashonaland Herald and Zambesian Times newspaper begins publication.^[2]
• 1896 – Salisbury Polo Club formed.
• 1897
  • Harare Township built.^[1]
  • Salisbury attains municipal status.^[1]
• 1899 – Beira-Salisbury railway begins operating.^[1][3]

20th century

• 1902
  • Botswana-Salisbury railway begins operating.^[1]
  • Queen Victoria Memorial Library founded.^[4]
• 1915 – Meikles Hotel in business.
• 1923 – Town becomes capital of Southern Rhodesia,^[5] a self-governing British colony.
• 1927 – Salisbury Technical School established.^[1]
• 1933 – Town House built.^[6]
• 1936 – Library of the National Archives founded.^[7]
• 1939 – Honorary Consulate of Poland opened.^[8]
• 1945 – Railway strike.^[9]
• 1946
  • Reformed Industrial and Commercial Workers Union established.^[10]
  • Population: 54,090.^[11]
• 1948
  • General strike.^[10]
  • Zimbabwe College of Music established.^[1]
• 1950 – Gwebe College of Agriculture established.^[1]
• 1951
  • Stock exchange established.
  • Population: 90,024.^[11]
• 1953
  • City becomes capital of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
  • Helping Hand Club (women's group) formed.^[12]
• 1955 – University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland and Salisbury City Youth League^[13] established.
• 1956
  • Salisbury Airport commissioned.
  • Bus boycott.^[14]
• 1957 – Rhodes National Gallery opens.^[15][16]
• 1959 – Pearl Assurance House built.
• 1960 – Central Film Laboratories in business.^[17]
• 1962
  • First International Congress of African Culture held in city.^[16]
  • Queen Victoria Memorial Library rebuilt.^[18]
• 1964 – Greenwood Park established.^[6]
• 1969 – The Financial Gazette begins publication.

• 1970 – Chapungu Sculpture Park founded.^[6]
• 1972
  • Zimbabwe National Library and Documentation Service headquartered in city.^[7]
  • Construction of New Mabvuku begins.^{[citation needed]}
• 1973 - Population: 502,000 urban agglomeration.^[19]
• 1975 – Mabvuku High School opens in Mabvuku.
• 1977 – 6 August: Bombing.
• 1978 – Oil storage tanks set on fire by the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army.^[20]

1980s–1990s

• 1980 18 April: City becomes part of independent Republic of Zimbabwe.
• 1981
  • December: Bombing of ZANU-PF headquarters.^[21]
  • National Heroes Acre (Zimbabwe) monument built near city.^[22]
• 1982 18 April: City renamed "Harare."^[23]
• 1984 – Harare Publishing House established.^[24]
• 1985 – Karigamombe Centre built.
• 1986 – September: City hosts Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement.

• 1990
  • Sister city relationship established with Cincinnati, US.^[25]
  • ZANU–PF Building is completed
• 1991 – October: City hosts Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 1991; Harare Declaration issued.
• 1992 - Population: 1,189,103.^[26]
• 1995 – September: City hosts 1995 All-Africa Games.
• 1996
  • Rainbow City Cinema in business.^[27]
  • Eastgate built.^[28]
  • Women Filmmakers of Zimbabwe headquartered in city.^[29]
• 1997 – New Reserve Bank tower built.
• 1998
  • Weaver Press publishing house established
  • Economic protest.^[30]
  • Zimbabwe International Film Festival begins.
  • December: City hosts meeting of World Council of Churches.
• 1999
  • Daily News begins publication.
  • Zimbabwe Catholic University established.^{[citation needed]}
  • Harare International Festival of the Arts begins.
  • Media Monitoring Project headquartered in city.^[31]
• 2000 – Millennium Towers built.

21st century

2000s

• 2001 – Harare Tribune newspaper begins publication.
• 2002 – Elias Mudzuri becomes mayor.^[32][33]
• 2003
  • Water shortage.^[34]
  • Sekesai Makwavarara becomes acting mayor.^[35]
• 2004 – Harare International Airport terminal built (approximate date).
• 2005 – Operation Murambatsvina.^[33]
• 2008
  • Emmanuel Chiroto elected mayor, succeeded by Muchadeyi Masunda.^[36]
  • Harare Residents Trust organised.^[37]
  • Cholera outbreak.
• 2009
  • First Floor Gallery Harare in business.
  • Population: 1,513,173.^[38]

2010s

• 2010
  • NewsDay begins publication.^[39]
  • Zimbabwe Fashion Week begins.^[40]
  • Joina City tower built.
• 2012 - Population: 1,485,231.^[41]
• 2013 - Bernard Gabriel Manyenyeni becomes mayor.^[42]
• 2017 - The military of Zimbabwe seize power and place the president under house arrest.