1841: Hong Kong island settled by British.
1860: China cedes Kowloon peninsula to Britain for all time.July 1, 1898: Britain begins 99-year lease on New Territories and 235 adjacent islands, which account for 92 percent of colony's present land area.
1840-1940: Hong Kong expands and thrives as emigration and trading center for mainland China.
Dec. 8, 1941-Aug. 14, 1945: Japanese troops occupy Hong Kong.
1949-50: About 750,000 Chinese flee to Hong Kong as communists take over mainland.
1967: China's Cultural Revolution spills briefly into Hong Kong with street riots.
1972: China, newly admitted to the United Nations, indicates it wants Hong Kong back.
Dec. 19, 1984: British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang sign accord to return Hong Kong to Chinese sovereignty on July 1, 1997.
June 4, 1989: Chinese troops crush democracy movement in Beijing, severely shaking Hong Kong confidence in future under China.
Sept. 18, 1995: Pro-democracy candidates win sweeping victory in Hong Kong's last legislative election under British rule. China vows to disband legislature.
July 1, 1997 - Hong Kong reverts to China.