Timeline of Le Havre

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Le Havre, France.

Prior to 20th century

• 1516 – Harbour construction begins.
• 1520 - Belltower of Le Havre Cathedral.
• 1524 - Port of Le Havre opened.
• 1562 - Town delivered over to the keeping of Queen Elizabeth I by Louis, Prince of Condé.
• 1563 - English, under Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick expelled.
• 1572 - Despatched vessels for whale and cod-fishing at Spitsbergen and Newfoundland.
• 1669 - The oldest of the nine harbour basins dates from here.
• 1672 – Le Havre becomes the "entrepôt of the French East India Company."
• 1694 – Le Havre besieged by Anglo-Dutch forces during the Nine Years' War.
• 1750 – Journal du Havre newspaper begins publication.
• 1752 – Almanach de la Marine au Havre published.
• 1772 – City directory published.
• 1790 – Le Havre becomes part of the Seine Inférieure souveraineté.
• 1800 – (library) opens.
• 1806 – Population: 19,482.
• 1833 – founded.
• 1839 – Courrier du Havre newspaper begins publication.
• 1845 – Musée des Beaux-Arts opens.
• 1847
• Le Havre station opened.
• Paris–Le Havre railway begins operating.
• 1848 – founded.
• 1851 – Population: 56,964.
• 1857 – Hôtel de Ville built.
• 1864 – (bank) established.
• 1868 – Le Havre newspaper begins publication.
• 1874 – begins operating.
• 1876 – Population: 92,068.
• 1881
• Petit Havre newspaper begins publication.
• opens.
• 1884 – Société de géographie du Havre founded.
• 1886 – Population: 112,074.
• 1887 - Canal de Tancarville completed.
• 1888 – Cantons , , , , , and created.

20th century

• 1904 – Havre-Eclair newspaper begins publication.
• 1905 – football club formed.
• 1906 - Population: 129,403.
• 1911 – Population: 136,159.
• 1913 – Société linnéenne de la Seine-Maritime founded.
• 1919 – The village of Graville-Sainte-Honnorine is annexed by Le Havre.
• 1928 – begins operating.
• 1932 – Gare du Havre rebuilt.
• 1940 – May: Bombing of city by Allied forces begins (→Bombing of France during World War II).
• 1944 – September: greatest destruction of the city centre and the port during bombings of the British Royal Air Force, more than 5,000 dead (Operation Astonia).
• 1945 – Rebuilding begins ("75% of Le Havre was leveled in Second World War").⁽⁾
• 1958 – Hôtel de Ville rebuilt.
• 1961 – Museum of modern art opens.
• 1968 – ' newspaper in publication.
• 1971 – becomes mayor.
• 1974 – Roman Catholic Diocese of Le Havre established.
• 1975 – Population: 217,882.
• 1984 – Le Havre twinned with Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo.
• 1985 – Le Havre twinned with Dalian, China.
• 1990 – Population: 195,854.
• 1995 – Antoine Rufenacht becomes mayor.