The West Indies Federation was a short-lived union of British Caribbean colonies, created by the British government with the aim of forming a single self-governing state that would later become independent. Its ten members were Antigua, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Trinidad and Tobago, and Grantley Adams of Barbados served as its prime minister. The federation was weak, with limited central powers, and was troubled by disputes over taxation and customs, by the large distances between the islands, and by rivalry between Jamaica and Trinidad. Jamaica voted in a referendum in 1961 to leave, Trinidad and Tobago followed, and the federation collapsed in 1962, after which both became independent. The regional cricket team kept the West Indies name.
Before and after
- 1 January 1958Founding of European Commission
- 1958Publication of Exodus
- 1958Founding of Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Minas Gerais
- 1958Child mortality falls below 20% worldwide
- from 3 January 1958 to 31 May 1962Founding of West Indies Federation
- 19 January 1958Origins of Canadian Football League
- 23 January 1958Establishment of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park
- 26 January 1958Birth of Ellen DeGeneres
- 1 February 1958Launch of Explorer 1
More in Society, economy & sport
- 16 November 1945Founding of UNESCO
- 7 April 1948Founding of World Health Organization
- 4 April 1949Founding of NATO
- 1959HIV/AIDS
- 1 November 1993Founding of European Union
- 2015Rise of Wikipedia Asian Month
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.