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| 1955 |
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| Honduran women were given the vote. | 1 |
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| 1956, Oct. 21 |
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| The first bloodless coup in the nation's history took place as a group of military officers forced the resignation of Lozano Días as chief of state. On Oct. 22, all political parties endorsed the military junta, led by Col. Hector Caraccioli. | 2 |
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| 1957, Sept. 22 |
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| In elections for a constituent assembly, the Liberal Party, led by Ramón Villeda Morales, won a majority. The assembly elected him president on Nov. 15. | 3 |
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| 1960, Nov. 18 |
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| The International Court of Justice awarded border areas, claimed by Nicaragua, to Honduras. | 4 |
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| 1963, Oct. 3 |
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| Armed forces, led by Col. Osvaldo López Arellano, overthrew Villeda Morales. | 5 |
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| 1965, June 5 |
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| Under the presidency of Gen. Osvaldo López Arellano, the country returned to a constitutional regime, and a new constitution was put forth. | 6 |
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| 1969, July |
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| An undeclared war between Honduras and El Salvador was precipitated by demonstrations against Salvadoran migrant workers in Honduras following Honduras's defeat in a soccer match with El Salvador (See 1969, July). Of the 300,000 Salvadoran workers in Honduras, some 80,000 were expelled, prompting a Salvadoran invasion (July 14). The OAS negotiated an armistice (July 18) and induced Salvadoran forces to withdraw (July 30). Despite the opening of peace negotiations in Costa Rica (Jan. 26, 1970), sporadic hostilities continued. The war resulted in a humiliating defeat for Honduras. | 7 |
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| 1970 |
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| Peasants who had gained land from agrarian reforms created the Federation of Agrarian Reform Cooperatives (FECORAH). They represented only 10 percent of rural dwellers, most of whom continued to live in deep poverty. | 8 |
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| 1972, Nov |
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| Gen. Oswaldo López Arellano seized power. He initiated a small agrarian reform. | 9 |
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| 1975 |
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| Despite the “bananagate” scandal, in which United Brands was caught giving a $1.2 million bribe to the Honduran finance minister, López's regime was replaced by the similarly corrupt and repressive right-wing government of Col. Juan Alberto Melgar Castro. The new government gave tax and wage concessions to U.S. firms and helped businesspeople suppress labor and peasant unrest. | 10 |
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| 1978, Aug. 7 |
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| Melgar Castro was overthrown by a bloodless military coup. The new ruling junta was headed by Gen. Policarpo Paz García. | 11 |
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| 1980, May 14 |
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| Honduran troops aided Salvadoran troops in the massacre of 600 Salvadoran refugees while they were attempting to cross the Sampul River into Honduras. | 12 |
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