10 Forgotten Historic Facts about Haiti

Posted onSEPTEMBER 25, 2015

1. Haiti was the first independent nation in Latin America, and the first post-colonial independent black-led nation in the world, and the only nation whose independence was gained as part of a successful slave rebellion.

2. The recorded history of Haiti began on 5 December 1492 when the European navigator Christopher Columbus happened upon a large island in the region of the western Atlantic Ocean that later came to be known as the Caribbean.

3.  When Christopher Columbus discovered the island , He initially thought he had landed in India or Asia .

4.  The first president of Haiti was Jean Jacques Dessalines ( 1758 -1806).

Dessalines was the the leader of the Haitian Revolution and later ruled the country when it became independent . He renamed the island Haiti and also crowned himself Emperor Jacques I of Haiti.

5. Wondering if there was ever a woman in the office, the answer is yes !

Ertha Pascal Trouillot was he first woman president of Haiti was . From 1990 to 1991, she was the provisional President of Haiti for 11 month . She was the First woman in Haitian history to hold  that office.

6. Initially named Hispaniola Haiti pronounced “Ayiti” means land of high mountains . The name was given by the native habitants of the island.

7.  Haiti’s capital, Port-Au-Prince,  was founded in 1749 and was named for the Prince, a French ship anchored in the bay.

8. In 1862, The United States recognizes Haiti as a republic when President Abraham Lincoln was in office .

9. In 1880 , The National Bank of Haiti was founded by President Salomon.

10.  Haitian Creole is recognized as a Haiti’s official language in 1961.

Sources

88 Little Known Facts About Haiti. (2010). Retrieved fromhttp://facts.randomhistory.com/haiti-facts.html

Ertha Pascal-Trouillot. (2012). Haiti Observer. Retrieved fromhttp://www.haitiobserver.com/blog/ertha-pascal-trouillot.html

Facts about Haiti. (n.d.). Retrieved fromhttp://www.mohhaiti.org/about_haiti#.VgMVRI9Viko

Haiti Fast Facts. (2015). CNN. Retrieved fromhttp://www.cnn.com/2013/10/17/world/americas/haiti-fast-facts/

Haitian Creole. (2014). Retrieved fromhttp://aboutworldlanguages.com/haitian-creole

The National City Bank of New York & Haiti. (2013). The Public Archive. Retrieved from http://thepublicarchive.com/?p=3825

By Jade G. Pierre, Digital Marketing Intern