Iraq timeline

1500: Mesopotamia became a part of the Ottoman Empire.

1932: The British set up the kingdom of Iraq and placed a pro-British ruler in power.

1950: A group of Iraqi army officers overthrew this government.

1968: The Ba’ath Party took power.

1979: A Ba’ath leader, Saddam Hussein, became Iraq’s president. He was a harsh ruler.

1980: Iraq invaded Iran.

1990: Iraq invaded Kuwait.

1991: The Persian Gulf War: An alliance of countries led by the United States forced the Iraqis out of Kuwait. This six-week event was called the Persian Gulf War.

2001: Terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, led to new tensions between the United States and Iraq.

2005: in January, Iraqis participated in democracy for the first time. Iraqis also started to re-build their economy.