The Settlers: Pre-1857
Circa 1820: Malay tin mining settlement is established at Sungai Lumpur
Early Years: 1857 – 1880
1857 – 1887: Chinese tin miners sent by Raja Abdullah and Raja Jumaat disembark at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak rivers and establish a tin mine in Ampang
1859: First tin mining exports from Ampang via Klang
1860s: Hiu Siew, Ah Sze and Sutan Puasa start a small business at a row of shop houses on the east banks of Klang River
1860s & 1870s: Paths and tracks developed from High Street (now Jalan Tun H S Lee) to the river and Ampang mines. Rectangular town centre emerges around Old Market (now Medan Pasar). Market gardens established on the west bank.
1875: Town population estimated at 1,000 Chinese and 500-700 Malays
1870s: Raja Abdullah establishes a Bugis garrison at Bukit Nanas.
1867-73: Selangor Civil War (Klang War) between rival Bugis and Malays.
1869: Yap Ah Low becomes Kapitan Cina of Kuala Lumpur.
1870: Kanching Massacre between rival Chinese in Kuala Lumpur and Bandar Kanching.
1870: Tunku Kudin and Yap Ah Loy capture Klang. Tunku Kudin strengthens hold on Kuala Lumpur.
1872: Syed Mashhor and Kanching Chinese capture and destroy Kuala Lumpur and mines. It was then recaptured with help of Pahang Malays.
1872: Swettenham visits Kuala Lumpur.
1873: Yap Ah Loy returns to Kuala Lumpur. Mines drained and reopened. Links between Kuala Lumpur township and mines improved.
1874-79: Global decline in tin prices.
1878: Mining Board established to issue licenses.
1879: Damansara Road to Klang completed.
1879: Sultan visits Kuala Lumpur for the first time.
1879: Population estimated at 2,330.
The Birth of A Township: 1880 – 1895
1880: British Resident and colonial administration moves from Klang to Kuala Lumpur which becomes the Selangor’s state capital.
1880: Swettenham lays out plans for British buildings to be established on the west bank.
1880: First Malay school opens.
1881: Fire leaves 500 people homeless.
1881: Floods destroy 91 homes.
1881: New mosque on Jalan Java (Jalan Tun Perak) completes.
1882: Sin Sze Si Ya Temple built to worship pioneers.
1882-87: Modernisation period with roads widened, metalled and drained. First machinery introduced to tin mining.
1883: St John’s Church established on Bukit Nanas (later rebuilt in stone).
1884: Population estimated at 4,504.
1884: Royal Selangor Club established.
1884: Orders given for all houses to be made of brick and tile; attap roofs prohibited.
1885: New central market opens (rebuilt in 1936).
1885: First Chinese school opens.
1885: Yap Ah Loy pass away.
1885: Town swamp adjacent to market drained.
1886: Klang-Kuala Lumpur railway line opens; travel time reduced to 43 minutes.
1886: Telegraph line between Kuala Lumpur and Malacca established.
1888: First public English school opens.
1888: 3,000 seat Chinese theatre opens.
1889: Sri Maha Mariamman Temple opens.
1889: Lake Gardens (Perdana Botanical Garden) formally opens.
1890: Coffee boom in Selangor begins. Despite failures and conversion to rubber plantations, the coffee trade helps establish Kuala Lumpur as a financial and service centre.
1890: First Sanitary Board established; which will eventually become the Kuala Lumpur Municipal Council.
1891: Malay burial ground on triangle of land between the junction of Gombak and Klang Rivers is cleared and fenced.
1892: Northern extension and cross-town rail spur complete.
1892: Klang River channel straightened.
1892-96: Piped water system constructed.
1893: Victoria Institution founded at Jalan Tun H.S. Lee.
1894: Selangor Turf Club established.
1894: Land title registration system implemented.
1895: First hotel opens.
1895: Golf course established on Petaling Hill.
1895: Sinhalese community build a Buddhist temple in Brickfields.
1890s: Population reaches 20,000.
Towards Capital City: 1895 – 1917
1895: Kuala Lumpur becomes the capital of the Federated Malay States which includes Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang with Swettenham as the Resident-General.
1897: Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad building completes; government offices relocate from Bukit Aman.
1897: Dacing Riots over weighing system.
1898: Carcosa (the residence of the Resident-General of the Federated Malay States) completes.
1900: Estimated population at 30,000.
1901: Port Swettenham (Klang) completes, connecting Kuala Lumpur maritime trade with Europe.
1901-17: A.B. Hubback appointed to oversee design and construction of multiple government buildings.
1904: Kuala Lumpur Town Hall completes.
1904: Selangor Chamber of Commerce established.
1905: FMS Railway office completes.
1905: First electricity in township.
1906: Masjid Jamek (Jamek Mosque) completes.
1907: Establishment of the Selangor Museum (existing Muzium Negara site)
1907: General post Office complete.
1910: Rubber boom peaks.
1910: Survey Department Depot opens.
1911: The Moorish-style Kuala Lumpur Railway Station opens.
1912: Tauchang Riots triggered by cutting of pigtails leads to rioting and factional fighting.
1914: Town Planning Committee established.
1914-17: World War One results in departure of a quarter of European administrators, creating a vacuum for Malay administrators to fill.
1915: Supreme Court opens.
The Interwar Lull: 1917 – 1941
1917: Railway Administration Building complete.
1918: Global influenza outbreak.
1921: Decline in tin commodity prices.
1921: Selangor Golf Club is relocated to Jalan Tun Abdul Razak.
1921: First petrol station opens.
1921: Federal Town Planning department established.
1922: Population estimated at 80,000.
1926: Major floods hit Kuala Lumpur. Gombak-Klang confluence was straightened to reduce flooding risk.
1929: The new Victoria Institution building at Jalan Hang Tuah completes.
1931: Population estimated at 115,000.
1932: Majestic Hotel opens.
1932: Lornie Cut to prevent flooding of Klang and Gombak Rivers complete.
1939: Oriental Building opens.
Japanese Occupation, World War 2: 1941 – 1945
1941-42: Battle of Kuala Lumpur.
1945: Bombing of Selangor Museum by Allied Forces.
1945: Japanese formally surrender at the Victoria Institution. British Military Administration returned to Kuala Lumpur.
Merdeka Era and Modernisation: 1946 – 1995
1950s: New Villages were established in the outskirts of the city during the Communist insurgency.
1952: First Malayan city to hold municipal election.
1953: Chin Woo Stadium completes.
1957: Malayan Independence declared at the newly completed Stadium Merdeka.
1962: Stadium Negara opens.
1963: Muzium Negara opens.
1965: National Mosque opens.
1969: 13 May racial riots.
1972: Kuala Lumpur officially granted city status.
1974: Kuala Lumpur seceded from Selangor to become a Federal Territory.
1976: Pudu Sentral bus station begins operations.
1984: Dayabumi building construction completes.
1987: Maybank Tower completes.
1988: Selangor Turf Club relocates to Sungai Besi to make way for Kuala Lumpur city centre development.
1994: National Planetarium opens.
1995: Kuala Lumpur Tower completes.
1995: Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road opens.
Developing A World Class City: 1995 – present
1996: Pudu Prison was formally closed in November, after 101 years of operation. The inmates were moved to Sungai Buloh Prison. In 1997, it was opened for a short while for public tours of its cells and facilities. The prison site has since been redeveloped as Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC).
1997: Petronas Twin Towers opens
1998: Kelana Jaya LRT line opens.
1998: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) opens.
1998: 16th Commonwealth Games hosted in Kuala Lumpur with the opening ceremony held on September 11. It was the first time in its 68-year history that the Games were held in Asia.
1999: Major federal administrative and government offices moves to Putrajaya.
2001: Kuala Lumpur Sentral, a major transportation hub and business district in the capital city, was officially opened on June 13.
2003: Kuala Lumpur Monorail opens.
2007: Pavilion opens in Bukit Bintang.
2007: The Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (Smart), a 9.7km storm water tunnel and the world’s first underground double-storey motorway and water channel, opened to motorists. It was initiated to alleviate flooding in the city centre.
2010: Greater Kuala Lumpur is outlined as part of the 10th Malaysia Plan initiative which includes Putrajaya, Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya, Klang, Kajang, Subang Jaya, Selayang, Ampang Jaya, Kuala Langat and Sepang.
2011: On November 15, Istana Negara on Jalan Istana officially ended its function as residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after 54 years. The new palace is located on Jalan Duta.
2012: River of Life project starts, aimed at revitalising Sungai Gombak and Sungai Klang running through the city.
2020: Covid-19 hits globally.
2023: The Exchange TRX, linked to the second tallest building in Malaysia, The Exchange 106 in Jalan Tun Razak, opened its doors on November 29.
2024: The second tallest building in the world, and the tallest in Malaysia, Merdeka 118 is officially launched
