1975: Formerly a monarchy, Greece is replaced by a parliamentary republic.
1981: Greece joins the European Union.
2002: The drachma is replaced by the Euro.
2004: Greece is handed a warning by the European Commission due to Athens falsifying budget data before its membership in the eurozone.
2005: EU constitution is ratified by Greek parliament.
2005: In a year with increasing labor strikes, the Greek parliament ends public-sector jobs for life and makes other changes to labor laws. Workers in public jobs would protest plans to privatize more jobs.
2008: Hundreds of thousands of Greek workers strike over proposed pension reforms and pay caps, as well as general shifts in government economic policy.
2009: Greece's credit rating is downgraded by Fitch (from A- to BBB+), Standard & Poor's (from A- to BBB+)and Moody's (from A1 to A2). In response to the looming fears of default, Prime Minister announces George Papandreou new spending cuts.
2010: New austerity measures stoke public's discontent, including rising gas prices and pay cuts for public workers. These spur a series of strikes through the spring, when Papandreou announces more tax hikes and spending cuts.
2010: European Commission President José Manuel Barroso warns EU member states to be on standby to make bilateral loans to help struggling Greece.
2010: Eurozone countries approve a $145 billion bailout package for Greece, but it comes with the condition that Papandreou enact even more unpopular austerity measures including new taxes.
2010: Standard and Poor's downgrades Greece's debt ratings below investment grade to junk bond status. Fitch and Moody's eventually follow with the same downgrade. Portugal and Spain are also pegged with negative outlooks.
2010: Eurozone countries race to install a safety net -- to the tune of about $1 trillion -- in an effort to shield the euro from Greece's ever-worsening crisis.
2010: Greece raises women's retirement age from 60 to 65 -- the same for men -- as part of the pension reform required in its bailout deal.
2011: Protests against austerity measures continue as the international community warns Greece that it's still not doing enough to get its financial house in order.
2011: Greece earns the lowest credit rating in the world from Standard & Poor's after it gets knocked from a B to CCC.
2011: The European Union bails out Greece to the tune of 109 billion euros in July as the three major credit rating agencies peg the country as having a substantial risk of default.
2011: In October, Papandreou announces a referendum (without consulting European leaders) on a Eurozone bailout package that would require more significant austerity measures in return for writing off half of the country's debt.
2011: French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel tell Papandreou that Greece's aid is cut off until it abides by its eurozone commitments.
2011: In the wake of furor over the referendum plan, and surviving a confidence vote in parliament, Papandreou resigns in November.
2011: In December, unions stage a strike in an effort to test the new unity government. Protests outside parliament turn violent. The IMF warns Greece that its reforms are lagging.
2012: The Greek parliament approves austerity measures needed to receive an EU/IMF bailout package for 130 billion euros, sparking fiery protests in the streets.
2012: Unemployment in Greece hits a new record -- 20.9 percent.