April 18, 1980 - Zimbabwe Independence Day
1953 The British colony of Southern Rhodesia became part of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland.
1959 The African National Congress (ANC), led by Joshua Nkomo was banned.
1961 Nkomo forms Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU).
1962 ZAPU was banned. Rhodesian Front (RF) won the elections.
1963 African nationalists in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland demanded dissolution of Federation. Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) was formed by Rev. Sithole and Robert Mugabe.
1964 New Rhodesian Front prime minister Ian Smith rejects British demands for majority rule and bans ZANU.
1965 May, Rhodesian Front was re-elected. In the month of November the state of emergency was declared. UK imposed economic sanctions. African National Congress, ZANU, and ZAPU begin guerrilla war.
1970 Rhodesia was declared a republic.
1974 Rhosesian Front regime agrees to cease-fire terms with the African nationalists.
1975-1979 Negotiations between British government, Rhodesian Front and nationalists.
1976 ZANU and ZAPU unite to form the Patriotic Front (PF).
1977 PF was backed by "frontline" African states: Mozambique, Tanzania, Botswana, and Zambia.
1979 PF rejects to settlement drafted by Ian Smith and moderate African nationalists.
1980 Independence as Zimbabwe. Following violent election campaign, Robert Mugabe becomes prime minister of ZANU-PF/ZAPU-PF coalition. Relations with South Africa was severed.
http://www.123independenceday.com/zimbabwe/independence/history/