# Timeline of Malaysian history

This is a timeline of Malaysian history, comprising important legal and territorial changes and political events in Malaysia and its predecessor states. To read about the background to these events, see History of Malaysia.

## Prehistory

| Year | Event |
| 1,830,000 BCE | Hand axes from early hominids, probably Homo erectus, have been unearthed in Lenggong, making them some of the oldest evidence of hominid habitation in Southeast Asia. |
| 40,000 BCE | The earliest evidence of modern human habitation in Malaysia is a skull excavated from the Niah Caves. |
| 11,000 BCE | Perak Man: The oldest complete skeleton found in Malaysia. |

## 2nd century

| Year | Event |
| 200 | The ancient Hindu Malay kingdom of Langkasuka is founded by Merong Mahawangsa, a descendant of Alexander the Great or Dhu al-Qarnayn. |
| 200 | The ancient Hindu Malay kingdom of Gangga Negara is founded by Ganji Sarjuna, a son of Merong Mahawangsa. |

## 4th century

| Year | Event |
| 400 | The emergence of the Kedah Tua civilization begins with the involvement of the community in Guar Kepah conducting trade with foreign traders in Sungai Mas. The center of the civilization was in Sungai Mas and Pangkalan Bujang. |
| 400 | Gangga Negara also served as a port, frequented by foreign traders for its rich natural resources such as gold and tin. |

## 7th century

| Year | Event |
| 630 | The Hindu Malay Kingdom of Kedah is founded by Maharaja Derbar Raja of Persia. |
| 671 | Yijing visits Kedah and Srivijaya on his way to India from China. |
| 682 | Yijing returns to Kedah and Srivijaya on his way back from India to China. He described the Malays as having high status in controlling the economy and its kingdom's entry points. |
| 700 | The Malay Peninsula falls under the dominance of the Buddhist Malay Srivijaya, based in Palembang. |
| 700 | The Sawaku Kingdom is founded by Datu Merpati near Santubong and Sarawak River. The Samadong Kingdom was founded near Samarahan and Sadong. |

## 8th century

| Year | Event |
| 750 | Srivijaya attacks Langkasuka and conquers the kingdom. |
| 775 | The king of Srivijaya marries a princess of Langkasuka and makes Ligor his capital. |

## 9th century

| Year | Event |
| 850 | Gangga Negara defends its sovereignty from a Srivijaya invasion. |
| 890 | Klang Kio attacks and defeats Gangga Negara but withdraws after its ruler, Bolaputra, marries a princess of Gangga Negara. |

## 11th century

| Year | Event |
| 1025 | A Chola army invasion from southern India weakens trade in Kedah and Gangga Negara. |
| 1100 | The Melano Kingdom is founded by Tugau near Sungai Retus. |

## 12th century

| Year | Event |
| 1136 | Phra Ong Mahawangsa converts to Islam and founds the Kedah Sultanate, ending the practice of Hinduism in the dynasty. |

## 13th century

| Year | Event |
| 1245 | Sang Sapurba, a legendary ancestor of significant dynasties in the Malay world and descendant of Alexander the Great or Dhul-Qarnayn, enters into a sacred covenant with Demang Lebar Daun, the ruler of Palembang, and subsequently laid the basis of the relationship between the Malay rulers and subjects. |
| 1260 | Minangkabau people journey to the Malay Peninsula. |
| 1280 | Siamese begin to occupy the northern Malay Peninsula. Negara Sri Dharmaraja and Patani, become Siamese vassals. |
| 1299 | Kingdom of Singapura is founded by Sang Nila Utama, a son of Sang Sapurba. |

## 14th century

| Year | Event |
| 1303 | Islam reaches Terengganu, proven by the discovery of the Terengganu Inscription Stone in Kuala Berang. This is the earliest evidence of Jawi writing in the Malay world. |
| 1330 | The Chinese traveller Wang Dayuan visited Singapura and records an attack by Siam, recording it alongside Long Ya Men and Ban Zu. |
| 1360 | Singapura Kingdom attacks and defeats by the Hindu Buddhist Javanese Kingdom of Majapahit. |
| 1362 | Badang, a legendary Malay strongman, is elected as the Hulubalang of Singapura. |
| 1363 | The Brunei Sultanate is established when the Sultan of Brunei married a princess of Singapura and converted to Islam. |
| 1398 | Parameswara, a prince of Srivijaya and the last king of Singapura flees from the Singapura. |

## 15th century

| Year | Event |
| 1400 | Malacca Kingdom is founded by Parameswara, the last king of Singapura. |
| 1403 | Chinese admiral Yin Ching reaches Malacca, establishing diplomatic ties between China and Malacca. |
| 1403 | The first Malay-Chinese dictionary is compiled in Chinese characters containing about 500 words related to trade used in Malacca. |
| 1409 | Chinese admiral Cheng Ho reached Malacca, strengthening diplomatic ties between China and Malacca. |
| 1414 | Malacca establishes diplomatic ties with Pasai, when Megat Iskandar Shah married a princess of Pasai and converted to Islam. |
| 1444 | Hang Tuah, the legendary Malaccan Laksamana, is born in Malacca. |
| 1445 | Tun Perak, the Penghulu of Klang, leads the Malaccan army to victory by defeating Siamese invaders in Muar. |
| 1450 | Sharif ul-Hashim arrives in Sulu from Malacca, marries a daughter of Raja Baginda, and founds the Sultanate of Sulu. |
| 1451 | Malacca becomes the center of Islam in southeast Asia. |
| 1456 | Tun Perak leads the Malaccan army to victory by defeating Siamese invaders in Batu Pahat. He was made Bendahara of Malacca. |
| 1459 | Emperor of China sends his daughter Hang Li Po and 500 followers as a gift to Sultan Mansur Shah. Sultan Mansur Shah established Bukit Cina as a settlement for the Chinese. |
| 1463 | Malacca established diplomatic ties with Ryukyu. Ryukyu traders were respected in Malacca. |
| 1470 | Tun Besar, a son of Tun Perak is killed because he had accidentally displaced Raja Muhammad's destar, a prince of Malacca. |
| 1470 | Raja Muhammad is exiled to Pahang and founds the Pahang Sultanate. |

## 16th century

| Year | Date | Event |
| 1509 | 11 September | Diogo Lopes de Sequeira, the first European to reach the Far East, arrives in Malacca. |
| 1511 | 24 August | Malacca comes under Portuguese rule after falling to an army led by Alfonso de Albuquerque. |
| 1511 | November | Flor de la Mar, carrying a large treasure trove from Malacca, sank near Sumatran coast. |
| 1511 | | Panglima Awang was acquired as a slave by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan |
| 1512 | | Fortress of Malacca, the oldest European architectural remains in the Far East, is built in Malacca. |
| 1512 | | The first Portuguese expedition is sent eastward from Malacca to search for the Spice Islands led by Francisco Serrão. |
| 1521 | 21 April | The Magellan Expedition is received with hostility by the Mactan natives, led by Lapu-Lapu. Panglima Awang was believed to have left Mactan and made his way back to the Malay Peninsula, becoming the first person in recorded history to circumnavigate the world. |
| 1521 | | Brunei is visited by Magellan expedition. |
| 1521 | | The Church of Saint Paul is built, the oldest church building in Southeast Asia. |
| 1522 | | The first Malay-Italian dictionary is compiled by Antonio Pigafetta, who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan around the globe. The dictionary contains about 426 words related to trade in the Moluccas. |
| 1528 | | Johor Sultanate is founded by Raja Alauddin, son of Mahmud Shah, the last king of Malacca. |
| 1528 | | Perak Sultanate is founded by Raja Muzaffar, also a son of Mahmud Shah. |
| 1540 | | Luak Rembau is founded. |
| 1545 | | Francis Xavier arrives in Malacca and devoted his life to missions in Asia especially in Malacca and Maluku Islands. |
| 1547 | | Francis Xavier meets a Japanese man named Anjirō who had travelled from Kagoshima to Malacca to meet him and become the first Japanese Christian. |
| 1548 | | Francis Xavier established a school in the premises of the chapel known as Church of Saint Paul. |
| 1548 | | Cik Siti Wan Kembang becomes Sultan of Kelantan. |
| 1563 | | Kota Jelasin is built for Cik Siti Wan Kembang and her adopted daughter, Puteri Saadong. |
| 1563 | | Manuel Godinho de Erédia, a Malay-Portuguese writer and cartographer of early Malay Peninsula, is born in Malacca. |
| 1577 | | Sultan Mansur Shah is abducted by the Acehnese forces. Acehnese forces captured the Sultan's widow and children, brought them back to Aceh. |
| 1577 | | Raja Alauddin, a prince of Perak is married to an Acehnese princess and installed as the Sultan of Aceh. |
| 1577 | | Perak nobles journey to Acehnese and request Alauddin Mansur Syah be a successor. He sent his brother to become Perak's monarch to maintain the unbroken Malacca dynasty lineage. |
| 1578 | | Castilian War: War broke out between Brunei and Spain in Borneo and Mindanao. |
| 1578 | | Sulu Sultanate gains its independence from Brunei. |
| 1594 | | Perak rotational succession system among members of the royal family begins. |
| 1598 | | Raja Tengah accepts the offer by the Sultan of Brunei to be the Sultan of Sarawak |

## 17th century

| Year | Date | Event |
| 1603 | 25 February | Dutch led by Jacob van Heemskerk with the assistance of Johor, seizes the Portuguese merchant vessel Santa Catarina off the coast of Singapore. |
| 1603 | | Malay-Dutch vocabulary, the earliest Malay book printed in Europe, is published by Frederick de Houtman in Amsterdam. |
| 1612 | | Sejarah Melayu is composed by Tun Sri Lanang, the Bendahara of Johor. |
| 1613 | | Aceh attacks Johor in Batu Sawar. Tun Sri Lanang was captured and taken to Aceh. |
| 1614 | | Pahang ruled by Johor. |
| 1635 | | Raja Kuning of Patani married the Yang di-Pertuan Muda of Johor. |
| 1636 | | Perak nobles turned to Sultan Iskandar Thani of Aceh who sent his relative, Raja Sulong, to be the sultan of Perak because the previous sultan died without an heir and many royal family members died due to an epidemic that swept through the sultanate. Raja Sulong was a prince of Siak and was not genealogically linked to Perak royalty on his father's side. |
| 1641 | | Dutch with the help from Johor, conquered Malacca from the Portuguese. Hikayat Hang Tuah was composed by an unknown writer from Johor after the Portuguese defeat in Malacca. |
| 1644 | | Tarian Asyik was created to comfort the mourning Raja Kuning after the loss of her beloved bird. |
| 1650 | | Kelantan become a part of the Patani founded by Raja Sakti I. |
| 1653 | | Kota Sena was established by Muhyiddin Mansur Shah as a capital of Kedah. |
| 1660 | | Brunei Civil War: Started over disagreement between the son of the Sultan of Brunei, Pengiran Muda Bongsu and Pengiran Muda Alam, the son of Pengiran Abdul Mubin over the results of a cockfight which Pengiran Muda Bungsu lost. |
| 1666 | September | Kedah was under Thai sovereignty. |
| 1667 | | Puteri Saadong ruled the territory of Kota Jelasin. |
| 1670 | | Kelantan split into two, Kelantan Barat (center in Kota Kubang Labu) and Kelantan Timur (center in Kota Pangkalan Datu). |
| 1671 | | Puteri Saadong managed to heal the King Narai of Siam, who promised her freedom if she could cure his disease. Puteri Saadong returned to Kota Jelasin and killed her husband, Raja Abdullah, who had remarried another princess in her absence. |
| 1673 | | Johor-Jambi war: Jambi attacked Johor in Johor Lama. |
| 1673 | | Brunei Civil War: Eastern part of Sabah was given to Sulu as the reward for assisting the Muhyiddin's forces. |
| 1679 | | Johor-Jambi war: Tun Abdul Jamil defeated Jambi, so ending the Johor-Jambi war. |
| 1699 | | Tun Abdul Jalil, the Bendahara of Johor was elected as the Sultan of Johor, after the dead of "Sultan Mahmud Mangkat Dijulang". |

## 18th century

| Year | Date | Event |
| 1700 | | Luak Sungai Ujong was founded. |
| 1701 | | First original Malay-English dictionary by Thomas Bowrey was printed in London. |
| 1704 | | Sultan of Brunei cedes the lands east of Marudu Bay to the Sultanate of Sulu. |
| 1708 | | Terengganu Sultanate was founded by Zainal Abidin I, son of Tun Habib Abdul Majid, the Bendahara of Johor. |
| 1718 | | Abdul Jalil Shah IV was overthrown by Raja Kecik from Siak and was supported by Minangkabau forces. |
| 1722 | | Raja Sulaiman, a son of Abdul Jalil Shah IV overthrown by Raja Kecik with help of five Bugis warrior – Daeng Parani, Daeng Marewah, Daeng Chelak, Daeng Menambun, and Daeng Kamasi. |
| 1722 | | Daeng Marewah was elected as the first Yang di-Pertuan Muda of Johor. |
| 1750 | | Luak Teraci was founded, under the suzerainty of Sungai Ujong. |
| 1750 | | Luak Gunung Pasir was founded, under the suzerainty of Rembau. |
| 1750 | | Luak Ulu Muar was founded, under the suzerainty of Johol. |
| 1750 | | Luak Jempol was founded, under the suzerainty of Jelebu. |
| 1750 | | Luak Inas (Jelai) was founded. |
| 1757 | | Tun Abdul Jamal was elected as the first Temenggong of Johor, direct ancestor to the House of Temenggong. |
| 1762 | | Long Yunus, a prince from Kota Kubang Labu, succeeded in uniting both Kelantan Barat and Kelantan Timur. |
| 1766 | | Selangor Sultanate was founded by Raja Lumu, son of Daeng Chelak, the Yang di-Pertuan Muda of Johor. |
| 1767 | | Kedah was under Burmese sovereignty after the fall of Ayutthaya |
| 1769 | | Kedah once again was under Thai sovereignty. |
| 1770 | | Penghulu Luak of Sungai Ujong, Jelebu, Johol and Rembau invited a prince of the Minangkabau in Sumatra to rule Negeri Sembilan. |
| 1773 | | Negeri Sembilan established as a confederation of nine states, with Raja Melewar as its first Yamtuan Besar. |
| 1784 | | Raja Haji Fisabilillah, the Yang di-Pertuan Muda of Johor, led a series of raids against the Dutch in Malacca and died at Teluk Ketapang. |
| 1786 | 11 August | Penang was founded by Francis Light and was named "Prince of Wales Island" |
| 1795 | | Administration of Malacca was given to the British following the Kew Letters. |
| 1796 | | Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir, the father of modern Malay literature was born in Malacca |
| 1800 | | Seberang Perai was ceded to Penang and was named "Province Wellesley" |

## 19th century

| Year | Date | Event |
| 1807 | | Fortress of Malacca was almost totally demolished but was saved by Stamford Raffles. |
| 1808 | | Raja Ali Haji, a grandson of Raja Haji Fisabilillah was born in Selangor or Johor-Pahang-Riau-Lingga. He as a scholar and historian, led a renaissance of Malay letters. |
| 1809 | June | Kedah helped Siam during the Burmese invasion of Tanjung Salang |
| 1811 | | Malay gamelan was first performed in public in Pekan during the wedding ceremony of Tengku Hussain, the son of Sultan Mahmud Shah of Johor-Pahang-Riau-Lingga, with Wan Esah, a sister of Raja Bendahara Tun Ali of Pahang. |
| 1811 | | Sultan Mahmud Shah died in Lingga, the throne of Johor-Pahang-Riau-Lingga went instead to Tengku Jummat, whose was supported by the Bugis in Lingga but opposed by the Malay chiefs in Riau and Pahang who were supporters of Tengku Hussain |
| 1816 | | Sekolah Melayu Gelugor was established in Penang, the first Malay school. |
| 1816 | | Penang Free School was built in Penang, the first English school. |
| 1818 | | Malacca was once again ruled by the Dutch following the end of the Napoleonic Wars |
| 1819 | 6 February | Stamford Raffles, Temenggong Abdul Rahman and Tengku Hussain signed a treaty, marking Singapore as a British settlement. |
| 1820 | | Cantonese-dominated Ghee Hin and Hakka-dominated Hai San, two main secret societies in Malaya were established. |
| 1821 | November | Kedah was invaded by the Siamese forces, a few years after Mahsuri's execution. |
| 1822 | 27 November | Tengku Jummat was proclaimed the Sultan of Johor-Pahang-Riau-Lingga with strong support from Raja Jaafar, Yang di-Pertuan Muda of Johor-Pahang-Riau-Lingga and the Dutch |
| 1824 | 17 March | Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 was signed by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, partitioning the southern Malay states, Johor-Pahang-Riau-Lingga between British Malaya and Dutch East Indies. |
| 1826 | 20 June | Burney Treaty was signed between Siam and the United Kingdom, partitioning the northern Malay states between British Malaya and Siam. |
| 1826 | | Straits Settlements were established, consisting of Penang, Malacca and Singapore. |
| 1826 | | Alexander Hare, an English adventurer brought his Malay harem and slaves from the Malay Archipelago to the Cocos Islands, forming a community called Cocos Malays. |
| 1831 | | Naning War: The opposition of Dol Said to British taxation policy in Naning led to the Naning War. |
| 1832 | | Luak Tampin founded. |
| 1833 | | Naning War: Dol Said surrenders to British forces in return for an official pardon, so ending the Naning War. |
| 1836 | | Malays and Bidayuhs of Sarawak River basin revolted and proclaimed their independence from Brunei. |
| 1839 | | Kedah was divided into four administrative units by Siam, Setul, Perlis, Kubang Pasu and Kedah. |
| 1839 | 15 August | James Brooke first arrived in Kuching. |
| 1840 | 20 December | James Brooke and Serib Japper negotiate and accept the surrender of Siniawan Rebels in Upper Sarawak |
| 1841 | 14 February | James Brooke receives permission from the Sultan of Brunei to trade and reside in Sarawak |
| 1841 | 24 September | Sarawak was ruled by James Brooke. |
| 1843 | | Siam recognized Syed Hussin Jamalullail as the ruler of Perlis. |
| 1846 | 8 July | Brunei captured by the British |
| 1846 | August | Brunei cedes Sarawak - Tg. Datu to mouth of Samarrahan to James Brooke |
| 1846 | 18 December | Brunei cedes Labuan to the British |
| 1853 | January | Rentap forces attacked Brooke's fort in Nanga Skrang and killed Alan Lee, a British officer. |
| 1855 | | Ali Wallace was recruited as a cook for Alfred Russel Wallace in his explorations and was later responsible for independently collecting many significant specimens that are credited to Wallace. |
| 1859 | 25 June | Sharif Masahor forces attacked Brooke's fort in Kanowit and killed Charles Fox and Henry Steele, two British officers. |
| 1861 | July | First Larut War: Hai San Society tried to sabotage Ghee Hin's waterway. |
| 1865 | | Second Larut War: Started over gambling quarrel between members of Ghee Hin and Hai San. |
| 1867 | | Klang War: Raja Mahadi challenged Raja Abdullah for authority over Klang. |
| 1867 | 1 April | Straits Settlements came under direct British control as a crown colony. |
| 1866 | | Baju Kurung Telok Belanga, a version of Baju Kurung was designed by Sultan Abu Bakar and named after the centre of the Johor at that time. Baju Kurung is the national dress of Malaysia. |
| 1869 | | Yap Ah Loy became the Kapitan of Kuala Lumpur |
| 1870 | | Klang War: Ghee Hin had joined Raja Mahadi's forces, and Hai San had sided with Tengku Kudin. |
| 1871 | | Third Larut War: Began with an affair between Ghee Hin's leader and a member of Hai San and conflict of Perak succession between Raja Abdullah and Raja Ismail. |
| 1873 | | Fourth Larut War: Quarrelling Malay chiefs had taken sides in the Larut Wars, by showing support to the quarrelling Chinese secret societies. |
| 1873 | | Klang War: Tengku Kudin, with British aid, a Pahang army, and his Chinese allies, defeated Raja Mahadi and his supporters. |
| 1874 | 20 January | Pangkor Treaty of 1874 was signed, signalling the British involvement in the policies of the Malays, and the establishment of British Malaya. |
| 1874 | | War break out in Sungai Ujong between the forces of Dato' Kelana and Dato' Bandar. British sided with Dato' Kelana and defeated Dato' Bandar and Sungai Ujong felt to British dominance. |
| 1875 | 2 November | Perak War: James W. W. Birch, the first Resident of Perak was assassinated by Malay chief, Dato Maharaja Lela's forces in Pasir Salak. |
| 1875 | 7 November | Perak War: Sultan of Perak and Malay chiefs attempted to end foreign influence in the region. |
| 1875 | | A Persian theatre company from Bombay performed in Penang, led to the creation of Bangsawan. |
| 1876 | | Perak War: Raja Abdullah, Ngah Ibrahim and Mohammad Amin were exiled to the Seychelles. |
| 1877 | 20 January | Perak War: Dato' Maharaja Lela was executed by hanging in Taiping. |
| 1882 | May | North Borneo became a British protectorate under the sovereign North Borneo Chartered Company. |
| 1885 | | The first Railway track was built connecting Taiping with Port Weld. |
| 1887 | | Terengganu Inscription Stone was discovered by villagers in Kuala Berang. |
| 1895 | | Terusan Wan Mat Saman was built by the Prime Minister of Kedah, connecting Alor Setar with Gurun, the longest aqueduct in Malaysia. |
| 1895 | | Undang-undang Tubuh Kerajaan Johor was introduced by Sultan Abu Bakar, the first written constitution in Malaysia. |
| 1896 | | Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan and Pahang joined to become the Federated Malay States, a federation of British protectorates. |
| 1897 | | Mat Salleh Rebellion: Mat Salleh forces attacked and destroyed British's administrative center in Pulau Gaya. |

## 20th century

| Year | Date | Event |
| 1909 | 10 March | The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 was signed by the United Kingdom and Thailand, effectively dissecting the northern Malay states. |
| 1914 | 28 October | Battle of Penang: The German cruiser SMS Emden sank two Allied warships in the Strait of Malacca. |
| 1915 | | William Kellie Smith, a Scottish planter started the construction project of Kellie's Castle in Batu Gajah, Perak. |
| 1922 | | Haji Abdul Rahman Limbong represented one of the 43 farmers being put to trial in a court for doing farming without permission. |
| 1928 | | Haji Abdul Rahman Limbong assembled about 1,000 people in Kampung Buluh, to launch their resistance to get the British out of their state. Several police stations were attacked in Kuala Berang. |
| 1941 | 7 December | Attack on Pearl Harbor: Japan opened hostilities with the Allies and their colonies. |
| 1941 | 8 December | Japanese occupation of Malaya: Japanese forces invaded and began the occupation of British Malaya. |
| 1941 | 16 December | Japanese occupation of British Borneo: Japanese forces invaded and began the occupation of British Borneo. |
| 1941 | 10 December | The British battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser HMS Repulse were sunk by Japanese bombers. |
| 1942 | 14 January | Battle of Muar: The last major battle of the Malayan campaign was fought. |
| 1942 | 23 January | Parit Sulong Massacre: Allied soldiers were massacred by Japanese forces. |
| 1942 | 9 February | Battle of Singapore: The Japanese crossed the Strait of Johor in inflatable boats and landed in Singapore. |
| 1942 | 13 February | Battle of Pasir Panjang: A Malay regiment led by Lieutenant Adnan bin Saidi fought bravely against the Japanese at Pasir Panjang Ridge. |
| 1942 | 1 September | Almost 100 leading members of the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army are killed by the Japanese near the Batu Caves. Their secret location was betrayed by their leader Lai Teck, who was a double agent. |
| 1942 | 18 October | Kedah became the Thai possession of Syburi. |
| 1944 | 11 January | World War II: Action of 11 January 1944 World War II: Action of 17 July 1944 |
| 1945 | January | Beginning of Sandakan Death Marches: marches forced by the Japanese. |
| 1945 | June | End of Sandakan Death Marches. |
| 1945 | 27 June | Battle of North Borneo: A battle was fought between the Australians and Japanese. |
| 1945 | 14 August | Japan surrendered, leaving a power vacuum. |
| 1945 | 5 September | The British returned and established a military administration in the Straits Settlements. |
| 1945 | 23 September | Kedah and the three other states were returned to the British. |
| | 29 January | Communist allied trade unions stage a successful 24 hour general strike across Malaya. |
| 1946 | 1 April | The Straits Settlements were dissolved and replaced by the Malayan Union, conceived to unify the Malay Peninsula under a single government. |
| 1946 | 8 February | Charles Vyner Brooke declared that the Sarawak Supreme Council agreed on the cession of Sarawak to the British. |
| 1946 | 1 July | British officially declared Sarawak as Crown Colony of Sarawak |
| 1948 | 31 January | Opposition from Malay nationalists forced the Malayan Union to disband in favour of the Federation of Malaya, which restored the symbolic positions of the rulers of the Malay states. |
| 1948 | 16 June | European owned plantations and tin mines in Malaya were attacked by Communists, in an event known as the Sungai Siput incident. This event is recognised as the beginning of the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960). |
| 1948 | 16 July | Death of Lau Yew: British security forces clashed with those of the Malayan Communist Party resulting in the death of one of their key leaders, Lau Yew. |
| | 12 December | The Batang Kali massacre: The Scots Guards of the British Army murder 24 unarmed civilians. |
| | 4 May | British forces hang S. A. Ganapathy, the former president of Malaya's largest trade union. |
| | 21 May | The 10th Malay Regiment is founded. This is the only predominantly Malay regiment to exist belonging to the Malayan National Liberation Army during the Malayan Emergency. |
| 1949 | 8 October | The University of Malaya was established following the merger of Raffles College and King Edward Medical College. |
| 1949 | 3 December | Rosli Dhobi and several members from Rukun 13 orchestrated the assassination of the Governor of Sarawak, Sir Duncan Stewart in Sibu. |
| 1950 | 23 February | Bukit Kepong Incident: An armed encounter took place between Communists and the police. |
| 1951 | 6 October | Assassination of Sir Henry Gurney: British High Commissioner Sir Henry Gurney was killed by members of the Malayan Communist Party in Fraser's Hill. |
| 1952 | 28 April - May | The British communist newspaper the Daily Worker leaks photographs of British soldiers in Malay posing with the severed heads of guerrillas belonging to the Malayan National Liberation Army, a common practice among British forces during the Malayan Emergency. These photographs create an uproar among British politicians and military leaders. Winston Churchill then orders Gerald Templer to stop this practice. |
| 1955 | 28-29 December | Baling Talks: A talk between representatives of the government of Malaya and Malayan Communist Party to resolve the Malayan Emergency situation. Tan Cheng Lock, David Marshall and Tunku Abdul Rahman represented the government whereas Chin Peng, Rashid Maidin and Chen Tien represented the communists. However, the talks were unsuccessful because the surrender terms were unacceptable to the Malayan Communist Party. |
| 1956 | 18 January | A constitutional conference proposed the appointment of the Reid Commission to devise a constitution for a fully self-governing and independent Federation of Malaya. |
| 1956 | 8 February | Treaty of London (1956) was signed to set up the independent Federation of Malaya. |
| 1956 | 20 February | Tunku Abdul Rahman announced in Malacca Town after he returned from London that Malaya would become independent on 31 August 1957. |
| 1957 | 21 February | The Reid Commission submitted its working draft to a Working Committee. |
| 1957 | 1 July | Berita Harian (BH), a Malay-language daily newspaper, was founded. |
| 1957 | 31 July | Federation of Malaya Independence Act 1957 was enforced in London |
| 1957 | 15 August | The new Federal Constitution was passed by the Federal Legislative Council. |
| 1957 | 27 August | The Federation of Malayan constitution took effect for the first time. |
| 1957 | 30 August | Stadium Merdeka was officially opened. |
| 1957 | 31 August | Historical midnight started with the Union Jack flag, which was lowered for the first time along with the British national anthem "God Save the King" and replaced by the independent Federation of Malaya flag with the national anthem, Negaraku. |
| 1957 | 31 August | Early morning, the proclamation of independence was held in the Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur, with a historical shout "Merdeka" 7 times by the first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman. |
| 1957 | 31 August | Malaya joined Commonwealth of Nations |
| 1957 | 1 September | Tuanku Abdul Rahman of Negeri Sembilan was installed as the first Yang di-Pertuan Agong at Istana Negara. |
| 1957 | 17 September | Federation of Malaya joined United Nations. |
| 1957 | 30 October | Alliance Party was fully registered as coalition party. |
| 1959 | 26 January | Central Bank of Malaysia, which is known as Bank Negara Tanah Melayu, was founded. |
| 1959 | 19 August | The first election was held since Independence. The Alliance won most of the seats. |
| 1959 | 12 September | The Yang di-Pertuan Agong opened the first Malayan Parliament. |
| 1960 | 31 May | Malayan Banking Berhad, which known as Maybank, was incorporated. |
| 1960 | 22 June | Internal Security Act (ISA) 1960 was passed by Dewan Rakyat and later, to be effective in August 1960. |
| 1960 | 28 July | Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, which known as Bunga Raya, declared as the Malayan national flower. |
| 1960 | 31 July | End of state of emergency against Communist Party declared by Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Hishamuddin Alam Shah, but conflict still ongoing until 1989 . A victory parade was held in Kuala Lumpur on the same day. |
| 1961 | 27 May | Malayan Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman proposed a "Malaysia" merger between Peninsular Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak. |
| 1962 | 19 January | Dato' Onn Jaafar, the founder of UMNO, has died. His body was laid to rest at Makam Mahmoodiah, Johor Bahru. |
| 1962 | 17 January | Cobbold Commission: The Cobbold Commission, was a Commission of Enquiry set up to determine whether the people of East Malaysia who supported the Federation of Malaysia proposal which consisting of Malaya, Brunei, Singapore, North Borneo, and Sarawak. |
| 1962 | 19 April | Stadium Negara, Malaya's first indoor stadium was officially opened. |
| 1962 | 1 September | A referendum on the terms of integration into the Federation of Malaysia was held in Singapore. |
| 1962 | 8-17 December | Brunei revolt: The insurrection of Brunei by opponents with Indonesia supportive against Brunei monarchy and its proposed Malaysia has begun, later influenced then Sultan of Brunei to reject Malaysia proposal, thus marked the beginning of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. |
| 1963 | 20 January | Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation: Indonesian Foreign Minister Subandrio announced that Indonesia would declared Confrontation or konfrontasi against proposed Federation of Malaysia. |
| 1963 | 11 March | The National Language Act 1963 was gazetted by Dewan Rakyat. |
| 1963 | 9 July | The Malaysia Agreement was signed by the governments of the United Kingdom, Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak. |
| 1963 | 22 July | Sarawak was granted establishment of de facto self-government and independence before Malaysia formation. |
| 1963 | 31 July | Malaysia Act 1963 which provisioning Malaya, Sarawak, Sabah and Singapore came to operation in United Kingdom. |
| 1963 | 31 July | Manila Accord was signed by the governments of Malaya (now Malaysia), Indonesia and, Philippines. |
| 1963 | 31 August | Sabah was granted establishment of de facto self-government and independence before Malaysia formation. |
| 1963 | 31 August | Muzium Negara, the first national museum, was officially opened. |
| 1963 | 16 September | Malaysia establishment: Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak merged to form Malaysia. |
| 1963 | 14 November | The National Zoo of Malaysia which known as "Zoo Negara" was officially opened. |
| 1963 | 21 November | The Malaysian Houses of Parliament, which known as "Bangunan Parlimen" was officially opened. |
| 1963 | 28 December | Television of Malaysia was launched by the then Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman. |
| 1964 | 25 April | Election was held for the first time since formation of Malaysia. Alliance won most of seats but Singapore party, People's Action Party (PAP) has won 1 seat in Selangor. This PAP victory send outrage and angry reaction to UMNO and threatening Malaysian politics. |
| 1964 | 21 July | Race riots, which involved Malays and Chinese has occurred during Prophet Muhammad birthday celebration in Singapore, resulted 23 killed, 454 injured and 3568 were arrested. |
| 1964 | 2 September | Second race riots has happened again in Singapore due to murder of a Malay trishaw rider, resulted 13 killed, 106 sustained injuries and 1,439 were arrested. |
| 1965 | 10 March | Bomb blast was detonated by Indonesian saboteurs at the MacDonald House building in Orchard Road, Singapore. |
| 1965 | 27 May | Singapore and PAP leader, Lee Kuan Yew with joined several other multiracial parties announced formation of Malaysia Solidarity Convention or Malaysian Malaysia, thus sparked controversy over the Malaysia sovereignty among Malay leaders. |
| 1965 | 7 August | Proclamation of Singapore was agreed by Malaysia and Singapore government that Singapore would be separated from Malaysia as independent and sovereign nation relating after Malaysia and Singapore have not found any alternative solution to those concerned national issues. |
| 1965 | 9 August | Exit Singapore: Malaysian Parliament voted to expel Singapore from the Malaysia, gave Singapore to become independent nation. |
| 1965 | 27 August | The National Mosque, which known as "Masjid Negara" was declared open by then Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Syed Putra. |
| 1965 | 30 August | Subang International Airport was officially opened. |
| 1965 | 14 - 21 December 1965 | SEAP Games was held by then Agong, Sultan Nasiruddin in Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur for the first time. |
| 1966 | 7 February | Exchange of notes by the government of Malaysia (formerly Malaya) and Philippines constituting an agreement relating to the implementation of the Manila Accord of 31 July 1963. |
| 1966 | 8 February | The National Monument, known as "Tugu Negara" was officially opened by then Agong, Ismail Nasiruddin. |
| 1966 | 11 August | The final peace agreement was signed with Indonesia, which formally recognised Malaysia, marked the end of Malaysia-Indonesia confrontation |
| 1966 | 30 - 31 October | US President, Lyndon B. Johnson made historic visit to Malaysia. This is the first US President to set foot on Malaysian soil. |
| 1967 | February | Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–1989): A renewed insurgency was conducted by the Malayan Communist Party against Malaysian federal security forces. |
| 1967 | 9 - 10 June | 1967 Thomas Cup: Malaysian badminton team defeated Indonesia by 6-3 in the final. This is the fourth title for Malaysian badminton. |
| 1967 | 12 June | The Malaysian ringgit (Malaysian dollar) was officially introduced, replacing the Malaya and British Borneo dollar. |
| 1967 | 1 July | Full immigration control at Malaysia-Singapore border was imposed with beginning of passport checks at Johor Immigration Center. |
| 1967 | 8 August | ASEAN Declaration: Malaysia signed Bangkok Declaration with Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore to form ASEAN. |
| 1967 | 1 September | Malay language, which known as "Bahasa Malaysia" was declared as national language. |
| 1968 | 17 February | The Angkasapuri, new main information building for government and also the headquarters for Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) was officially opened in Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Shortly after, Radio Malaysia and Television Malaysia (RTM) service were moved from Tunku Abdul Rahman multipurpose hall at Jalan Ampang to the Angkasapuri. |
| 1968 | 20 May | Malaysian National News Agency, which known as "BERNAMA" was formed. |
| 1969 | 10 May | 1969 Malaysian general election: Alliance won 4th general election in West Malaysia but suffered a loss of two-thirds majority in Parliament for the first time since Independence. Alliance also lost government power to Opposition in Perak, Selangor, Penang and Kelantan. |
| 1969 | 13 May | 13 May incident: Ethnic riots between Malays and Chinese took place in Kuala Lumpur in the aftermath of election. Violence quickly spread to various places in Selangor and some other states. |
| 1969 | 14 - 16 May | The state of emergency and curfew was declared immediately by then Agong, Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah throughout the country. Security forces were deployed and took control of the violent situation. |
| 1969 | 15 May | National Operations Council (NOC) was established with Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak as Director of Operations to act as a temporary legislative council in restore law and order in Malaysia after the 13 May riots. |
| 1969 | | Through contain the racial sentiments, Parliament session was suspended for next 18 months. Newspaper publications were suspended but resumed later on 18 May. |
| 1969 | 12 July | UMNO Kedah leader, Mahathir Mohamad was sacked by UMNO for gave criticism to Tunku's leadership and urged Tunku to resign. |
| 1969 | 26 December | Mat Kilau, Malay legend hero, shockilly revealed himself after Friday prayers at Masjid Kampung Pulau Tawar, Jerantut, Pahang. His identity was confirmed later by state and government committee. One year later, he died at age of 105. |
| 1970 | 4 April | Malaysia's first satellite station was commissioned in Kuantan, Pahang. |
| 1970 | 31 August | Rukun Negara, the national philosophy was instituted by royal proclamation on Merdeka Day, after the 13 May incident. |
| 1970 | 22 September | Tun Abdul Razak was appointed as second Prime Minister after Tunku Abdul Rahman resigned. Tun Dr Ismail also appointed as Deputy Prime Minister on the same day. |
| 1971 | 5 January | The major flash flood has occurred in Kuala Lumpur by heavy monsoon rains which were swelled the Klang, Batu, and Gombak rivers. As a result, 32 people were killed in the worst flood disaster. |
| 1971 | 11 July | New affirmative action program, New Economic Policy, known as "Dasar Ekonomi Baru (DEB)" was launched by government in the aftermath of 13 May Incident in Malaysia. This policy gave rise to the formulation of this policy, its objectives and implementation methods as well as its impact on the Malaysian economy in general. |
| 1971 | 9 September | The Star, new Malaysian newspaper, was established. |
| 1972 | 1 February | Kuala Lumpur has awarded as a city status and Tan Sri Dato' Lokman bin Yusof appointed as the first Kuala Lumpur mayor |
| 1972 | 22 February - 8 March | Queen Elizabeth II and other royal family made first visit to Malaysia by arriving onboard the Royal Yacht Britannia at the Port Klang in part of an eight-country royal tour of Asia. Her visit was welcomed by then Agong, Sultan Abdul Halim. |
| 1973 | 29 May | Famous Malaysian actor and singer, P. Ramlee, has died at the age of age of 44 from a heart attack and was buried at Jalan Ampang Muslim Cemetery, in Kuala Lumpur |
| 1973 | 2 August | Deputy Prime Minister, Tun Dr Ismail Abdul Rahman has died due to heart attack. He was the first national leader to be laid to rest in Makam Pahlawan, Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur. Tun Hussein Onn, son of Dato Onn, has appointed as deputy the next day. |
| 1974 | 1 February | Kuala Lumpur was awarded as first Federal Territory state. |
| 1974 | 28 May | Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, made historic visit to China for the first time and met Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai in Beijing, thus made Malaysia to established diplomatic ties with the People's Republic of China. |
| 1974 | 1 June | Barisan Nasional (BN) was fully registered as new coalition party, thus replacing the previous Alliance Party. |
| 1974 | 7 June | Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Hashim was assassinated by the communist rebels in Kuala Lumpur. |
| 1974 | 17 August | Petronas, the first Malaysian petroleum and gas company, was founded. |
| 1974 | 24 August | Barisan Nasional (BN) wins the fifth election for the first time. |
| 1974 | 15 September | More than 100 houses of poor urban settler families in Tasek Utara, Johor Bahru were demolished, caused 300 people from 60 families lost their homes. Student leaders from various universities came to Tasek Utara, Johor Bahru to offer support to those poor villagers and pleaded those state authorities to stop demolishing their homes but their demand was ignored. |
| 1974 | 16 September | In response to demolished homes, those Malay squatters set up their tents to camped outside the Johor State Secretariat Building, where they picketed day and night in protest against demolishing their homes, this protest was witnessed by some student leaders from various universities. |
| 1974 | 19 September | Malaysian police and police riot quietly entered the camp site and arrested 5 people including some student leaders, caused outrage and public outcry to other universities. |
| 1974 | 20 September | More than 2,500 students from University Malaya took part in a street demonstration outside Prime Minister's Department to demand the release of student leader who struggle to support Tasek Utara squatter families. |
| 1974 | 21 September | Universiti Malaya (UM) student activists including University of Malaya Students' Association took over the administration and campus of the University of Malaya to demand the release of 2 student leaders who were arrested in Johor Bahru yesterday and this coup lasted for one day. On the same day, 1,000 student activists demonstrated outside the UM campus for same demand. As a result, Malaysian police riot policemen were blocked the student demonstration by fired tear gas and some students were arrested. |
| 1974 | 9 November | Baling demonstration began with more than 1,000 peasants due to an increase of those food prices and the fall of price of rubber which affecting a majority of the residents of Baling district, who were mostly rubber smallholders in Baling, Kedah. |
| 1974 | 20 November | Demonstration continued to take place in Baling, Kedah and surrounding areas near Baling area to urged government to resolve the inflation issues. In the next day, Baling events participation continue to rose up with more than 13,000 people. |
| 1974 | 1 December | Demonstration in Baling, Kedah continued to grow more than 30,000 people to protest due to late respond by Malaysian government to tackle the same issue. |
| 1974 | 1 December | Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) was founded. |
| 1974 | 3 December | More than 5,000 students took street demonstration at Dataran Merdeka in supporting previously Baling protest, demand government to solve inflation issues but later, Malaysian police riot dispersed peaceful street demonstration with fired tear gas, As a result, many students were arrested due their participation in the same rally. |
| 1974 | 9 December | Student leaders including Anwar Ibrahim were arrested in connection to street demonstration. They were also arrested under ISA 1960. |
| 1975 | 5 August | 1975 AIA building hostage crisis: Japanese Red Army took more than 50 hostages at the AIA building, which housed several embassies. |
| 1975 | 27 August | National Monument statue was suffered damage due to an explosion, which was set off by a communist guerrilla. Since then, it has been restored to its original state with the renovated statues 2 years later. |
| 1976 | 14 January | Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak has died at age of 53 in London due to leukemia. His body has flied back to Malaysia 2 days later and laid to rest at Makam Pahlawan, Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur. |
| 1976 | 15 January | Tun Hussein Onn was sworn in as third Prime Minister. |
| 1976 | 5 March | Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister. |
| 1976 | 6 June | Sabah chief minister and former state Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor), Tun Fuad Stephens, one crew among 9 passengers were killed in a plane crash near Kota Kinabalu. Tun Fuad Stephens' body was later, interred at State Mausoleum near Sabah State Mosque, Kota Kinabalu. |
| 1977 | 24 April | A car racing in the unlimited formula car race on the program with the Malaysian Grand Prix ran off the track into a group of spectators today, killing five children and injuring 19 other people. |
| 1977 | 27 September | Japan Air Lines Flight 715, which carried 69 passengers and 10 crew members, has crashed near Subang International Airport, leaving 45 people injured and 34 casualties. |
| 1977 | 8 November | 1977 Kelantan Emergency: The state of emergency was declared by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia) upon the request of the federal government following a political impasse and street violence in Kelantan. |
| 1977 | 4 December | Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 (MH653) has crashed at Tanjung Kupang, Johor, while purportedly being diverted by hijackers to Singapore, leaving 100 people dead including Agricultural Minister, Dato' Ali Haji Ahmad. It was the first deadliest air crash disaster for Malaysia Airlines in history. |
| 1979 | 21 December | Pedra Branca dispute: Singapore lodged a formal protest with Malaysia in response to a map published by Malaysia in 1979 claiming Pedra Branca. |
| 1980 | 6 April | Malaysian football team has qualified for the 1980 Summer Olympics football tournament after defeated South Korea by 2-1 in play-off match at Stadium Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur. Later, Malaysia replaced by Iraq due to Government joined American-led political boycott towards Soviet Union in protest of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. |
| 1981 | 16 July | Mahathir Mohamad was sworn in as fourth Prime Minister. Musa Hitam was appointed as deputy the next day. |
| 1981 | 7 September | Guthrie Dawn Raid, quietly secret Malaysia plan, has occurred when Malaysia took over Guthrie Corporation Limited, biggest British-owned plantations groups in the Malaysia through Pemodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) which bought up Guthrie's share at the London Stock Exchange and secured a majority control in series of quick tradings in the early morning, caused those British Guthrie investors lost control of Malaysia's agricultural land. |
| 1982 | 1 January | The time zone in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore changed to UTC+08:00 and has not changed since. |
| 1982 | 29 May | McDonald's, American famous fast food chain, opened its first restaurant at Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur. |
| 1984 | 16 April | Labuan became a second Federal Territory state in Malaysia. This is the first Federal Territory in the East Malaysia along Borneo states. |
| 1984 | 1 June | Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Berhad, which known as TV3, Malaysia's first private television channel, was launched. |
| 1985 | 10 July | Proton Saga, the first national car, was officially launched by then Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, marked the beginning of car manufacturer industry in Malaysia |
| 1985 | 3 August | Penang Bridge, the first national bridge, officially opened and later, opened to traffic on 14 September 1985. |
| 1985 | 19 November | Memali Incident: Worst clash has occurred between police and Ibrahim Mahmud (Libya)'s followers, killing 4 policemen and 14 followers. 159 followers has been arrested including 36 people under ISA 1960. |
| 1986 | 26 February | Sabah Chief Minister and United Sabah Party (PBS) president, Joseph Pairin Kitingan has asked Sabah Governor, Adnan Robert to dissolve the State Assembly by stating that his party has lost the majority as state government with 4 PBS assembly members left party and government, caused hung state assembly, which was weakened Sabah government and also, led to 1986 Sabah riots. |
| 1986 | 12 March | 1986 Sabah riots: The Sabah riots, known as the "Silent Riot" occurred. During the political riots, 7 plastic explosives were detonated in Kota Kinabalu, adding other 5 explosives in Sandakan, which killed one newspaper vendor and injured a senior Police Field Force officer and another one in Tawau. |
| 1986 | 13 March | 1986 Sabah riots: Curfew was announced by the Sabah's police and held for 39 days in the aftermath of the riots. |
| 1986 | 16 March | Tun Musa Hitam resigned as Deputy Prime Minister due to unavoidable differences with Mahathir. |
| 1986 | 24 March | After the failed solution to Sabah's political crisis, Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad negotiated and proposed a unity government formula between PBS and 2 other opposition parties, USNO and BERJAYA but PBS refused it. |
| 1986 | 14 April | Singer Sudirman Arshad launched the biggest street concert ever held in the Chow Kit Road, Kuala Lumpur in front of more than 100,000 fans at night. |
| 1986 | 4 May | 1986 Sabah state election: The snap election was held in response to civil disturbances and political defections following the results of the 1985 state election. The results showed United Sabah Party (PBS) has won two-third majority and easily, formed the Sabah government with Joseph Pairin Kitingan once again as Sabah Chief Minister. |
| 1986 | 10 May | Tun Ghafar Baba was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister. |
| 1986 | 27 June | PLUS Expressways, the Malaysian largest highway concessionary or build–operate–transfer operator company was founded. |
| 1986 | 17 - 22 October | Pudu Prison siege took place after a group of prisoners seized and held two members of the prison staff as hostages. The siege was resolved 6 days later when Malaysian police stormed the prison and successfully rescued those hostages safely. |
| 1987 | 24 April | UMNO crisis began with leading President, Mahathir which led "Team A", was challenged by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who led "Team B" for the Presidency position. Later, the official results saw Mahathir's Team A as the winner, by a thin majority, with 761 votes to Razaleigh's Team B with 718. |
| 1987 | 27 October - 20 November | Operasi Lalang, a major political crackdown, was carried out by Malaysian police, saw arrest of 119 people including political activists, opposition politicians, intellectuals, students and others under the Internal Security Act (ISA) 1960. |
| 1987 | 28 October | Home Ministry withdrew the licences of the English language newspapers The Star and Sunday Star, the Chinese language Sin Chew Jit Poh, and the Malay language Watan for temporary period. Those suspended newspapers were lifted one year later. |
| 1988 | 4 February | 1988 constitutional crisis: UMNO was declared an illegal organization by the Kuala Lumpur High Court due to reports by 11 Group or Kumpulan 11 which believed to be allied with Tengku Razaleigh that challenged 1987 UMNO election results. |
| 1988 | 13 February | 1988 constitutional crisis: The application to register UMNO Baru was submitted by then President UMNO, Mahathir Mohamad and some pro-Mahathir's former UMNO Supreme Council Members. UMNO Baru was formed the next day and officially accepted to re-member Barisan Nasional. |
| 1988 | 17 March | 1988 constitutional crisis: In retaliation, amendment was red under Article 121 of the Federal Constitution in Parliament in interpret Malaysian judiciary system within the country's administration system. This also would be the attempt to put pressure and attacks on Malaysian judiciary system. |
| 1988 | 26 March | 1988 constitutional crisis: Lord President, Tun Salleh Abbas writing a letter to then Agong, Sultan Iskandar to stop Prime Minister's intervention in judiciary matters. |
| 1988 | 25 May | 1988 constitutional crisis: Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad has send his letter to then Agong Sultan Iskandar to wished that Tun Salleh Abbas should be replaced with the new Lord President. |
| 1988 | 9 June | 1988 constitutional crisis: Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad made a second representation to the King alleging further misconduct on the part of Tun Salleh Abbas based on his undignified use of the press to vent his grievances – such as requesting for a public hearing of the tribunal and asking for persons of high judicial standing to sit on the tribunal. 2 days later, members of the tribunal were appointed pursuant to the Federal Constitution by the King. |
| 1988 | 29 June | 1988 constitutional crisis: The tribunal held its proceedings in camera while Tun Salleh Abbas was accorded the right to be defended by Queen's counsel. Tribunal found that 5 allegations against Tun Salleh Abbas as Lord President. |
| 1988 | 4 July | 1988 constitutional crisis: Tribunal ends with enough evidence that Tun Salleh Abbas had misbehaviour for his challenge as tribunal process as the Lord President, thus made Tun Salleh Abbas to removed from office. |
| 1988 | 31 July | Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal bridge collapsed in Butterworth, Penang, Malaysia due to an overcrowding and unstable steel bars, leaving 32 people dead and injured 1,634 people. |
| 1989 | 19 March | Singer, Sudirman Arshad won the title " Best Performer" in the 1989 Salem Asian Music Awards at Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom. |
| 1989 | 22 September | Around 27 students, mostly schoolgirls were killed in the Madrasah fire tragedy in Guar Chempedak, Kedah. |
| 1990 | 29 May | Former Prime Minister, Tun Hussein Onn has died at age of 68 due to heart disease at San Francisco, California. He was laid to rest at Makam Pahlawan, Masjid Negara, Kuala Lumpur. |
| 1990 | 6 December | Former Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj has died at age of 87. His body was brought back to Kedah and laid to rest at Kedah Royal Mausoleum, Langgar, Kedah. |
| 1991 | 7 May | Bright Sparklers Fireworks disaster occurred in Sungai Buloh, Selangor after the fireworks factory caught fire and caused a huge explosion, leaving 26 people were killed and over 100 people were injured in the disaster. Some local houses and residential properties suffered damage of some roofs due to same explosion. |
| 1992 | 22 February | Singer, Sudirman Arshad has died at the age of 39 at his sister's house in Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur. His body is brought back to his hometown in Temerloh, Pahang and laid to rest at Chengal Muslim Cemetery. |
| 1992 | 16 May | 1992 Thomas & Uber Cup: After 25 years, Malaysia's men's badminton team won the fifth Thomas Cup at Stadium Negara, Kuala Lumpur, beating Indonesia with the aggregate of 3–2 |
| 1992 | 10 July | The second son of the Sultan of Johor, Tunku Abdul Majid, probably lost his temper assaulted a Perak hockey goalkeeper after Perak won against Johor in hockey championship match. This incident marked the beginning of 1993 Constitutional Crisis. |
| 1992 | 18 October | 1993 Constitutional Crisis: Tunku Abdul Majid Idris has been banned for 5 years from the game by the Malaysian Hockey Federation's disciplinary board after he was found guilty of assaulting the Perak goalkeeper during hockey tournament in Johor Bahru last 10 July. This punishment made his father, Sultan Iskandar, angry and disappointed over his son's punishment. |
| 1992 | 25 November | 1993 Constitutional Crisis: In response to his son, Tunku Abdul Majid's punishment, Sultan Iskandar ordered Johor education department to blocked Johor hockey team from the hockey match just hours before the semi-final of a Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) tournament. This action made Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar hockey coach, Douglas Gomez felt disappointed and called on office bearers of the Johor Hockey Federation to resign. |
| 1992 | 30 November | 1993 Constitutional Crisis: Sultan Iskandar of Johor physically abused hockey coach, Douglas Gomez at Istana Bukit Serene. This incident which known as "Gomez Incident", was received attention from local media and Malaysia government. |
| 1992 | 10 December | 1993 Constitutional Crisis: A special parliamentary session was held immediately, saw all 96 members of the Dewan Rakyat present to pass a unanimous resolution to curb the powers of the rulers if necessary. |
| 1992 | 27 December | 1993 Constitutional Crisis: The subsequent parliamentary session saw discussions to remove legal immunity which agitated Sultan Iskandar of Johor to hold a rally to oppose the government's actions, but was forced to cancel after intense government pressure. |
| 1993 | 17 January | 1993 Constitutional Crisis: 6 Sultans including Pahang, Terengganu, Perlis, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor and Perak agreed that amendments made to proposal to remove legal immunity during the meeting at Istana Negara involving both Rulers and government. Only absent were Johor, Kelantan and Kedah. |
| 1993 | 18 January | 1993 Constitutional Crisis: Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad tabled proposed amendment Bill during parliamentary sessions in Dewan Rakyat on subsequent days despite Sultans' objections, citing as far to say that there was no need to obtain royal assent to implement laws. |
| 1993 | 19 January | 1993 Constitutional Crisis: 133 out of 180 MPs passed the proposed changes although members of the opposition parties abstained from voting, citing indifferences. Dewan Negara passed a unanimous resolution to approve of the proposed amendments the next day. |
| 1993 | 31 March | 1993 amendments to the Constitution of Malaysia: The Parliament passed amendments to the Constitution with the aim of stripping the royalty of legal immunity. A new chapter, Part XV of the Constitution entitled "Proceedings against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Rulers" was also enshrined. |
| 1993 | 1 December | Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister, replacing Tun Ghafar Baba. |
| 1993 | 11 December | Block A of Highland Towers apartments suddenly collapsed at 1:35 pm in Hillview Park, Hulu Kelang, Selangor, leaving 48 people died and two people survived. This incident became the deadliest structural failure in Malaysian history. |
| 1994 | 1 January | Petronas Towers construction commenced. |
| 1995 | 29 June | 20 people were killed in the landslide at Genting Highlands slip road near the Karak Highway. |
| 1995 | 29 August | Putrajaya, the Federal Government's new administrative centre project, was launched by then Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad. |
| 1995 | 15 September | Malaysia Airlines Flight 2133, a Fokker 50 plane, crashed near Tawau Airport in Tawau, Sabah after a failed go-around, killing 34 people and 19 other survived |
| 1996 | 12 January | MEASAT 1, the first Malaysian satellite, was launched from by the Ariane rocket from Kourou, French Guiana to provides satellite services to leading Malaysia broadcasters and communications through space. |
| 1996 | 19 January | Riots and demonstration by those Vietnamese refugees took place in Sungai Besi transit camp, set on fire on building blocks. Police were deployed to ease tense situation, leaving 24 Vietnamese and 7 policemen, were injured. |
| 1996 | 12 February | MSC Malaysia, which known as Multimedia Super Corridor was founded. The corridor area begins with Kuala Lumpur, through Cyberjaya and Putrajaya and ends with Sepang, Selangor. |
| 1996 | 1 June | ASTRO, Malaysia's first subscription-based satellite television station which provide different channels, was founded. |
| 1996 | 3 August | A widespread power outage in Peninsular Malaysia began at 5.17 pm on 3 August 1996 when a transmission line near Sultan Ismail Power Station in Paka, Terengganu tripped, which caused west states of Peninsular Malaysia lost power for several hours. Supply was back to normal next morning. |
| 1996 | 29 August | A mud avalanche has occurred near Pos Dipang Orang Asli settlement in Kampar, Perak killed 44 people. |
| 1996 | 1 October | Kuala Lumpur Tower, Malaysia's tallest telecommunication tower, was officially opened. |
| 1996 | 26 December | Tropical Depression Greg has hit 9 Sabah states including Kota Kinabalu, killing 238 people. This is the Malaysia's worst hurricane disaster in history. |
| 1997 | 17 May | Cyberjaya, Malaysia's city with a science park as the core that forms a key part of the Multimedia Super Corridor, was officially launched by then Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad. |
| 1997 | 23 May | M. Magendran (11.55 am) and N. Mohanadas (12.10 pm) were made their history as the first Malaysians to reach the peak of Mount Everest, the Earth's highest mountain. |
| 1997 | 7 July | 1997 Asian financial crisis: Within days of the Thai baht devaluation, the Malaysian ringgit was heavily traded by speculators. The overnight rate jumped from under 8% to over 40%. This led to rating downgrades and a general sell off on the stock and currency markets. |
| 1997 | 8 July | 1997 Asian financial crisis: Malaysia's central bank intervenes to defend its currency, the ringgit. |
| 1997 | 21 July | 1997 Asian financial crisis: The Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) Composite Index fell below 200 points |
| 1997 | 24 July | 1997 Asian financial crisis: Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad accused "rogue speculators" for Southeast Asia's economic upheaval, blamed billionaire financier George Soros as causes of the crisis. |
| 1998 | 7 January | 1997 Asian financial crisis: The ringgit depreciated against the dollar by almost 50 percent, hitting a high of RM 4.88 to the US dollar at its lowest point. |
| 1998 | 23 January | 1997 Asian financial crisis: The Ringgit had lost 50% of its value, falling from above 2.50 to under 4.57 to the US dollar |
| 1998 | 7 April | NTV7, Malaysia's new channel, was officially launched. |
| 1998 | 8 May | Suria KLCC shopping mall was officially opened at the foot of the Petronas Twin Towers. |
| 1998 | 27 June | Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Malaysia's new main international airport, was officially opened by then Agong, Tuanku Jaafar in Sepang, Selangor. |
| 1998 | 11 July | The National Sport Complex was officially inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, ahead of the 16th Commonwealth Games. |
| 1998 | 17 August | Petronas Philharmonic Hall, Malaysia's first concert hall built specifically for classical music, was officially opened at Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur. |
| 1998 | 1 September | 1997 Asian financial crisis: Prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad imposed strict capital controls and introduced a 3.80 peg against the U.S. dollar |
| 1998 | 2 September | Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim was sacked by Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad. This is the beginning of Reformasi movement in Malaysian politics |
| 1998 | 11 - 21 September | Opening ceremony of the 1998 Commonwealth Games held in Kuala Lumpur at National Stadium at Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur for the first time. During the Games, Malaysian contingent team won 10 gold medals, followed by 14 silver and 12 bronze. |
| 1998 | 20 September | Anwar Ibrahim was arrested by police at the house at night after led street demonstration in Kuala Lumpur, which demand Mahathir to resign as Prime Minister. He was arrested under ISA 1960 next day. |
| 1998 | 29 September | Anwar Ibrahim was claimed trial to 9 charges including 5 from corruption and 4 from sodomy at the Kuala Lumpur Session Court. |
| 1999 | 7 January | Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Noor resigned as the Inspector General of Police after taking full responsibility for injuries suffered by former Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim while in police custody last September 1998. |
| 1999 | 8 January | Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister |
| 1999 | 7 March | Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia's largest motorsport race track, was officially opened. |
| 1999 | 1 April | The new Prime Ministerial office, Perdana Putra, was officially inaugurated in Putrajaya. The office was moved out from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya. |
| 1999 | 4 April | Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) was founded by former Deputy Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. |
| 1999 | 14 April | Anwar Ibrahim found guilty by the High Court for corruption charges and was sentenced to 6 years in jail. |
| 1999 | 31 August | Petronas Twin Towers, world's tallest building, was officially opened by then Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad. |
| 2000 | 23 April | 2000 Sipadan kidnappings: 21 hostages, were kidnapped by six Abu Sayyaf militants from a dive resort on the island of Sipadan, Sabah, and taken to the Abu Sayyaf base in Jolo, Sulu, in the southern Philippines. |
| 2000 | 2 - 6 July | Al-Ma'unah, a Malaysian spiritual Islamist militant group, carried out an arms heist by stealing weapons from army camps at midnight and later hiding at the top of Jenalik Hill in Sauk, Kuala Kangsar, Perak. The group also took 3 hostages. Five days later, the Al-Ma'unah militants were defeated when Malaysian security forces stormed their camp on the hill, resulting in the deaths of 2 security personnel, while a police officer and a civilian hostage were rescued. |
| 2000 | 8 August | Anwar Ibrahim was sentenced to 9 years in prison by the High Court on charges of sodomy. |
| 2000 | December | Gunung Mulu National Park and Kinabalu Park were designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites for their natural significance. |

## 21st century

| Year | Date | Event |
| 2001 | 1 February | Putrajaya was declared the third Federal Territory. |
| 2001 | 16 April | Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station, also known as KL Sentral, the largest transit-oriented railway station housing various modes of transportation, was officially opened, replacing the old Kuala Lumpur railway station. |
| 2001 | 5 September | The Malaysian identity card, known as MyKad, a multipurpose card introduced by the Malaysian government, was launched. |
| 2001 | 8 September | The opening ceremony of the 2001 SEA Games was held at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. |
| 2001 | 11 September | The September 11 attacks occurred in New York City, USA, claiming the lives of 2,996 people, including 3 Malaysians. |
| 2002 | 22 June | At the 2002 UMNO General Assembly, Mahathir Mohamad shocked the nation by announcing his resignation as Prime Minister, UMNO President, and BN Chairman. This prompted his supporters to rush to calm him down and tearfully convince him to reconsider his decision on stage. Shortly after, it was decided that the handover would occur in October 2003. |
| 2003 | 11 February | Telekom Tower was officially opened. |
| 2003 | 23 February | More than 200,000 Malaysians gathered at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil to support the "Malaysians For Peace" movement. |
| 2003 | 31 October | Mahathir Mohamad resigned after 22 years of leadership, and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was sworn in as Malaysia's fifth Prime Minister the following day. |
| 2003 | 12 December | Penang and Malacca City were designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, recognized as the Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca. |
| 2004 | 7 January | Najib Razak was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister. |
| 2004 | 8 January | 8TV, a Malaysian Chinese television channel, was launched. |
| 2004 | 21 March | Barisan Nasional won 198 out of 219 parliamentary seats in the 2004 general election, setting a record for the largest majority victory in its history. |
| 2004 | 2 September | Anwar Ibrahim was released after the Federal Court overturned his conviction and set aside his prison sentence on charges of sodomy. |
| 2004 | 26 December | A tsunami struck many parts of Asia, including Malaysia, affecting the northern regions of Peninsular Malaysia, such as Penang and Langkawi. The disaster left 67 people dead. |
| 2005 | 20 October | Tun Endon Mahmood Ambak, the wife of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, passed away at the age of 64 after a prolonged battle with breast cancer. |
| 2005 | 9 November | Azahari Husin, also known as "Demolition Man", a Malaysian engineer and former university lecturer believed to be the technical mastermind behind several major terrorist bombings in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali bombings, was killed during a police raid on his hideout in Batu, East Java, Indonesia. |
| 2006 | 22 April | TV9, a new Malaysian television channel was launched. |
| 2007 | 31 August | Malaysia celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence. |
| 2007 | 10 October | Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor became the first Malaysian astronaut to fly up to the International Space Station (ISS) with American and Russian astronauts using the Soyuz TMA-11 rocket from Kazakhstan. |
| 2007 | 10 November | The first Bersih rally was held in Kuala Lumpur in their demand against corruption in the electoral process in Malaysia. |
| 2007 | 25 November | More than 30,000 Hindu Rights Action Force supporters participated in a 2007 HINDRAF rally, which was held in Kuala Lumpur in their demand against Malaysian Indian discrimination. |
| 2008 | 8 March | Barisan Nasional won the election but suffered its worst results since the 1969 election, losing its two-thirds majority. The opposition captured Kedah, Penang, Perak, and Selangor from BN, while PAS retained Kelantan. |
| 2008 | 1 April | A new opposition coalition, Pakatan Rakyat, was formed by PKR, DAP, and PAS. |
| 2008 | 19 May | Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad left UMNO, forcing Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down as Prime Minister. |
| 2008 | 29 June | Anwar Ibrahim sought refuge in the Turkish embassy in Kuala Lumpur for his safety. He left the embassy the next day. |
| 2008 | 16 July | Anwar Ibrahim was arrested again by police in Kuala Lumpur shortly after the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) interview. It is believed that police purposely wanted a DNA sample from Anwar at the hospital due to reports of his sodomising his aide. |
| 2008 | 7 August | Anwar Ibrahim pleaded not guilty to sodomy charges, freed on RM 20,000 bond at Kuala Lumpur Court Sessions. |
| 2008 | 26 August | Anwar Ibrahim won the Permatang Pauh by-election, marking his return to Parliament after 10 years. He was also appointed as Opposition Leader 2 days later. |
| 2008 | 12 September | Malaysia Today news portal editor Raja Petra Kamaruddin, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok, and Sin Chew Daily News reporter Tan Hoon Cheng were arrested under ISA 1960. Hoon Cheng was freed the next day. |
| 2008 | 14 September | De facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim led a chorus of protest with six ministers against the use of ISA 1960 and demanded that the government review the Act. |
| 2008 | 17 September | Abdullah and his deputy, Najib Tun Razak, swapped their portfolios, with Abdullah as Defence Minister and Najib as Finance Minister |
| 2009 | 31 January | 2 PKR Perak State Assembly members went missing and 1 DAP State Assembly also went missing 2 days later. It was believed that they would defect to the opposition party, BN, thus marking the beginning of Perak political crisis. |
| 2009 | 4 February | Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak declared that the BN government has enough of a majority to form a government in Perak due to the defection of three Perak state assembly members. This marked the collapse of the Pakatan Rakyat government in Perak since GE12 in 2008. |
| 2009 | 6 February | Zambry Abdul Kadir was sworn in as Menteri Besar of Perak, but Nizar Jamaluddin vowed to stay despite Sultan Perak's call for his resignation. |
| 2009 | 3 March | Perak Pakatan Rakyat state assembly members met under a tree after being barred from the building. |
| 2009 | 3 April | Najib Tun Razak was sworn in as sixth Prime Minister after Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi resigned. |
| 2009 | 10 April | Muhyiddin Yassin was appointed as Deputy Prime Minister. |
| 2009 | 11 May | High Court rules that Nizar Jamaluddin declared as legitimate Menteri Besar. BN filed its appeal against this decision. |
| 2009 | 21 May | Appeal Court decided that Zambry Abdul Kadir declared as rightful Menteri Besar. Nizar Jamaluddin filed an appeal against this decision. |
| 2010 | 9 February | Federal Court rules that Zambry Abdul Kadir is the rightful Menteri Besar after Nizar's appeal is rejected, ending the Perak political crisis. |
| 2010 | 1 November | TV Al Hijrah, Malaysia's first Islamic channel, was launched. |
| 2010 | 29 December | The Malaysian football team won the first AFF Suzuki Cup after defeating Indonesia 4-2 on aggregate. |
| 2011 | 9 July | Bersih 2.0 rally was held in the streets of Kuala Lumpur. |
| 2011 | 15 September | Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the proposed repeal of the ISA 1960 act when he claimed that the repeal was required to accommodate and realise a mature, modern and functioning democracy; to preserve public order; enhance civil liberty and maintain racial harmony. |
| 2011 | 15 November | New Istana Negara building, the house of Yang Di-Pertuan Agong in Jalan Duta was officially opened by then Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin. Later, the house was moved from the old palace to there. |
| 2011 | 21 November | The Malaysian football team wins the gold medal after beating Indonesia 4-3 in a penalty shootout after being tied 1-1 at full time at the 2011 SEA Games football men's final in Indonesia. |
| 2011 | 13 December | Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah of Kedah is elected as the country's 14th Yang di-Pertuan Agong for the second time. Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan is elected as the Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong. |
| 2012 | 9 January | Anwar Ibrahim was acquitted of sodomy charges by the Kuala Lumpur High Court. During that time, three explosive devices detonated in the middle of Anwar's supporters. |
| 2012 | 28 April | Bersih 3.0 rally was held. |
| 2012 | 9 May | Parliament passed the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012, also known as SOSMA. This controversial law replaced and repealed ISA 1960 and became effective on 31 July. |
| 2012 | 6 July | Lenggong became a cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site. |
| 2013 | 11 February | 2013 Lahad Datu standoff: Sulu Militants arrived on the beach quietly in Lahad Datu, Sabah. Due to this, negotiations started between the Malaysian government and Sulu militants to resolve the intrusion. |
| 2013 | 1 March | 2013 Lahad Datu standoff: First shootout between the sultanate's forces and the police at the Tanduo village, leaving two police officers and 12 of the sultanate's men killed. |
| 2013 | 3 March | 2013 Lahad Datu standoff: An ambush at Semporna killed six police officers and six terrorists. |
| 2013 | 5 March | 2013 Lahad Datu standoff: Military and police began mopping-up operations codenamed "Ops Daulat". |
| 2013 | 5 May | Election was held. The results showed that BN has won, but the Opposition has popular votes for the first time. Despite that, BN has taken Kedah from the Opposition. |
| 2014 | 27 January | Kajang Move: The attempted replacement of Khalid Ibrahim as Menteri Besar (Chief Minister) of Selangor with Anwar Ibrahim starts a political crisis. |
| 2014 | 8 March | Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 which carried 227 passengers and 12 crew members disappeared near the Vietnamese sea border after take-off from KLIA. Search and rescue were activated to find the missing plane. |
| 2014 | 24 March | Prime Minister, Najib Razak, announced that Flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean. |
| 2014 | 17 July | Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 shot down by missile in Donetsk, Ukraine near Russian border after take-off from Amsterdam, Netherlands, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew members aboard. 43 were Malaysian |
| 2014 | 22 August | The bodies of 20 Malaysians killed in the MH17 incident arrived in KLIA, Sepang, Selangor with a sombre ceremony broadcast live on radio and television during a National Mourning Day. |
| 2014 | 23 September | Kajang Move: The crisis concludes with the appointment of Parti KeADILan Rakyat Deputy President, Azmin Ali, as Menteri Besar. |
| 2014 | 15 December - 3 January 2015 | 2014–2015 Malaysia floods affected Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor and Terengganu causing more than 500,000 people to be affected with 21 people killed. This was the worst flood disaster in decades. |
| 2015 | 10 February | Anwar Ibrahim was sentenced to 5 years prison by the Federal Court for the charge of sodomy against his aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan in 2008. |
| 2015 | 1 April | The Goods and Services Tax, or GST, is Malaysia's government value-added tax. It was implemented with a standard rate of 6%. |
| 2015 | 5 June | Sabah earthquake struck Ranau, Sabah and surrounding areas, causing 137 climbers to be stranded on Mount Kinabalu but were subsequently rescued later. As a result, 18 people dead, including 10 Singaporeans, two from both China and Japan on the same mountain. |
| 2015 | 16 June | Pakatan Rakyat was declared dissolved after PAS left the coalition party citing the unavoidable differences between PAS and DAP. |
| 2015 | 2 July | The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) released a report alleging US$700 million (RM 2.6 billion) of deposits suspected to have originated with 1MDB have flowed into Najib Razak's personal bank accounts. |
| 2015 | 29 July | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was appointed Deputy Prime Minister, replacing Muhyiddin Yassin for criticizing Najib Tun Razak due to the 1MDB scandal. |
| 2015 | 29 - 30 August | Bersih 4.0 rally was held with surprisingly Tun Dr Mahathir and his wife, who attended the rally, urging Najib Tun Razak to resign as Prime Minister. |
| 2015 | 22 September | Pakatan Harapan (PH), the new Opposition coalition party, was formed, which replaced Pakatan Rakyat. |
| 2016 | 3 February | Mukhriz Mahathir, the son of Tun Dr Mahathir, resigned as Kedah Menteri Besar after he lost the majority of support among the assemblymen due to his criticism towards Najib Tun Razak over the 1MDB scandal. |
| 2016 | 29 February | Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad left UMNO again for the second time in demanding Najib Tun Razak resign as Prime Minister |
| 2016 | 4 March | Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad launched a Malaysian Citizens' Declaration with cooperation from opposition parties to demand Najib Tun Razak's resignation as Prime Minister. |
| 2016 | 24 June | UMNO Deputy President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and UMNO Kedah leader Mukhriz Mahathir were sacked from the party due to their cooperation with other opposition parties demanding Najib Tun Razak resign. Meanwhile, UMNO Vice President Shafie Apdal was suspended due to his criticism of Najib Tun Razak's leadership but left UMNO several days later. |
| 2016 | 21 July | The United States Department of Justice filed a civil suit to seize assets. The 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal alleged the assets were bought with funds stolen from 1MDB. The suit said $681m found its way into the personal account of ‘Malaysian Official 1’, who was later identified as Najib by both the US and a Malaysian minister |
| 2016 | 10 August | Tun Dr Mahathir founded his new party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, or BERSATU, with former UMNO leaders Muhyiddin Yassin and Mukhriz Mahathir, in opposition to the then-prime minister, Najib Tun Razak. |
| 2016 | 17 October | Former UMNO Vice President Shafie Apdal formed a new Sabah party, Parti Warisan Sabah or WARISAN. |
| 2016 | 19 November | Bersih 5.0 rally was held. |
| 2017 | 13 February | Kim Jong-nam, eldest son of North Korean leader Kim Jong II was murdered after he was grabbed and his face smeared with VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. |
| 2017 | 15 February | A Vietnamese, Doan Thi Huong was detained at the KLIA terminal where Kim was killed. An Indonesian, Siti Aisyah was also detained the next day. They later claimed they were framed when they were hired to trick him as part of a so-called funny television show at the terminal. |
| 2017 | 16 February | Police arrested North Korean Ri Jong-chol, who is believed to be a chemical expert over the Kim Jong Nam death, but he was later released due to lack of evidence and deported from the country. |
| 2017 | 17 February | Police announced they were looking for 7 North Korean suspects in connection with the Kim Jong Nam murder. Police later said 4 of them were believed to have left the country and sought Interpol's help to detain them. |
| 2017 | 4 March | North Korean the Malaysian government expelled Ambassador Kang Chol after he denounced Malaysia's investigations into Kim Jong Nam's murder and accused Kuala Lumpur of colluding with outside forces to defame Pyongyang. He was also given 48 hours to clear the embassy and leave the country. |
| 2017 | 7 March | In response to expelling the North Korean Ambassador, the North Korean government banned Malaysian citizens from leaving the country as tension escalated over Kim's killing. Malaysia responded with a similar ban soon after. |
| 2017 | 19 - 30 August | 2017 SEA Games were held in the National Stadium Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, resulting in Malaysia receiving the number 1 ranking with 145 gold medals, 90 silver and 86 bronze medals. |
| 2017 | 14 September | 23 people, most of them students, were killed in a fire that broke out at Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah, a tahfiz (religious) school in Datuk Keramat, Kuala Lumpur. This tragedy was allegedly an act of arson caused by drug addicts, as a result, seven suspects were arrested. |
| 2018 | 9 May | Pakatan Harapan who led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has won the 14th General Election (GE14), defeated Barisan Nasional who led by Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak after 61 years of BN ruling, marked the first change of government coalition since Independence. |
| 2018 | 10 May | Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was sworn in as seventh Prime Minister for the second time. He was the world's oldest leader to become Prime Minister at 93. |
| 2018 | | A Sabah party, United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (UPKO), left the BN party coalition. |
| 2018 | 11 May | Two Sabah parties, PBRS and LDP, also left the BN party coalition. |
| 2018 | 12 May | Former Prime Minister, Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor are barred from leaving Malaysia. |
| 2018 | 12 May | Former Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak stepped down as UMNO President and BN chairman due to BN's loss in GE14. |
| 2018 | | Sabah party, United Sabah Party left the BN coalition government. |
| 2018 | 16 May | Anwar Ibrahim was freed from prison after being given a royal pardon by then Agong, Muhammad V of Kelantan. |
| 2018 | 21 May | Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, was appointed Deputy Prime Minister. She became the first woman to be Deputy Prime Minister in history. |
| 2018 | 1 June | GST rate reduced from 6% to 0% as promised by Pakatan Harapan government. |
| 2018 | 11 June | 4 Sarawak main parties, PBB, PRS, PDP and SUPP, left the BN coalition to form Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) |
| 2018 | 23 June | GERAKAN left the BN coalition. |
| 2018 | 3 July | Najib Tun Razak was arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). He was charged with four counts of CBT and abuse of power over RM 42 million, which was transferred into his private account from SRC International the following day. |
| 2018 | 1 September | Sales and Service Tax (SST) was introduced, replacing GST. |
| 2018 | 26 - 27 November | The Sri Maha Mariamman Temple riot, which took place for two days at the temple site in Subang Jaya, Selangor, originated from a disagreement between the temple and One City Development Sdn. Bhd., concerning the transfer of the temple. This led to property damage, widespread media coverage, and the death of firefighter Muhammad Adib bin Mohd Kassim who passed away 21 days after the second day of the riot. |
| 2018 | 8 December | The 2018 anti-ICERD rally was organised by opposition right-wing political parties PAS and UMNO, with the support of various non-governmental organisations in response to the PH government plan to ratify the United Nations convention known as ICERD. |
| 2019 | 6 January | Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan has stepped down as Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, marking that he was the first King of Malaysia to resign in history. |
| 2019 | 24 January | Sultan Abdullah of Pahang has been declared the next Yang-Di Pertuan Agong after the decision was made in the Rulers Conference at Istana Negara. |
| 2019 | 14 September | New Malaysian coalition party, Muafakat Nasional was formed due to cooperation between UMNO and PAS against Pakatan Harapan. |
| 2020 | 25 January | The first cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) were detected in Malaysia among travellers from China in Johor. |
| 2020 | 4 February | First Malaysian tested positive for COVID-19. |
| 2020 | 23 February | Several political leaders went to Istana Negara to grant an audience with Agong, Sultan Abdullah to purposely seek a change of government. |
| 2020 | | Several Members of Parliament, including government and opposition, attended the dinner at the Sheraton Hotel, marking the beginning of political events known as the "Sheraton Move." |
| 2020 | 24 February | Mahathir Mohamad resigned as the seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia due to the country's political crisis. |
| 2020 | | BERSATU left Pakatan Harapan coalition. |
| 2020 | | PKR Deputy President Azmin Ali and Vice President Zuraida Kamaruddin were sacked for betraying Pakatan Harapan. Eight other Members of Parliament who aligned with Azmin's camp left PKR. |
| 2020 | | Pakatan Harapan government automatically fell after 22 months of ruling since GE14 in 2018. |
| 2020 | | Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah appointed Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as interim Prime Minister to serve until a Prime Minister could be chosen. |
| 2020 | 25 February | Istana Negara announced that the Agong interview session was held to collect statements from all Members of Parliament on choosing a Prime Minister. |
| 2020 | 26 February | Sultan Johor ordered all 56 members of the State Assembly to meet at Johor palace due to a hung state assembly, which is believed to have occurred after BERSATU left the Pakatan Harapan coalition. |
| 2020 | | The Hung Melaka State Assembly occurred after BERSATU left PH, causing Melaka Chief Minister Adly Zahari to brief Melaka Yang-Di Pertuan Negeri about the political situation in the state. |
| 2020 | 27 February | Johor Palace announced that a new coalition party will lead the government with BN, BERSATU and PAS, thus ending PH leadership for the Johor government. |
| 2020 | | Hung Perak State Assembly occurred after BERSATU left PH, causing BN Perak to inform Perak Sultan about the political situation in the state. |
| 2020 | | Kedah Menteri Besar Mukhriz Mahathir stated that the PH Kedah government remained despite the ongoing political crisis at the federal level. |
| 2020 | 28 February | BERSATU announced that it, supported by BN and PAS, will choose Muhyiddin Yassin as its prime ministerial candidate. |
| 2020 | | Hasni Mohammad from UMNO, was sworn in as new Johor Menteri Besar in front of the Sultan at Istana Bukit Serene, Johor Bahru. |
| 2020 | 29 February | Pakatan Harapan announced that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been chosen as the Prime Minister candidate after discovering that BN, BERSATU and PASa supported Muhyiddin Yassin. |
| 2020 | | BERSATU president, Muhyiddin with the support of BN and PAS was granted an audience with Agong to form a new government with a new coalition party, Perikatan Nasional. |
| 2020 | | Rulers Conference decided that Muhyiddin had enough support from the majority to become the new prime minister. |
| 2020 | 1 March | Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was appointed as eighth Prime Minister. |
| 2020 | 2 March | BN Melaka declared that the PH Melaka government collapsed due to BERSATU and some PH State Assembly members' defection to BN, thus automatically sacked Adly Zahari as Melaka Chief Minister after he lost enough majority. |
| 2020 | 9 March | Sulaiman Md Ali from UMNO was sworn in as new Melaka Chief Minister. |
| 2020 | | Perak Menteri Besar, Ahmad Faizal Azumu announced that a new coalition party would lead the Perak government, ending PH leadership for the Perak government. Faizal has resigned as Perak Menteri Besar the next day. |
| 2020 | | Ahmad Faizal Azumu from BERSATU was reappointed as Perak Menteri Besar. |
| 2020 | 16 March | Due to health concerns over the spike of new COVID-19 cases in recent days, Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin announced nationwide lockdown which known as nationwide lockdown known as the Movement Control Order (MCO) with blocked several major roads, closure of nation's border and crowded places such as offices, shops, schools, mosque etc. |
| 2020 | 17 March | The first 2 Malaysians death from the COVID-19 pandemic were reported. |
| 2020 | 18 March | Movement Control Order (MCO) lockdown was imposed in response to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic in Malaysia. |
| 2020 | 25 March | MCO lockdown was extended from 1 April to 14 April due to a continuous spike of COVID-19 new cases. |
| 2020 | 12 May | Kedah Opposition party announced that the Pakatan Harapan government collapsed due to PKR defection to Perikatan Nasional but Mukhriz Mahathir vowed to stay on despite the announcement. |
| 2020 | 17 May | Mukhriz Mahathir resigned as Menteri Besar of Kedah after losing confidence in the Kedah State Assembly. That same day, Sanusi Md Nor was sworn in as new Kedah Menteri Besar. |
| 2020 | 18 May | In a royal address during a Parliament sitting, Agong called on all politicians not to drag the country into any further political crisis, as Malaysia was already experiencing a COVID-19 pandemic. |
| 2020 | 28 May | BERSATU chairman, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Mukhriz Mahathir, Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman, Maszlee Malik and Amiruddin Hamzah were expelled from the party. |
| 2020 | 28 July | The High Court convicted former prime minister Najib Razak on all seven counts of abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust, becoming the first Prime Minister of Malaysia to be convicted of corruption, and was sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment and fined RM210 million. |
| 2020 | 29 July | Former Sabah Chief Minister, Musa Aman announced the collapse of the WARISAN government and formation of the Perikatan Nasional government. |
| 2020 | 30 July | In response to yesterday's announcement, Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal announced the dissolution of the Sabah State Assembly, causing a state snap election. |
| 2020 | 23 September | Anwar Ibrahim announced that PH claimed enough majority support to become the Malaysian government. That same day, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin dismissed Anwar's claim and stated that the Perikatan Nasional government remained. |
| 2020 | 26 September | 2020 Sabah state election was held, resulting in a new Sabah coalition party, Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS), winning a thin majority with 38 seats, followed by the rival coalition party, WARISAN, with 32 seats. |
| 2020 | 23 October | Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin granted an audience with Agong to discuss declaring a State of Emergency to ease the political situation in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| 2021 | 12 January | The 2021 Malaysian state of emergency was declared with the approval of the government's request by Agong under Article 150 of the Malaysian Constitution to ease tense politics in containing the COVID-19 pandemic effectively from 12 January 2021 to 1 August 2021. |
| 2021 | 18 February | High Court orders Rosmah Mansor, the wife of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, to enter defence on all three graft charges. |
| 2021 | 21 February | The first shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine officially arrived at KLIA Cargo after months of anticipation, with the implementation of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme set to begin in phases starting February 26. |
| 2021 | 24 February | Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin became the first person in Malaysia to receive a COVID-19 vaccine shot as the country rolled out its nationwide vaccination campaign two days earlier than scheduled. |
| 2021 | 28 May | The Kelana Jaya LRT collision occurred on the Kelana Jaya line between Kampung Baru and KLCC stations in Kuala Lumpur, causing 213 people to be injured. |
| 2021 | 15 June | National Recovery Plan (NRP), an implementation plan consisting of 4 phases to revive the Malaysian economy, which had been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, was introduced. |
| 2021 | 16 June | The King of Sultan Abdullah announced that Parliament would convene as soon as possible to address several issues related to COVID-19 in Malaysia. |
| 2021 | 5 July | The King of Sultan Abdullah, with the agreement of the Malaysian government, allowed Parliament to be held on 26 July before the Emergency, which ended in August. |
| 2021 | 7 July | Ismail Sabri Yaakob was appointed Deputy Prime Minister. |
| 2021 | 8 July | UMNO President, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced withdrawing support for Muhyiddin and Perikatan Nasional government immediately because some UMNO conditions to Perikatan Nasional government were not fulfilled. |
| 2021 | 26 July | Parliament meeting was opened in the middle of the COVID-19 crisis in Malaysia. |
| 2021 | 29 July | King of Sultan Abdullah was very disappointed that the cancellation of the Emergency Ordinance has not been approved yet during Parliament sittings on the 26th of July. |
| 2021 | 3 August | UMNO President, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced that UMNO withdrew its support for Muhyiddin Yassin as Prime Minister along with 10 other UMNO Members of Parliament for his government's failure to the King of Malaysia and in tackling the COVID-19 crisis in Malaysia. |
| 2021 | 4 August | Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that he would remain Prime Minister with the support of Perikatan Nasional, UMNO, GPS, GRS, and others. Thus, he would call for a vote of confidence in September. |
| 2021 | 6 August | Deputy Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that 31 Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament would support Muhyiddin Yassin as Prime Minister and the Perikatan Nasional government. |
| 2021 | 16 August | Muhyiddin Yassin announced his resignation as Prime Minister thus his cabinet automatically resigned as well. He remained as caretaker prime minister until Ismail Sabri Yaakob was appointed PM. |
| 2021 | 21 August | Ismail Sabri Yaakob was sworn in as the ninth Prime Minister. |
| 2021 | 20 November | A snap election was held in Melaka and resulted in the Barisan Nasional (BN) winning most of the seats to form the Melaka government. |
| 2021 | 8 December | The Court of Appeal upholds the conviction and sentence of former prime minister Najib Razak. |
| 2021 | 18 December | Sarawak state election was held, resulting in Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) winning most of the seats to form the Sarawak government. |
| 2022 | 12 March | A snap election was held in Johor, resulting in Barisan Nasional (BN) winning most of the seats to form the Johor government. |
| 2022 | 23 August | The Federal Court of Malaysia upheld Najib Razak's conviction. The same day, he began his 12-year sentence in Kajang Prison. However, he continues to attend trials related to other corruption cases. |
| 2022 | 19 November | The 15th Malaysian general election (GE15) was held with results showing Pakatan Harapan had won 82 seats followed by 74 seats for Perikatan Nasional and 30 seats for Barisan Nasional producing a hung parliament. None of the party coalitions reached the 112-seat majority required to form a government. |
| 2022 | 24 November | Anwar Ibrahim was appointed as the tenth Prime Minister after a decision by the Rulers Conference in Istana Negara. He led the country with a unity government consisting of PH, BN, GPS, WARISAN, and other Independents. This event marked the end of 24 years of waiting for the Prime Ministership since spearheading the Reformasi movement in 1998. |
| 2022 | 3 December | Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister for the second time while Fadillah Yusof was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister II, making them the first two Deputy Prime Ministers in Malaysian history. |
| 2022 | 16 December | The Batang Kali Landslide struck three sections including some tents from Father's Organic Farm in Batang Kali, Selangor, killing 31 people, 61 people survived the disaster. |
| 2023 | 27 January | UMNO sacked Khairy Jamaluddin and Noh Omar from the party and also suspended Hishamuddin Tun Hussein and three other UMNO leaders for violating the party's Constitution by helping a rival coalition party to win in the last GE15. |
| 2023 | 12 March | Malaysian actress, Michelle Yeoh won the Best Actress Oscar for the 2022 American film, Everything Everywhere All at Once at the 95th Academy Awards, marking the first Malaysian to achieve this award. |
| 2023 | 17 August | A Beechcraft 390 Premier I business jet, carrying passengers including Johari Harun, a member of the Pahang State Executive Council and the Pahang State Legislative Assembly representative for Pelangai, crashed onto an expressway interchange near Elmina in Sungai Buloh, Selangor, Malaysia, resulting in the deaths of 10 people. |
| 2024 | 10 January | Merdeka 118 is officially opened by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah. |
| 2024 | 23 April | Two Royal Malaysian Navy helicopters collided over the town of Lumut during a military parade rehearsal celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Killing all 10 people on board the aircraft. |
| 2024 | 17 May | The 2024 Ulu Tiram police station attack which occurred in Johor, Malaysia resulted in the deaths of 2 police officers, injuries to another and the fatal shooting of the sole attacker. He was initially suspected of ties to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) due to his father's connection with the group but was later confirmed to have acted alone. |
| 2024 | 24 October | Malaysia attained BRICS partner country status, with Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli representing Malaysia at the 16th BRICS Summit, strengthening Malaysia's economic and trade collaborations with BRICS nations. |