1. An Island Surrounded by Atlantic Ocean Waters

Barbados is a famous Island that is surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The Island derives its name from the Bearded Fig Trees that were once abundant on this Island. Rihanna was born in Barbados and moved to the U.S. when she attained age 16 to pursue a career in music. In 2004, Barbados was Tiger Woods’ choice venue for his wedding.

 2. Initial British Settlement

The British first settled on Barbados in 1625. At the time, the island was almost covered totally by a dense jungle and had extremely large wild pig populations. The British Flag was flown on the island always until 1966 when the island attained independence from the British. Since then, no foreign powers have successfully invaded the island.

 3. First  Barbados Settlement

The first settlement ever in Barbados was Holetown. Originally, Holetown was known as Jamestown, named after England’s King James I. The settlement was named Holetown because of ships were cleaned and offloaded from a tiny channel at the town’s vicinity. These tasks made the area smelly and untidy causing it to be referred to as the ‘Hole’ which changed to Holetown as it is called today.

 4. 1^st and 2^nd Governors were Captured

Barbado’s 1^st Governor, Captain William Deane and the 2^nd Governor, John Powell were each captured as they served their terms. They were taken back to England in irons. Several executions were conducted by the firing squad on the island during the colonial era. The Commander-in-Chief, Sir William Tufton was killed for high treason in 1632 and a Judge in his case was also executed for murder.

 5. Bridgetown was Indian Bridge

Bridgetown, the capital city of Barbados was originally known as ‘Indian Bridge’ due to a rude bridge that had been put up over the now Careenage river by Indians. The town was later renamed ‘town of St. Michael’ on official documents then renamed Bridgetown once a new bridge was erected after 1654 as a replacement of the Indian Bridge.

 6. Landslide

In 1786, a terrible landslide hit a home in Walcotts Plantation in Crab-Hole. A house sank underground completely and no part of it could be seen the following morning. Later, the house was discovered after digging the soil out. A roof opening was made and surprisingly, all its internal arrangements were found intact including a christening cake whose taste and appearance remained the same.

 7. Oldest Parliament

Barbados has one of the oldest parliaments in the world. It is the third parliamentary democracy in terms of old age in the world. The country’s parliamentary governance has remained uninterrupted since 1639.

8. First Slaves were White

The very first slaves to serve in Barbados were white and were known as indentured servants or persons who were deemed to be enemies of the Crown. This practice gained popularity so much between 1640s and 1650s to an extent that ‘to be Barbadoed’ was used as a punishment phrase.

 9. Healing Qualities

Barbados was seen as the healthiest place to live in between 1841 and 1845. At the time, the Island had a mortality rate of 1 death for every 66 people when the average global estimates were 1 death for every 35 people. The Island’s sandy beaches were also believed to have special healing qualities and people from across the world traveled to Barbados. Treatment was done through immersion of the entire body except the head in the St. Andrew’s Cattlewash beaches.

 10. Statue of Lord Nelson

The Statue of Lord Nelson was put up on the Trafalgar Square in Bridgetown in 1813. This stature is older that the Lord Nelson Square and Statue in London. In 1999, Trafalgar Square’s name was changed to National Heroes square in honor of Barbados’ national heroes.