Nauru was visited in 1798 by Captain John Fearn of the British whaling ship, Hunter, while sailing from New Zealand to the China Seas. He noted that the island had many dwellings and he named it 'Pleasant Island'.
During the nineteenth century European traders and beachcombers established themselves on the island. They brought with them alcohol and firearms, making a pre-existing inter-tribal warfare worse.
In 1881, the island came under the control of the European powers, and under an Anglo-German Convention it was allocated to German administration. Alcohol was banned and arms and ammunition confiscated in an effort to restore law and order.
In 1899, the first missionaries arrived and Christianity and western-style education were introduced.
In November 1914, soon after the outbreak of World War 1, the Germans surrendered Nauru to an Australian expeditionary force and in 1919 Germany formally renounced its title to the island.
Following a League of Nations mandate, Nauru was administered by the governments of Britain, New Zealand and Australia. Rich, high grade phosphate deposits previously worked by a British Company under licence from the Nauruan landowners was purchased by the three governments and administered by the British Phosphate Commission.
In 1940 during World War 2, Nauru was shelled by the Germans, and in 1942 was occupied by the Japanese.
Following the end of World War 2, Australia resumed administration of Nauru on behalf of the same three governments as before. Throughout the 1960's the Nauruans pressed their claim for independence and on 31 January, 1968, Nauru became the "Republic of Nauru".