Spanish explorers were the first to come upon — and name — the island, but it was the Netherlands who founded the first settlement there. In the late 1800s, Germany established a large commercial presence on the island, but they were driven out by Australian Commonwealth troops during WW I. Australian rule was broken for several years by the Japanese occupation in WW II, and after the war New Guinea was joined with the eastern portion of the island, a former British trusteeship called Papua, under an international trusteeship. The goal was to gradually build up the civic infrastructure needed to make the island independent.

On this day, September 16, in 1975, Papua New Guinea began operating as a self-governing nation. Elections held three year prior were won by a ministry headed by Chief Minister Michael Somare, who promised independence.

Somare’s coalition held out for five years, before losing a no-confidence vote. Subsequent administrations fared little better, and the revolving-door leadership gave the nearby island of Bougainville the impetus to declare their own independence. Relations with Australia are also strained: for example, PNG Prime Minister Somare in a 2005 visit to Australia was asked to go through airport security upon arrival in Brisbane.