20th century
1900s-1930s
- 5 August 1900 – The present building of the Church of the Birth of Our Lady, Surabaya completed construction. [10]
- 1 April 1906 – Surabaya's city council was established, composed of 15 Europeans, 3 natives, and 3 Chinese/Arabs. [16]
- 1910 – Work began on the construction of a modern port at Tanjung Perak. [17]
- 1913 – The Nederlandsch-Indische Artsen School /NIAS (Surabaya Medical college) was founded. [18]
- 31 August 1916 – The Surabaya Zoo was first founded as the Soerabaiasche Planten-en Dierentuin. [19]
- 1917 – The Indies Social Democratic Association (ISDV) organized sailors and soldiers into "soviets" mimicking the Russian Revolution, though the movement was suppressed in the following years. [20]
- 1925
- Morokrembangan Naval Air Base , a Dutch Air Base, was established. [21]
- September–December – Extensive strikes in Surabaya's engineering companies, culminating with the banning of Surabaya's railway workers' union. [22]
- 18 June 1927 – The Soerabajasche Indonesische Voetbalbond (today Persebaya) was established. [15]
- 1930 – Surabaya's population was recorded to be 341,700. [23]
- 1935 – The radio station Chineese en Inheemse Radio Luisteraars Vereniging Oost Java (CIRVO) began broadcasting. [24]
1940s
- 1942
- 3 February – First Japanese air strike against the city. [25]
- 18 February – Dutch coastal defense ship HNLMS Soerabaja and submarine HNLMS K VII were sunk by Japanese bombers in Surabaya harbor. [26]
- 1 March – The Imperial Japanese Army —the 48th Division and part of the 156th Mixed Infantry Brigade—invaded East Java, with Surabaya as the primary objective. The Dutch surrender was signed before fighting occurred in the city. [25]
- 17 May 1944 – Operation Transom – American and British bombers raided Surabaya. [27]
- 1945
- 17 August – Immediately following the proclamation of Indonesian independence, the Japanese occupation government handed over the governing of the city to Indonesians, with Radjamin Nasution becoming the city's first Indonesian mayor. [28]
- 19 September – The "Flag Incident" or "Yamato Hotel Incident": Indonesian nationalist youths tore off the blue portion of the Dutch flag flown by the Yamato Hotel, changing it to the Indonesian flag. [29]
- 3 October – Vice Admiral Shibata Yaichiro, the most senior Japanese commander in Surabaya, surrendered to allied representatives. [30]
- 30 October – British Indian Army officer Aubertin Walter Sothern Mallaby was killed in his car. [29]
- 10 November – British forces attacked the city supported by naval and aerial bombardment, in what is today commemorated in Indonesia as Heroes' Day. [31]
- 1 July 1949 – Jawa Pos began publication in Surabaya. [32]
1950s-1990s
- 10 November 1954 – The Airlangga University was established. [33]
- 10 November 1957 – The Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology was inaugurated by Sukarno. [34]
- 4 April 1960 – The Morokrembangan Aviation Base was reinaugurated as the Morokrembangan Naval Air Base. [35]
- 19 December 1964 – IKIP Surabaya (today State University of Surabaya) was established. [36]
- 1965
- 16 October – Following the 30 September Movement, organized attacks began on the Indonesian Communist Party members and locations in Surabaya. [37]
- 29 October – Communist-affiliated mayor Moerachman was removed from his post and replaced by local army district commander Soekotjo Sastrodinoto. [38]
- 26 August–6 September 1969 – The 7th Pekan Olahraga Nasional was held in Surabaya. [39]
- 1979 – Moehadji Widjaja was elected mayor. [40]
- 1984 – Poernomo Kasidi was elected mayor. [40]
- 1986
- The first Tunjungan Plaza was opened. [41]
- The Surabaya–Gempol Toll Road was opened. [42]
- 16 June 1989 – The Surabaya Stock Exchange was established. [43]
- 24 August 1990 - SCTV, Indonesia's second private television network, began airing from Surabaya. [44]
- 1993 – The Surabaya–Gresik Toll Road began operations. [45]
- 1994
- The Surabaya Stock Exchange began operations. [43]
- Soenarto Soemoprawiro was elected mayor. [40]
