Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first human footsteps on these islands were taken by hunter-gatherers arriving on canoes from Central and South America around 3100 BC. These early settlers, known as the Ciboney, established the first permanent communities on what is now Antigua and Barbuda, leaving behind carbon-dated evidence of their presence that predates the arrival of Christopher Columbus by over five thousand years.
The islands remained largely uncolonized until 1632, when Edward Warner and his small party established the first successful British colony. This event marked the beginning of a new and brutal chapter in the islands' history that transformed the islands into a brutal engine of sugar production driven by enslaved labor.
The history of slavery and the subsequent struggle for autonomy shaped the political landscape of the islands, leading to the first democratic elections in 1951 and eventual independence in 1981. Vere Bird became the first Prime Minister of independent Antigua and Barbuda in 1981, ruling until 1994.
In early September 2017, Hurricane Irma devastated the island of Barbuda, bringing winds with speeds reaching 295 kilometers per hour and damaging or destroying 95% of the island's buildings and infrastructure. The storm left Barbuda barely habitable, and nearly everyone on the island was evacuated to Antigua.
The nation has enacted policies to attract high-net-worth citizens and residents, such as abolishing personal income tax in 2016. This policy change is part of the country's strategy to boost its economy, which is dominated by tourism and accounts for more than half of the gross domestic product.