Puerto Rico Timeline By Lujainclint Nov 19, 1493 Christopher Columbus discovers island Dec 15, 1508 Juan Ponce de Leon established (Not exact date) Not exact date Jul 25, 1898 United States acquires Puerto Rico Dec 1, 1899 Teachers from the US to teach in English Jan 1, 1905 English as Main Language of Instruction Mar 2, 1917 Puerto Ricans become US citizens Jan 2, 1949 Spanish Restored as Main Language of Instruction Bill passed in US Congress allowing Puerto Rico to elect a governor Feb 24, 1952 Spanish is the official language Feb 24, 1952 bj Feb 24, 1991 Spanish declared as the only language Feb 24, 1993 Revoking the Spanish only law Feb 24, 1994 Projects for development of bilingual citizen Feb 24, 1997 Language Policy # 8 Feb 24, 2008 All public school students to be bilingual in 10 years Feb 24, 2013 Bilingual Education for the 21st Century Program