Malta marks 50 years of Independence today - five largely successful decades which saw the Maltese economy grow and its society develop in parallel with those of much larger countries.

Kurt Sansone looks back in the video above on the most important milestone in the country's history.

The Sunday Times of Malta today also carries a special supplement which, among other features, includes a rare interview with the only surviving son of former prime minister George Borg Olivier. He remembers the tension during the negotiations for Independence and “the unhappy days” after the unexpected electoral defeat in 1971.

The publication includes an interview with former prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami, who campaigned for independence holding corner meetings as he toured the island in his Fiat 500, as well as a contribution by former Chief Justice John J. Cremona who drafted Malta’s independence constitution.

Like EU membership 10 years ago, talk about the island’s independence after 164 years under the British led to division, which political historian Joseph Pirotta and former Times of Malta editor Victor Aquilina delve into.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Opposition leader Simon Busuttil also weigh in on the debate and although they were not even born when Malta became independent they both believe it is significant.

But it is not just about politics. The supplement includes rare photos from 1964 and features how we were at the time, when the word ‘gay’ still meant merry, adverts for laxatives riddled the newspaper and Knorr-Swiss packet soup was a delicacy.

The supplement includes a four-page pull-out featuring the front and back pages of the two editions of Times of Malta issued on September 21, 1964.