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1958 - Born August 29 in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children. His father, a steel mill crane operator and guitarist, managed the Jackson.
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1962- Four-year old Michael joins brothers Marlon, Tito, Jackie and Jermaine to form the Jackson
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1968 - The Jackson signs a contract with Motown Records and the family moves to Los Angeles, California.
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1969 - Has first hit single with Jackson 5's I want you back
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1972 - Has first solo No. 1 hit, "Ben" - a love song to a movie rat.
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1978 - Makes big-screen debut as a scarecrow in "The Wiz."
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1979 - "Off the Wall" album propels him to superstar status. Produced by Quincy Jones, it goes to sell more than 7 million copies.
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1980 - Wins Grammy for best male R&B vocal performance with "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough"
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1982 - Thriller album makes him the 1980's biggest star, eventually sells 26 million copies.
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1984 - Injured when spark ignites his hair during the filming of Pepsi ad. "Thriller," nominated for eight Grammy Awards, wins eight of them. The album is certified 20 times platinum.
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1985 - Co-writes charity single "We Are the World."
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1986 - Stars in the $17 million film "Captain EO," directed by Francis Ford Coppola, produced by George Lucas and played at Disney's World's Epcot Centre.
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1987 - Attempts to buy skeleton of the "Elephant Man," John Marrick, according to news reports. His third album, "Bad" album released,
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1988 - Releases autobiography, Moonwalk. Has surgery to put cleft in his chin.
