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Born in Louisville, Kentucky as Cassius Clay
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Begins training as a boxer after his bicycle is stolen. Over next six years, Clay wins six Kentucky Golden Gloves championships, two national Golden Gloves titles, and two AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) crowns.
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Clay joins Nation of Islam, and on March 6, he changes his name to Muhammad Ali.
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The U.S. government denies his status. Ali is convicted of draft evasion, sentenced to a maximum five years in prison and fined $10,000. The New York boxing association takes back his titles and bans him from boxing for three years.
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Supreme Court rules in his favor, reversing the 1967 draft-evasion conviction, saying he should not have been drafted in the first place due to his religious beliefs.
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Ali loses a unanimous decision to Trevor Berbick. In December, he announces his retirement -- at age 39 -- ending his career with a professional record of 56 wins, 5 losses, 37 knockouts.
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He is diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
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Ali is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest U.S. civilian honor, by then-President George W. Bush.
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Ali attends the inauguration of President Barack Obama.
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Muhammad Ali Dies June 3 in Phoenix, Arizona. He was married four times and had nine children.
