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Billy Pilgrim is Born
Billy is born in Ilium, New York as the only child of a barber. He is described as being a tall and weak child, which is the start of him not fitting in with his peers. This continues into his adulthood and contributes to some of his problems in life. -
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Billy Pilgrim's Life
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Billy's Father is Killed
Billy joins the army as a Chaplain's assistant. He is doing maneuvers at an Army base in South Carolina when he is furloughed because his dad is shot during a hunting accident. This doesn't seem to have much of an impact on Billy since his father was kind of cruel throwing him into the deep end of the pool and almost letting him drown, and Billy doesn't follow in his father's footsteps as a tough man. -
Billy First becomes Unstuck in Time
Billy joins the infantry regiment in Luxembourg because the last Chaplain's assistant died. He gets separated from his group and stuck behind German lines where he meets Roland Weary and the two scouts. While they are moving through the forest he leans on a tree, closes his eyes, and becomes unstuck in time for the first time. He travels to many dates throughout his life, and begins the the time travelling experience he goes through frequently during the story. -
Dresden is Firebombed
Billy is a prisoner of war in Dresden where he does work at a syrup factory and is quartered in a slaughterhouse. Sirens in the city go off so Billy and 100 other POW's hide in a meat locker overnight as U.S. and British planes drop bombs and destroy the city in a firestorm. This experience and the sight of the city after the event are what mainly cause Billy's PTSD. -
Billy gets Honorably Discharged from Army
After the firebombing of Dresden, the German guards bring the POW's back to the city to clean up and dispose of bodies. The World War II in Europe soon ends during Spring and the POW's are given honorable discharges. At this point, Billy must return to civilian life, which he doesn't cope well with. -
Billy Spends Time at a Mental Hospital
Billy is checked into a mental patient ward in Lake Placid, New York, 3 years after the end of the war. Here he is roommates with Eliot Rosewater, who was also a veteran of the war and has PTSD from its atrocities. Rosewater introduces Billy to Kilgore Trout and science fiction, which is what puts the idea of alien abduction into his head. -
Billy is Abducted by Tralfamadorians
On the night of Billy's daughter's wedding, he watches a war movie forward and backward, and already knows he will be abducted since he time travels. The flying saucer picks him up in his backyard then takes him to Tralfamadore where he is shown naked in a zoo with movie star Montana Wildhack. The Tralfamadorians teach him their philosophy on time, which he believes and lives by for the entire the story. -
Billy gets in a Plane Crash
Billy and a bunch of other optometrists take a plane to an optometry convention. It crashes on Sugarbush Mountain in Vermont, and everyone except Billy and the copilot dies. The plane is found by skiers and Billy is taken to the hospital with a skull fracture. The head trauma adds to Billy's mental instability. -
Valencia Dies
When Valencia hears of Billy's plane accident and his likely fate of death, she goes hysterical and immediately drives to the hospital. She is crying and misses her turn off the highway, so she slams on her brakes to make it. Another car rear ends her, destroying her car's exhaust system. She drives away in spite of this, but by the time she makes it to hospital, all the carbon monoxide in the car has killed her. This shows the misfortune in Billy's life, which he technically "caused". -
Billy Pilgrim Dies
Billy is speaking at a convention about his Tralfamadore experiences, when he is shot by an assassin sent from Paul Lazzaro, who swore to avenge Roland Weary's death 30 years ago during the war. All the misfortune in Billy's life finally catches up to him and actually kills him. This occurs on the same exact month and day as the Dresden firebombing, showing its significance in both Billy's life and death.
