August 29, 1958: Michael Jackson is born in Gary, Indiana.
November 6, 1971: Michael Jackson’s first solo single, “Got to Be There” (#4 pop, #4 R&B), is released. Already he’s had eight Top Forty hits with the Jackson 5, including four consecutive chart-toppers.
October 14, 1972: “Ben,” the title song from a film about a beloved rat, becomes 14-year-old Michael Jackson’s first #1 single.
August 5, 1979: ‘Off the Wall,’ the first album by the “adult” Michael Jackson (who turned 21 this very month), is released. It produces four hit singles and spends eight months in the Top Ten.
October 16, 1982: Diana Ross’ single “Muscles,” written and produced by Michael Jackson, enters the Top Forty. Inspired by Jackson’s snake of the same name, the song peaks at #10.
November 9, 1982: A storybook album for ‘E.T.: The Extraterrestrial,’ is released. Featuring narration by and a new song from Michael Jackson, it earns him a Grammy for Best Children’s Recording.
December 1, 1982: Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ is released.
February 21, 1983: ‘Thriller’ tops the album charts for the first of 37 weeks.
March 5, 1983: “Billie Jean,” the second single from Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,’ tops the singles charts for the first of seven weeks.
March 25, 1983: The TV special ‘Motown 25: Yesterday, Today and Forever’ is taped. The Jackson 5 perform a medley of their hits, then Michael sings “Billie Jean” (from ‘Thriller’) by himself, premiering his “moonwalk” dance move. The show airs on May 16, and Jackson’s’ segment is a highlight.
March 31, 1983: “Beat It,” by Michael Jackson - which features a blistering Eddie Van Halen guitar solo - is premiered on MTV. Its high-energy fusion of rock and soul drives it to the top of the charts.
December 2, 1983: MTV debuts Michael Jackson’s 14-minute “Thriller” film. ‘The Making of Michael Jackson’s Thriller,’ released in time for Christmas, becomes the largest-selling music home video ever.
February 27, 1984: MTV world premieres the Jackson’s Pepsi commercial and presents an interview with director Bob Giraldi. In the recording of this Pepsi commercial, Jackson’s signature hair caught on fire from the pyrotechnics.
August 8, 1987: “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” a duet between Michael Jackson and Siedah Garret, is released in advance of the album ‘Bad.’ It is the seventh #1 single of his solo career.
August 31, 1987: ‘Bad,’ by Michael Jackson - the followup to Thriller and therefore the most hotly anticipated album in history - is released. It tops the charts for eight weeks and yields seven hit singles.
December 23, 1989: MTV CEO Tom Freston and MTV VJ Adam Curry present Michael Jackson with “Video Vanguard Artist of the Decade” award in Los Angeles.
November 14, 1991: Michael Jackson’s controversial 11-minute “Black or White” video debuts on television. It is a teaser for ‘Dangerous,’ his third #1 album in a row and the source of seven more hit singles.
February 10, 1992: MTV kicks-off its first global sweepstakes with “My Dinner with Michael.” Winners from around the world attended a dinner party hosted by Michael Jackson on the set of his music video “In the Closet.”
January 31, 1993: Michael Jackson’s halftime performance at Superbowl XXVII draws the largest viewing audience in the history of American television.
February 24, 1993: Michael Jackson receives the Living Legend Award at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, and 1.2 million people worldwide view his performance and acceptance.
September 15, 1993: Lawyers for a 13-year-old boy file a civil suit against Michael Jackson for seduction and sexual abuse.
December 22, 1993: Jackson responds to the allegations via satellite from his Neverland compound: “I am totally innocent of any wrongdoing.”
January 25, 1994: Jackson settles out of court with his accuser for an undisclosed sum, estimated at $20 million.
June 3, 1995: Michael Jackson’s ‘HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book 1,’ a double CD pairing one disc of new music with one of greatest hits, is released.
September 7, 1995: “The 1995 MTV Video Music Awards” is held live from New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. The show is hosted by Dennis Miller. Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson win three awards for “Scream” and TLC win three awards for “Waterfalls.”
May 11, 1997: ‘Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix,’ by Michael Jackson, is released. Containing eight remixes from 1995’s ‘HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book 1’ and five new songs, it sells only one million copies.
October 30, 2000: Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ receives its 26th platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), representing 26 million copies sold in the U.S. It remains the second best-selling album in music history.
March 19, 2001: Michael Jackson is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the sixteenth annual induction dinner. N’Sync are his presenters.
July 30, 2001: “Rock My World,” the premiere single from Michael Jackson’s forthcoming album ‘Invincible,’ is debuted.
September 25, 2001: ‘Invincible,’ Michael Jackson’s first album in four years, is released. Featured guests include Carlos Santana, Will Smith and Missy Elliott.
June 25, 2009: Michael Jackson passes away in Los Angeles after suffering from cardiac arrest.
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