1942 - Born as Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr. in Louisville, Kentucky.
1954 - Police officer and boxing coach Joe E. Martin introduces Clay to boxing after encountering him fuming over his stolen bicycle. Clay told the officer he was going to "whup" the thief. Martin told him he better learn to box first. After some time, Cassius Clay made his boxing debut against Ronnie O'Keefe, winning by split decision.
1960 - Won the Light Heavyweight gold medal in the Summer Olympics in Rome. Made his professional boxing debut against Tunney Hunsaker, winning a six-round decision.
1960-1963 - Achieved a record of 19 - 0 with 15 wins by knockout.
1964 - Cassius Clay, age 22, defeated Sonny Liston by TKO in round seven, becoming, at that time, the youngest boxer to take the title from a reigning heavyweight champion. Soon after the fight, Clay changed his name to Cassius X Clay, and then later to Muhammad Ali after converting to Islam.
1965 - Ali faced Liston in Lewiston, Maine in a contraversial rematch in which Liston was knocked down by a difficult-to-see blow the press dubbed a "phantom punch". Ali would go on to be declared the winner by knockout after the fight was stopped in under two minutes. Speculation over whether Liston "took a dive" and , if so, why, is still a matter of debate. On November 22nd, Ali defended his title in a successful 12 round match against former heavyweight champ Floyd Patterson that resulted in a TKO.
1966 - Ali agreed to fight then WBA heavyweight champion Ernie Terrell in Chicago on March 29. In February Ali was reclassified by the Louisville draft board as "1-A" ( Available for military service) from "1-Y ( Registrant qualified for service only in time of war or national emergency), and he stated that he would refuse to serve. The Illinios Athletic Commission refused to sanction the fight, citing technicalities, leading Ali to travel to Canada and Europe to compete. He returned to the U.S. to fight Cleveland Williams on November 14th in the Houston Astrodome, winning a third-round TKO.
1967 -The Ali vs. Terrell match took place in Houston on February 6th. During the lead up to the bout, Terrell repeatly called ALi "Clay", much to Ali's annoyance due to his religous beliefs. Ali won a unanimous 15-round decision, but faced accusations of cruelty for his apparent intent to prolong the fight to punish Terrell. After Ali's title defense against Zora Folley on March 22nd, he was stripped of his title and had his boxing license suspended by the state of New York due to his refusal to be drafted in the Army. On June 20th, he was convicted of draft evasion and sentenced to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Ali paid bond and remained free during the appeals process.
1967-1970 - Ali was systematically denied a boxing license in every state and was stripped of his passport. On August 11, 1970, he was granted a license to box by the City of Atlanta Athletic Commission while his case was still in appeal. In September 1970, a victory in federal court forced New York State Boxing Commission to reinstate Ali's license. He fought Jerry Quarry on October 26th resulting in a win after three rounds. In December 1970, he fought Oscar Bonavena at Madison Square Garden resulting in a dramatic win by TKO in the 15th round.
1971 - Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier's first fight takes place at the Garden, resulting in Ali's loss by unanimous decision. This was his first professional defeat.
1972 - Fought a second bout with Jerry Quarry and Floyd Patterson as well as a match against Bob Foster, winning a total of six fights.
1973 - Ken Norton broke Ali's jaw while giving him the second loss of his career. After initially seeking retirement, Ali won a controversial decision in a secound bout against Norton.
1974 - Muhammad Ali fought Joe Frazier in a rematch at Madison Square Garden. Frazier had recently lost the title to George Foreman. Ali faced off against Foreman on October 30th in Kinshasa, Zaire - a bout nicknamed "The Rumble in the Jungle". In the eighth round, Ali won by knockout - regaining the title.
1975 - Ali and Frazier had a third match in Manila that was known as - "The Thrilla in Manila". Ali won by TKO in round 15 after Frazier's camp stopped the fight, despite Frazier's protests.
1984 - Ali is diagnosed with Parkinson's Syndrome.
1990 - Ali travels to Iraq prior to the Gulf War and met with Saddam Hussein to negotiate the release of American hostages. Ali secured the hostage's release but, received criticism from President George H. W. Bush, diplomat Joseph C. Wilson, and The New York Times.
1997 - Received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
2012 - Served as a titular flag bearer during the opening ceromonies of the Summer Olympics.
2016 - Died at age 74 in Scotsdale, Arizona.