| Feb. 24, 1955 |
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Graduate student Joanne Schieble gives birth in San Francisco to a boy who is adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of Mountain View, Calif., and named Steven Paul Jobs. |
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| Jan. 1, 1976 |
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College dropouts Steve Jobs, 21, and Steve Wozniak, 26, build the first Apple computer in a garage in Los Altos, Calif. The pair raise $1,300 by selling a van and two calculators and launch Apple as a company on April Fools’ Day. |
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| Jan. 1, 1977 |
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The first Apple II computers go on sale for $1,295 and become an instant hit. The Apple II is the first computer to display color images and the first to come with a keyboard, and in 1979 it becomes the first to offer a "killer app" – Visicalc – a spreadsheet program. |
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| Dec. 12, 1980 |
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Apple Computer goes public, selling all 4.6 million shares at $22 each within minutes. |
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| Jan. 19, 1983 |
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Apple’s Lisa computer, named after Jobs’ oldest daughter, bombs, perhaps because of its $10,000 price. Jobs brings in John Sculley as president of the company. |
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| Jan. 24, 1984 |
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The Macintosh, which Jobs envisions as "the people's computer," is introduced. It incorporates key elements of the Lisa such as a mouse and features a revolutionary graphical interface. Apple airs its legendary "1984" advertisement during the Super Bowl, and sells 70,000 Macs in the first 100 days. Watch Apple's Super Bowl broadcast. |
 Terry Schmitt/UPI Steve Jobs, left, John Sculley, Macintosh, left, and Lisa 2 |
| Sept. 17, 1985 |
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With Mac sales stagnating and the company wracked by infighting, Sculley ousts Jobs in a dramatic boardroom coup. |
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| Feb. 7, 1986 |
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Jobs founds Next Computer and buys George Lucas’ computer graphics division, which eventually becomes Pixar Animation Studios. |
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| Jan. 1, 1990 |
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Apple's revenue soars from less than $2 billion in 1986 to more than $5.5 billion and profit reaches a record $474 million. |
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| Oct. 2, 1991 |
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Apple’s profit and market share slide. The company lays off 10% of its work force, introduces low-cost Macs and negotiates an alliance with rival IBM Corp. |
 Blake Sell/Reuters IBM President Jack Kuehler, left, and John Sculley |
| Oct. 15, 1993 |
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Apple's board ousts company president John Sculley for not paying enough attention to day-to-day operations. |
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| Jan. 1, 1995 |
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A wave of executive departures and poor forecasting of demand leave Apple in disarray even as the PC market booms. |
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| Dec. 20, 1996 |
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Apple buys Jobs’ Next Computer Inc. and hires him as an consultant. |
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| Sept. 16, 1997 |
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Jobs is named Apple’s “interim” chief executive. |
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| May 6, 1998 |
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Apple introduces the first of its translucent, brightly colored iMac computers. The company makes its first profit in five years. |
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| July 21, 1999 |
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Apple brings out the iBook laptop. |
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| Jan. 1, 2000 |
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The word “interim” is dropped from Jobs’ CEO title. |
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| Nov. 10, 2001 |
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Apple transforms the way people consume music with the introduction of the iPod. More than 300 million iPods have been sold since. |
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| April 28, 2003 |
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Apple launches the iTunes music store; within a week it sells a million songs. Says Jobs "There is no question in my mind that history will write that this was a major milestone in the evolution of the real digital music age." |
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| Jan. 1, 2004 |
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Jobs undergoes surgery for pancreatic cancer. |
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| June 12, 2005 |
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In a speech at Stanford University, Jobs addresses his bout with cancer. “No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it." |
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| June 29, 2007 |
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Apple revolutionizes the cellphone industry by introducing the iPhone. More than 73 million have been sold since. |
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| April 1, 2009 |
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Jobs gets a liver transplant, takes six months off work. |
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| Jan. 27, 2010 |
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Apple introduces the iPad, selling more than 7 million of them. The company surpasses Microsoft as the largest technology company by stock market value. |
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| Jan. 17, 2011 |
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Jobs announces he will be taking another medical leave, for unspecified reasons. |
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| Aug. 24, 2011 |
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Jobs steps down as Apple’s chief executive. |
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| Oct. 5, 2011 |
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Jobs dies after a long battle against pancreatic cancer. He was 56. |
 Jeff Chiu/Associated Press |
