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Born in Gary, Indiana
August 29, 1958
Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana to a working-class family, the sixth of seven brothers and the eighth of ten children of Joseph Walter (Joe) and Katherine Esther of African American descent. Katherine, a Jehovah's Witness, raised the children in that faith, while Joe, who initially started studying with the Witnesses, eventually decided not to join. Jackson's father was a steel mill employee who often performed in an R&B band called "The Falcons" with his brother Luther. The father was a strict disciplinarian, and many of the Jackson children recall being spanked or whipped by their father for misbehaving.
ABC
Feburary 24, 1970
ABC was a 1970 number-one hit. ABC was written with the same design as I Want You Back, and was first heard on American Bandstand in February of 1970. The song also knocked The Beatles song Let It Be out of the number one spot that same year.
Recorded Off The Wall
December 4, 1978 - June 3, 1979
Although the album never went beyond #3 on the Billboard 200 album chart, it became his fourth best-selling album in America, with 7 million copies sold. For a while, Off the Wall was the best-selling album of Jackson's recording career, with sales of 20 million copies worldwide until the release of Thriller. In 2008, the Off the Wall album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Recorded Thriller
April 14, 1982 - November 8, 1982
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American pop singer Michael Jackson, which was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records. Thriller enabled Jackson to become the predominant pop star of the late 20th century; allowing Jackson to break down racial barriers by appearing on MTV, and begin his work as a humanitarian by allowing his songs to be used for charitable causes. Many of the songs on the album went on to be hit singles, including the single "Thriller", "Beat It", and "Billie Jean".
Debut of the moonwalk
August 17, 1983
In 1983, while performing "Billie Jean" at the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever concert, Jackson debuted his signature move: the moonwalk. The performance sparked a new wave of interest in Thriller, which continued to sell well throughout the year.
Recorded Bad
January 5, 1987 - July 9, 1987
Bad had lower sales compared to Thriller, but was still a commercial success. In the U.S., it spawned seven hit singles, five of which went to #1: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror",and "Dirty Diana". Two decades after it was released, Bad still holds the record for generating more #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts than any other album. It went on to sell over 32 million copies worldwide and the RIAA certified Bad at 8x Platinum.
Buys Neverland Ranch
January 1, 1988
Neverland served as the venue of numerous parties held by Michael Jackson. In 1991, Jackson hosted friend Elizabeth Taylor's wedding to Larry Fortensky. On September 13, 2003, he held a grand party to raise money for Oneness, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and pop artist Romero Britto's Brazilian charity. It was dubbed "Michael's mother of all parties".
Jackson routinely invited children to visit the ranch. Some allege that the children were not bound by many rules, allowed to roam the property at will, eat whatever and whenever they wanted, and sleep at irregular hours. Kiki Fournier, a former housekeeper, compared Neverland to Pinocchio's Pleasure Island.
Recorded Dangerous
June 25, 1990 - October 29, 1991
Dangerous was the first album Michael Jackson released in the 1990s, on November 22, 1991. It became Jackson's second album to debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, where it spent the next 4 weeks selling 7 million copies in the U.S. his third best-selling album there. With sales of approximately 30 million copies worldwide, it is Jackson's best-selling recording of the nineties and near ties with Bad as his second-best selling album, behind Thriller.
Lisa Marie Presley
May 1, 1994 - December 10, 1995
Michael marries Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley.
Deborah Rowe
November 14, 1996 - October 25, 1999
...during the Australian leg of the HIStory World Tour, Jackson married his dermatologist's nurse Deborah Jeanne Rowe, with whom he fathered a son, Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr. (also known as "Prince"), and a daughter, Paris Katherine Jackson. Jackson and Rowe divorced in 1999. Jackson later said that Rowe wanted him to have the children as a "gift". Jackson's third child, Prince Michael Jackson II (a.k.a. Blanket) was born in 2002
Dangling Baby
November 19, 2002
The pop star Michael Jackson astonished onlookers in Berlin when he dangled his nine-month-old son over a fifth floor hotel balcony.
After walking out on to the balcony to greet fans, the singer lifted his youngest child, Prince Michael II, over the railing and dangled him for a few seconds. Jackson, who is in Berlin to attend an awards ceremony, then returned to his hotel room with the baby, whose head was covered with a white cloth.
Death
June 25, 2009
Jackson collapsed at his rented mansion at 100 North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles. Attempts at resuscitating him by his personal physician were unsuccessful. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics received a 911 call at 12:22 p.m. (PDT), arriving three minutes later at Jackson's location. He was reportedly not breathing and CPR was performed. Resuscitation efforts continued en route to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, and for an hour after arriving there at 1:13 p.m. He was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m.
