1915 – Entered Rutgers University on academic scholarship, later winning 15 varsity letters in sports, twice named a football All-American, and valedictorian of his class.

1919 – Entered Columbia Law School. Two years later, married Eslanda Cardozo Goode, a pathology technician at a New York hospital.

1923-‘24 - Upon graduation, took a job at a law firm where a white secretary would not take dictation from him. Quit the firm – and law. With the Provincetown Players starred in two Eugene O’Neill plays, "All God’s Chillun Got Wings" and "The Emperor Jones," which launched his acting career.

1925 – In Greenwich Village, gave what is believed to be the first concert devoted to spirituals.

1928 – Portrayed the role of Joe in the London production of "Show Boat."

1930 – Played Othello in London. By now, Robeson is being hailed both in Europe and America for his concerts, theatrical performances, and movies.

1934 – At a rally for anti-fascist forces during the Spanish Civil War, declared: "The artist must take sides. He must elect to fight for freedom or slavery. I have made my choice."

1939 – Tremendous response to his singing of Earl Robinson’s patriotic "Ballad for Americans."

1942 – Meeting with baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis paves the way for Jackie Robinson to cross the color line in major league baseball.

1945 – Spearheaded move to get President Truman to support an anti-lynching law.

1949 – Crowds at his Peekskill, N.Y., concerts are attacked by right-wing vigilantes as police stand by. The violence is prompted by Robeson’s call to blacks to reconsider fighting America’s wars abroad while legalized segregation here is still part of everyday life.

1950 – Deemed a threat to democracy, his passport is revoked.

1956 – Summoned to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee, he adamantly defends his right to free speech.

1958 – His autobiography, "Here I Stand," is published. The Supreme Court rules that the government had no right to take away Robeson’s passport, and he resumes touring abroad.

1963 – Returns to the U.S., and with declining health, retires from public life.

1966 – Following the death of his wife Eslanda, moves into the West Philadelphia rowhouse of his sister, Marian Forsythe.

1976 – Dies in Philadelphia.

1903 – Performs with junior choir at Union Baptist Church.

1910 – Father dies, and a few years later, Marian must drop out of school to help support the family.

1915 – Rejected for study by a Philadelphia music school because of her race.

1916 - Begins performing as a soloist with choirs and orchestras.

1920 – Auditions for voice teacher Giuseppe Boghetti, who further develops her skills.

1924 – Records spirituals for the Victor label.

1925 – Wins a musical competition that brings an opportunity to perform with the New York Philharmonic, which she does to enthusiastic reviews.

1928-’35 – Besides recitals in the U.S., which she had long been doing, Anderson polishes her singing with studies first in London, then in Berlin, and tours Scandinavia, Europe and Russia. At a performance in Salzburg, conductor Arturo Toscanini proclaims: "A voice like hers is heard only once in a hundred years." Sol Hurok becomes her manager.

1936 – Performs at the White House for President and Mrs. Roosevelt.

1939 – Eleanor Roosevelt renounces her membership in the Daughters of the American Revolution after they bar Anderson from performing in Washington’s Constitution Hall. Mrs. Roosevelt and others persuade Anderson to perform an outdoor concert instead on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, which draws an interracial crowd of 75,000.

1943 – Marries architect Orpheus Fisher.

1955 – Becomes the first African American to sing at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, debuting as the sorceress Ulrica in Verdi’s "Un Ballo in Maschera" (A Masked Ball).

1957 – Tapped by the State Department to make a goodwill tour of Southeast Asia.

1958 - Selected as a U.S. delegate to the United Nations.

1963 – Performs at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

1965 – Concludes her farewell tour.

1993 – Dies in Portland, Oregon.