May 19, 1925 Malcolm Little is born in Omaha, NE.

1929 The family’s Lansing, MI, home is burned to the ground.

1931 Malcolm’s father is found dead on the town’s trolley tracks.

1946 Malcolm is sentenced to 8-10 years for armed robbery; serves 6 years at Charlestown, MA State Prison.

1948-49 Converts to the Nation of Islam while in prison.

1953 Changes name from Malcolm Little to Malcolm X and becomes Assistant Minister of Nation of Islam’s Detroit Temple.

1954 Promoted to Minister of Nation of Islam’s New York Temple.

1958 Marries Sister Betty X in Lansing, Michigan.

1959 Travels to Middle East and Africa.

1963 Nation of Islam orders Malcolm X to be silent, allegedly because of remarks concerning President Kennedy’s assassination.

March, 1964 Malcolm X leaves the Nation of Islam and starts his new organization, Muslim Mosque, Inc.

April, 1964 Travels to Middle East and Africa.

May, 1964 Starts the Organization of Afro-American Unity (OAAU), a secular political group.

February 14, 1965 Malcolm X’s home is firebombed.

February 21, 1965 Malcolm X is assassinated as he begins speaking at the Audubon Ballroom, New York.