1978 -- Arrested for purse snatching at age 12 in Brooklyn and sent to Tryon School for Boys.

1979 -- A boxing instructor at a New York State correction facility for boys brought Tyson to the attention of Cus D'Amato, who had guided Floyd Patterson to the heavyweight title.

1982 -- Expelled from Catskill High School for a series of transgressions.

1984 -- D'Amato becomes Tyson's legal guardian.

Nov. 4, 1985 -- D'Amato dies of pneumonia.

March 6, 1985 -- In his professional debut, Tyson defeats Hector Mercedes in one round.

Nov. 22, 1986 -- Tyson knocks out Trevor Berbick in the second round, winning the WBC heavyweight title to become the youngest heavyweight champion in history at age 20.

March 3, 1987 -- Tyson defeats James "Bonecrusher" Smith at Las Vegas to win the WBA heavyweight title.

May 30, 1987 -- Tyson knocks out Pinklon Thomas in the sixth round at Las Vegas to retain his WBA-WBC heavyweight titles.

Aug. 1, 1987 -- Tyson decisions Tony Tucker to retain the WBA-WBC heavyweight titles and win the IBF heavyweight title.

Oct. 16, 1987 -- Knocks out Tyrell Biggs in the seventh round in Atlantic City to retain the world heavyweight title.

Jan. 22, 1988 -- Tyson knocks out Larry Holmes in the fourth round to retain the world heavyweight title.

Feb. 9, 1988 -- Actress Robin Givens and Tyson are married in New York.

March 20, 1988 -- Tyson knocks out Tony Tubbs to retain the world heavyweight title.

June 17, 1988 -- Givens and her family go public with tales of beatings by Tyson.

June 27, 1988 -- Tyson sues manager Bill Cayton to break their contract, then knocks out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds to retain the world heavyweight title.

July 27, 1988 -- Settles Cayton suit out of court, reducing Cayton's managerial share from one-third to 20 percent of purses.

Aug. 23, 1988 -- Breaks a bone in his right hand in a 4 a.m. street brawl with professional fighter Mitch Green in Harlem.

Sept. 4, 1988 -- Tyson is knocked unconscious after driving his BMW into a tree. Three days later, the New York Daily News reports the accident was a "suicide attempt" caused by a "chemical imbalance" that made him violent and irrational.

Sept. 30, 1988 -- Givens says in a nationally televised interview that Tyson is a manic-depressive and that she is afraid of him. Tyson sits meekly next to her.

Oct. 7, 1988 -- Givens files for divorce.

Oct. 14, 1988 -- Tyson countersues Givens for divorce and annulment.

Oct. 26, 1988 -- Tyson becomes partners with Don King.

Dec. 12, 1988 -- Sandra Miller of New York sues Tyson for allegedly grabbing her, propositioning her and insulting her at a nightclub. A jury later finds Tyson guilty of battery, fining him $100.

Dec. 15, 1988 -- Lori Davis of New York sues Tyson for allegedly grabbing her buttocks while she was dancing at the same nightclub on the same night as the incident with Miller.

Feb. 14, 1989 -- Tyson and Givens are divorced in the Dominican Republic.

Feb. 25, 1989 -- Tyson knocks out Frank Bruno to retain the world heavyweight title.

April 9, 1989 -- Accused of striking a parking attendant three times with an open hand outside a Los Angeles nightclub after the attendant asked Tyson to move his Mercedes-Benz out of a spot reserved for the club's owner. The charges are later dropped due to lack of witness cooperation.

July 21, 1989 -- Tyson knocks out Carl "The Truth" Williams to retain the world heavyweight title.

Feb. 11, 1990 -- In a stunning upset, Tyson is knocked out by James "Buster" Douglas in the 10th round and loses his world heavyweight title.

Nov. 1, 1990 -- A New York City civil jury finds Tyson committed battery in the Sandra Miller case, but Miller is awarded $100 in damages because the jury decides Tyson's behavior was "not outrageous."

June 28, 1991 -- In his last fight before his legal problems, Tyson defeats Razor Ruddock in 12 rounds.

July 18, 1991 -- Tyson meets Desiree Washington, a Miss Black America contestant, at a pageant rehearsal. They go to the boxer's hotel room in the early morning hours.

July 22, 1991 -- Washington files a complaint with police accusing Tyson of rape.

Sept. 9, 1991 -- A special grand jury indicts Tyson on rape and three other charges. Two days later, he is booked in Indianapolis and released on $30,000 cash bond.

Feb. 10, 1992 -- After nine hours of deliberation, Tyson is found guilty on one count of rape and two counts of deviate sexual conduct.

March 26, 1992 -- Superior Court Judge Patricia Gifford sentences Tyson to 10 years in prison, suspending four. She orders him to serve the term immediately.

May 8, 1992 -- Tyson is found guilty of threatening a guard and disorderly conduct in prison, adding 15 days to his sentence.

Oct. 28, 1992 -- Tyson's father, Jimmy Kirkpatrick, dies in Brooklyn, N.Y. Tyson does not ask for a leave to attend the funeral.

Aug. 6, 1993 -- By a 2-1 vote, the Indiana Court of Appeals upholds Tyson's conviction.

Sept. 2, 1993 -- The Indiana Supreme Court denies Tyson's appeal without comment.

March 25, 1995 -- Tyson is released from the Indiana Youth Center near Plainfield, Ind.

Aug. 19, 1995 -- Begins comeback with 89 seconds victory over Peter McNeeley in Las Vegas.

Dec. 16, 1995 -- Knocks out Buster Mathis, Jr. in third round in Philadelphia.

March 16, 1996 -- Knocks out Frank Bruno in third round to win the WBC heavyweight title in Las Vegas.

Nov. 9, 1996 -- Loses to Evander Holyfield when referee Mitch Halpern stops the bout in the 11th round.

June 28, 1997 -- Tyson is disqualified after the third round of his rematch with Holyfield after he bites Holyfield twice, once on each ear. Tyson claims he was retaliating for a head butt inflicted by Holyfield that opened up a gash above his right eye. Referee Mills Lane ruled the butt was accidental.

July 9, 1997 -- The Nevada State Athletic Commission, in a unanimous voice vote, revoked Mike Tyson's boxing license and fined him $3 million for biting Holyfield.

Oct. 16, 1997 -- Ordered to pay boxer Mitch Green $45,000 even though a jury ruled the former heavyweight champion was provoked into a Harlem street fight in 1988.

Oct. 29, 1997 -- Broke a rib and punctured a lung on his right side when his motorcycle skidded off a Connecticut highway after hitting a patch of sand.

March 5, 1998 -- Filed a $100 million lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New York against Don King, accusing the promoter of cheating him out of tens of millions of dollars.

March 9, 1998 -- Filed a lawsuit against former managers Rory Holloway and John Horne, claiming they betrayed him by arranging a deal that made King the former heavyweight champion's exclusive promoter.

March 9, 1998 -- Sherry Cole and Chevelle Butts filed a $22 million lawsuit against Tyson claiming he verbally and physically abused them March 1 at a Washington bistro them at a restaurant after his sexual advances toward one of them were spurned.

July 16, 1998 -- The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated a $4.4 million award that a jury decided boxer Tyson owes former trainer Kevin Rooney for unjustly firing him.

July 17, 1998 -- Applied for a boxing license in New Jersey.

July 29, 1998 -- Appeared before the New Jersey Athletic Control Board to get a boxing license to resume his career. Tyson first choked back tears as he apologized for biting Evander Holyfield's ears. At the end of his 35-minute appearance, however, Tyson cursed in front of regulators after being continually questioned about biting Holyfield.

Aug. 13, 1998 -- On the eve of a meeting of the New Jersey Athletic Control Board, Tyson's advisers abruptly withdrew his application for a New Jersey boxing license.

Aug. 31, 1998 -- Was involved in a minor auto accident in Gaithersburg, Md., and had to be restrained by bodyguards from fighting the driver of the other car.

Sept. 2, 1998 -- Richard Hardick filed an assault charge against Tyson. Hardick says he was kicked in the groin by Tyson after his car rear-ended a Mercedes driven by Tyson's wife, Monica, on Aug. 31.

Sept. 3, 1998 -- Abmielec Saucedo filed a criminal assault against Tyson claiming Tyson punched him in the face as Saucedo talked with another driver following the accident of Aug. 31.

Oct. 13, 1998 -- The psychiatric report of Tyson is released. According to doctors who examined him for five days, the report states Tyson is depressed and lacks self-esteem, but is mentally fit to return to boxing. The psychiatrists believe Tyson most likely won't "snap" again as he did when he bit Holyfield.

Oct. 19, 1998 -- The Nevada Athletic Commission voted 4-1 to restore Tyson's boxing license, with the lone holdout commissioner James Nave.

Dec. 1, 1998 -- Tyson pleads no contest to misdemeanor assault for kicking and punching two motorists involved in the Aug. 31 auto accident in Maryland.

Jan. 16, 1999 -- Tyson knocked out Francois Botha in the fifth round. Tyson admitted to trying to break Botha's arm during the fight

Feb. 5, 1999 -- Tyson was sentenced to two concurrent two-year sentences for assaulting two motorists after a traffic accident in 1998. Judge Stephen Johnson suspended all but one year of jail time. Tyson was also fined $5,000 and sentenced to two years' probation after his release from jail. The decision could lead to more jail time for violating parole in Indiana.

Feb. 20, 1999 -- Tyson was put in an isolation cell after a disturbance at the Montgomery County Detention Center. Several TV stations in Washington reported that Tyson became upset, either in his cell or a break room, and threw a television set. The set narrowly missed jail guards, and there were no injuries. It was later reported that Tyson was taken off anti-depressants two days previous to this incident.

Feb. 26, 1999 -- Tyson was allowed to step out of solitary confinement today and won back his privileges following an appeal of a disciplinary ruling, his lawyer said. paul kemp said tyson's punishment for throwing a television in a recreation room in jail on february 19 "was reduced to time served and he was restored to regular privileges."

Oct. 24, 1999 -- In bout with Orlin Norris, Tyson hit Norris after the bell in the first round and the fight was declared a no contest

Dec. 10, 1999 -- Authorities say they won't charge Tyson with neglecting two ferrets at his Las Vegas home mostly because they don't know who was supposed to be taking care of the animals.

Feb 8, 2000 -- Tyson reaches settlement with two women who alleged he assaulted them at a Washington restaurant. They accused Tyson of grabbing one woman and requesting a sexual relationship, and that he swore at the other woman. They asked for a total of $7.5 million in damages. Lawyers for both sides agreed to keep terms of the settlement confidential.

May 19, 2000 -- Tyson is accused by a topless dancer in a Las Vegas nightclub of punching her in the chest and hurling expletives at her. Police were called to the scene, but after interviewing witnesses, including Tyson himself, they decided not to press charges.

June 27, 2000 -- The former topless dancer is said to be seeking unspecified damages in a lawsuire filed against Tyson in connection with the May incident. The lawsuit has not been brought to court.

June 24, 2000 -- In bout with Lou Savarese, Tyson knocked the referee down in order to keep punching Savarese after the bout was stopped.

Aug. 22, 2000 -- Tyson was fined $187,500 for his behavior after his 38-second victory over Savarase but escaped a ban from fighting again in Britain.

Dec. 18, 2001 -- Police investigate claims that Tyson assaulted an ex-boxer outside a New York nightclub. Retired heavyweight Mitchell Rose filed the complaint, claiming Tyson attacked him after he made a joke about the former champion's entourage of women.

Jan. 2, 2002 -- Tyson checked out of a Havana hotel after witnesses said he tossed glass Christmas ornaments at journalists trying to interview him. There were no reports of injuries, arrests or serious damage.

Jan. 22, 2002 -- Tyson and Lennox Lewis come to blows during their scheduled TV press conference hyping their April 6 meeting. It was alleged that Tyson but Lennox's leg during the melee.

Jan. 22, 2002 -- Police in Las Vegas said that they found evidence supporting a woman's claim she was raped by Tyson. The case is with the local district attorney's office which will decide over the next weeks whether to charge Tyson.