Madonna: a timeline
By Jessica Fleming

1958
Aug. 16 Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was born in Bay City, Mich. to a large, lower-middle class, Italian family. The third child (and first daughter) of eight spent much of her adolescence helping to raise the other children.

1964
Madonna’s mother dies of breast cancer, forever shaping the singer's life.

1976
Attends University of Michigan on a dance scholarship, studying under Chris Flynn, the owner of a ballet school.

1977
Leaves school for New York City, arriving with only $35 and a will to conquer the city. She takes up a series of part-time jobs in fast food and modeling while studying on scholarship at Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, under highly acclaimed choreographer Alvin Ailey.

1979
Joins The Patrick Hernandez Revue.

1980
Madonna and then-boyfriend Stephen Bray form the band Emmy.

1982
Madonna is signed as a solo artist to Sire Records for $5,000 and released the dance club hit "Everybody."

1983
Second single “Physical Attraction” released.

July 23 The album “MADONNA” is released.

1984
“Holiday” becomes a top 40 hit.

“Borderline” becomes a top 10 hit, beginning a string of 17 consecutive top 10 hits.

Nov. 12 The album “Like A Virgin” is released. “Virgin Tour” ensues.

1985
Appears at Live Aid

January “Material Girl” single released.

March 29 “Desperately Seeking Susan,” starring Madonna in a role similar to herself in the late 70s, is released.

Aug. 16 Marries actor Sean Penn.

1986
June 30 The “True Blue” album is released, yielding the hits “Papa Don't Preach,” “True Blue” and “Open Your Heart.”

The film “Shanghai Surprise” is released (made with Sean Penn and produced by George Harrison) and flops.

1987
“Open Your Heart” hits No. 1.

Nov. 17 “You Can Dance” album released.

“Who’s That Girl” film released.

1989
Jan. 10 Divorces actor Sean Penn

March 21 The album “Like A Prayer” is released. The controversial video for the title track led to condemnation by the Vatican and Pepsi Cola renouncing a contract with Madonna.

1990
“I'm Breathless” album released.

Nov. 13 “The Immaculate Collection” album released. Blonde Ambition Tour follows.

“Dick Tracy” film released.

Appears on the MTV Music Video Awards as Marie Antionette performing “Vogue.”

1991
“Truth or Dare,” a documentary of the Blonde Ambition Tour, is released.

1992
October The album “Erotica” is released and considered tame compared to her earlier work.

The film “A League of Their Own” is released and Madonna creates her own record label, Maverick, with Time Warner.

November The photographic book “Sex” is released.

1994
The album “Bedtime Stories” is released.

1995
Madonna's home attacked by 39-year-old Roger Hoskins, who was shot twice before police could arrest him.

November The album “Something to Remember” is released.

1996
Lands title role Evita, winning a Golden Globe for Best Actress for her role in that film.

Jan. 16 Appears in court for the case against her stalker Roger Hoskins, who received a guilty verdict.

Oct. 15 Gives birth to daughter Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon.

1998
March 3 The album “Ray of Light” is released, from which the title track, “Frozen,” “Ray Of Light,” “The Power Of Good-bye” and “Nothing Really Matters” become popular.

1999
June “Beautiful Stranger,” from the soundtrack of “Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me” hits the No. 2 spot on UK charts.

2000
Aug. 11 Madonna gives birth to her son, Rocco Ritchie.

Sept. 19 Releases album “Music.”

Dec. 22 Weds English film director Guy Ritchie at Skibo Castle in Scotland.

2002
March 1 The book “Madonna: Nude” in 1979 is released by Longwind Publishing, containing nude pictures taken of Madonna on February 12, 1979, by photographer Martin H.M.Schreiber.

Madonna stars in her husband's remake of the film “Swept Away.” She also performs the theme for the James Bond movie “Die Another Day.”

2003
March 24 The controversial video to her new single “American Life” is released.

March 31 Retracts the controversial video “American Life” from the airwaves.

April 22 New album “American Life” released.

Aug. 28 Madonna kisses Brittany Spears on the MTV Video Music Awards.

Sept. 15 Callaway Editions released “The English Roses,” a children's book (the first of five) by Madonna, and is reported to have sold 57,369 copies in the U.S. alone in it's first full week. The second book “Mr. Peabody’s Apples” is due to be released Nov. 10.

Sept. 16 Madonna appears on Oprah to promote her book. Surprise guests include Madonna's fifth-grade teacher and a cancer survivor.

Oct. 16 Q magazine celebrates the 20th anniversary of Madonna's first album with a 148-page, full-colour, luxury special collector's edition, containing classic Madonna interviews from 1983-2003 and rare and unseen photographs.