- April 24, 1928: Maya Angelou was born
- Late 1950s: Joined the Harlem Writers Guild and met other important writers
- 1969: Maya Angelou's "Harlem Hopscotch" is published in her collection The
Poetry of Maya Angelou - 1970: Published her best selling novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
- 1973: Got nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the play Look Away
- 1974: Wrote subsequent volumes of autobiography include Gather Together in My Name
- 1993: Maya Angelou reads her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at the inaguration of President Clinton
- 1995: Angelou's publishing company, Random House, recognized her for having the longest-running record on the The New York Times Paperback Nonfiction Bestseller List.
- 2002: Wrote the final volume of her autobiography, A Song Flung up to Heaven
- 2011: Was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom