Chronology of Milosevic's career
Aug. 20, 1941: Born in Pozarevac in central Serbia.
1964: Graduates from Belgrade Law School, joins the Communist Party.
1984: Appointed party leader in the capital, Belgrade, by friend Ivan Stambolic, head of the Serbian Communist Party.
1986: Succeeds Stambolic as Serbian Communist boss after Stambolic is named president of Serbia.
April 1987: Delivers inflammatory speech in Kosovo to Serbs demanding protection from ethnic Albanian majority in province. Speech catapults Milosevic to prominence.
September 1987: Milosevic accuses Stambolic and others of anti-Communist and anti-Serbian policies during live telecast of party meeting, forcing their resignations.
1989: Milosevic becomes president of Serbia, strips Kosovo of autonomy. More than 20 killed in protests.
1990: Yugoslavia sends in troops to impose control. Serbia dissolves Kosovo's government.
1991: Croatia and Slovenia declare independence from Yugoslavia. Milosevic sends tanks to Slovenian borders, triggering a brief war that ends in Slovenia's secession. Milosevic encourages Serbs in Croatia to take up arms.
1992: UN-patrolled cease-fire in Croatia takes effect in January. In March, Bosnia-Herzegovina declares its independence. Milosevic bankrolls Bosnian Serb rebellion.
1995: Milosevic agrees to settlement of Bosnian war at peace talks in Dayton, Ohio. NATO authorizes deploying 60,000 troops.
November to December 1996: Milosevic allies win parliamentary elections, but opposition coalition apparently wins runoffs in most local elections, including Belgrade. Milosevic-controlled electoral commissions annul local elections. Violence erupts in December, with dozens injured and at least one killed.
January 1997: Milosevic concedes defeat and allows opposition to take control of several cities.
July 1997: Because of constitutional term limits, Milosevic has Parliament name him president of Yugoslavia, comprising only the republics of Serbia and Montenegro.
February 1998: Milosevic sends troops to crush new ethnic Albanian uprising in Kosovo.
September 1998: UN Security Council adopts resolution calling for immediate cease-fire.
October 1998: NATO authorizes airstrikes against Serb military targets. Milosevic agrees to withdraw troops, and allow return of refugees and 2,000 unarmed monitors to verify compliance. Attacks continue.
March 1999: Kosovo Albanians sign peace deal calling for broad interim autonomy and 28,000 NATO troops. Serb delegation refuses and talks are suspended.
March 24, 1999: NATO airstrikes begin.
May 1999: Milosevic and four subordinates are indicted by UN war crimes tribunal on charges including murder, persecutions, and violations of the laws of war.
June 3, 1999: Yugoslavia's government accepts plan for UN administration of Kosovo and return of more than 850,000 ethnic Albanians policed by a NATO-led force.
June 9, 1999: Yugoslav and Western generals sign pact.
Sept. 24, 2000: Yugoslavs vote directly for president for first time. Supporters of Milosevic challenger Vojislav Kostunica declare victory, but election commission says runoff needed, prompting massive protests.
Oct. 5: Milosevic ousted after mobs rampage through Belgrade.
April 1, 2001: Police arrest him in his villa after 26-hour standoff.
Feb. 12, 2002: Trial begins.
SOURCE: Associated Press
