| 1925, December 8 | Sammy Davis, Jr. is born at Harlem Hospital in New York City to Elvera and Sammy Davis, Sr. |
| 1928/1929 | He is sent to live with his father, a traveling entertainer and dancer. He never receives a formal education. |
| 1933 | Sammy Davis, Jr. appears in the short film Rufus Jones for President at age seven. |
| 1943 | He is drafted to the Army during World War II, eventually serving in an integrated entertainment Special Services unit. |
| 1947 | The Will Mastin Trio (Will Mastin, Sammy Davis, Sr., and Sammy Davis, Jr.) opens for Frank Sinatra at the Capitol Theatre in New York City. |
| 1951, March | The Will Mastin Trio opens for Janis Paige at Ciro’s; Sammy Davis, Jr. gives a knock-out performance and is embraced by the Hollywood elite. |
| 1952 | The Will Mastin Trio performs at the newly integrated Copacabana Club in New York City. |
| 1953, Spring | The Will Mastin Trio performs on The Colgate Comedy Hour and Eddie Cantor wipes Sammy Davis, Jr.’s brow. |
| 1954 | He signs a record contract with Decca Records. |
| 1954, November 19 | Sammy Davis, Jr. is in a car accident in San Bernardino, CA, and loses his left eye. |
| 1955, January | He releases his first album, “Starring Sammy Davis, Jr.” |
| 1955, August | Sammy Davis, Jr. releases his second album, “Sammy Davis, Jr. Sings Just For Lovers.” |
| 1956 | He makes his Broadway debut in Mr. Wonderful with Chita Rivera. |
| 1958 | Sammy Davis, Jr. marries Loray White in Los Angeles. |
| 1959 | He joins the Rat Pack. |
| 1959, February | Anna Lucasta, a film starring Sammy Davis, Jr. and Eartha Kitt, is released. |
| 1959, June 24 | Porgy and Bess, a film starring Sammy Davis, Jr. and Sidney Poitier, is released. |
| 1960, August 10 | Ocean’s Eleven, a film starring Sammy Davis, Jr. and the Rat Pack, is released. |
| 1960, November 15 | Sammy Davis, Jr. marries May Britt in Los Angeles. |
| 1961 | He formally converts to Judaism. |
| 1961, July | Tracey Davis is born. |
| 1962, February 10 | Sergeants 3, a film starring Sammy Davis, Jr. and the Rat Pack, is released. |
| 1963 | Sammy Davis, Jr. and May Britt adopt son Mark. |
| 1963, August 27 | March on Washington. |
| 1964, June 24 | Robin and the 7 Hoods, a film starring Sammy Davis, Jr. and the Rat Pack, is released. |
| 1964, October 20 | First performance of Golden Boy (musical), starring Sammy Davis, Jr. and Paula Wayne. |
| 1965 | He publishes his autobiography, Yes I Can: The Story of Sammy Davis, Jr. |
| 1965 | Sammy Davis, Jr. and May Britt adopt son Jeff. |
| 1965, March 25 | He marches from Selma to Montgomery. |
| 1966 | A Man Called Adam, a film starring Sammy Davis, Jr. is released. |
| 1968 | Sammy Davis, Jr. and May Britt divorce. |
| 1968 | He receives the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. |
| 1969, April 1 | Sweet Charity, a film starring Sammy Davis, Jr. and Shirley MacLaine, is released. |
| 1970, May 11 | Sammy Davis, Jr. marries Altovise Gore at a courthouse in Philadelphia. |
| 1972, February | Sammy Davis, Jr. guest stars on All In The Family. |
| 1972, February | Sammy Davis, Jr. goes on a USO tour of Vietnam. |
| 1972, June | “The Candy Man” hits No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. |
| 1972, July | Sammy Davis, Jr. hugs President Nixon at a Youth Benefit during the Republican National Convention in Miami. |
| 1972, September 27 | At PUSH Benefit concert in Chicago. Sammy Davis, Jr. is booed for hugging President Nixon earlier that year. |
| 1973 | Sammy Davis, Jr. and Altovise spend the night at the White House in the Lincoln Bedroom. |
| 1978, August 3 | Stop the World I Want to Get Off opens in New York City, starring Sammy Davis, Jr. |
| 1980 | Sammy Davis, Jr. publishes Sammy Davis, Jr., Hollywood in a Suitcase. |
| 1981, June 19 | Cannon Ball Run is released, starring Sammy Davis, Jr.and Burt Reynolds. |
| 1988 | Sammy Davis, Jr., Liza Minnelli and Frank Sinatra go on tour. |
| 1989 | Sammy Davis, Jr. and Altovise adopt a son, Manny, who was 11-years-old at the time. |
| 1989 | Sammy Davis, Jr. publishes Why Me? The Sammy Davis, Jr. Story. |
| 1989, February 10 | Tap, a film starring Sammy Davis, Jr. and Gregory Hines, is released. |
| 1989, August | Doctors find cancer in Sammy Davis, Jr.’s throat. |
| 1990, February 4 | Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration television special airs. |
| 1990, May 16 | Sammy Davis, Jr. dies from throat cancer. |
