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SANTA MARIA, Calif. – A look at the career of Michael Jackson (search):
— Aug. 29, 1958: Michael Joseph Jackson is born in Gary, Ind., the seventh of nine children.
— 1963: After several years of training, The Jackson 5 begin to perform in public.
— Dec. 14, 1969: The Jackson 5 appear on the “The Ed Sullivan Show.”
— 1970: Their first album, “Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5,” includes the hit singles “I Want You Back” and “I’ll Be There,” which go to No. 1.
— 1972: While still singing with the Jackson 5, Michael Jackson puts out his first solo album, “Got to Be There.”
— 1979: Jackson’s first “adu; he becomes the first solo artist to place four singles from the same record in the top 10.
— 1982: His album, “Thriller,” wins a record eight Grammys and becomes one of the biggest sellers of all time. Along with the title track, it includes the songs “Billie Jean” and “Beat It.”
— 1983: Jackson electrifies the 50 million viewers of the “Motown 25” television special by singing and dancing to “Billie Jean” while wearing a black fedora, one white glove, and pants that end above his ankles.
— 1984: During production of a Pepsi-Cola commercial, Jackson’s scalp sustains burns when an explosion sets his hair on fire.
— 1985: Jackson and Lionel Richie write what becomes one of the fastest-selling singles ever with “We Are the World.” The song was produced to raise money for the victims of the Ethiopian famine.
— 1987: His album “Bad” produces five No. 1 singles and sells at least 22 million copies worldwide.
— 1995: Releases the album “HIStory: Past, Present, and Future Book I.” In August the song “You Are Not Alone” becomes the first single in pop music history to enter the Billboard chart at No. 1.
— 1997: The album, “Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix,” sells in the hundreds of thousands worldwide, disappointing numbers for Jackson.
— 2001: The album “Invincible” debuts at the top of the charts, selling 2 million copies, but plummets quickly.