Nirvana Timeline Feb. 20, 1967 - Kurt Donald Cobain is born near Aberdeen, Wash., an isolated coastal logging town. His parents are Donald Cobain, a mechanic at the local Chevron station, and his wife, Wendy, a homemaker. 1975 - Cobain's parents get divorced when he is 8. He changes from a sunny, outgoing child to a moody, withdrawn one. 1976 - Unable to cope with Cobain's bad behavior any longer, his mother sends him to live with his father. Cobain doesn't get along any better there and is shuffled from relative to relative and school to school for the next few years. 1978 - Cobain discovers rock music - Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin and Kiss - and soon becomes "a little stoner kid." Early 1980 - Cobain sees the B-52's on "Saturday Night Live" and gets into New Wave. Feb. 20, 1981 - Given a choice between a new bicycle or an electric guitar and an amp for his 14th birthday, Cobain chooses the latter and immediately begins to write "really raunchy riff-rock." 1982 - Cobain reads about the Sex Pistols in back issues of "Creem" but doesn't yet listen to the actual music. Summer 1984 - Cobain finally hears punk rock, and his life is transformed. May 1985 - Cobain drops out of high school just weeks short of graduation. Furious, his mother kicks him out of the house, and Cobain is homeless for nearly a year. Around this time, he tries heroin for the first time. Summer 1985 - Cobain's first live performance takes place at gescco Hall in Olympia, Wash., with Buzz Osborne on bass and Dale Crover of the Melvins, an Aberdeen band, on drums. Fall 1985 - Cobain meets Krist Novoselic, a tall, awkward Croatian-American kid who happens to be into punk rock. They play in several bands together, including one called the Stiff Woodies, but don't yet form one of their own. Winter 1985 - Cobain records a demo titled "Fecal Matter" at his aunt's house, with his friend Crover on drums. Dec. 1987 - Cobain, Novoselic and drummer Aaron Burckhard form a band to play Cobain's original songs. They go through several names, including Ted Ed Fred, Pen Cap Chew, Windowpane and Skid Row, before settling on Nirvana. Spring 1987 - The band plays their first gig at a house party in rural Raymond, Wash. They are nearly beaten up because they don't play any covers and they drink all their host's beer. Fall 1987 - Cobain moves from Aberdeen to Olympia, where he shares an apartment with his girlfriend, Tracy Marander. A few months later, he begins to experience a mysterious burning pain in his stomach. Jan. 23, 1988 - Nirvana records a 10-song demo tape in six hours with the godfather of grunge, legendary Seattle producer Jack Endino. Cobain pays the $152.44 for the session. Crover sits in on drums. Sub Pop co-honcho Jonathan Poneman hears the tape and offers to put out a Nirvana single. They accept. Early spring 1988 - Burckhard is booted from Nirvana. His replacement, Dave Foster, lasts a matter of months. Burckhard rejoins and is quickly given the heave-ho again after he goes out on a beer run and manages to get Cobain's car impounded. July 1988 - Burckhard is replaced by Chad Channing, a drummer from affluent Bainbridge Island, across Puget Sound. October 1988 - A limited edition of 1,000 copies of the "Love Buzz"/"Big Cheese" single is released via Sub Pop's Singles Club. Oct. 30, 1988 - Cobain smashes his first guitar at a Halloween dorm party at Evergreen State University in Olympia. March 1989 - Influential British music weekly "Melody Maker" runs a series of pieces on the Seattle scene. The first grunge explosion is under way. December 1988-January 1989 - Nirvana begins putting down basic tracks for their debut album for Sub Pop with Jack Endino. The recording budget comes to a grand total of $606.17, paid for by Jason Everman, who joined the band soon afterward as second guitarist. June 1989 - "Bleach" is released on Sub Pop. The band embarks on a monthlong U.S. tour. Everman is booted from Nirvana at the end. Oct. 20, 1989 - Nirvana begins a six-week European tour with Tad. December 1989 - The "Blew" EP is released on Tupelo Records in the U.K. April-May 1990 - U.S. tour; at the end of the tour, Channing is booted from Nirvana. August 1990 - Nirvana opens for Sonic Youth on a West Coast tour. Crover sits in on drums. Sept. 22, 1990 - Nirvana plays the Motor Sports International and Garage with Mudhoney's Dan Peters on drums. Peters gets the boot a few days afterward. Sept. 25, 1990 - David Grohl of the freshly defunct Washington, D.C., hardcore band Scream joins Nirvana. October 1990 - Nirvana tours briefly in England with L7. April 30, 1991 - After a fervid bidding war, Nirvana signs with Geffen/dgc Records. May-June 1991 - Nirvana records their major-label debut, "Nevermind," with producer Butch Vig. June 1991 - They briefly tour the u.s. opening for Dinosaur Jr. August 1991 - Nirvana opens for Sonic Youth on a European festival tour, including a landmark performance at the Reading Festival. Sept. 20, 1991 - Nirvana kicks off a six-week U.S. tour. Sept. 24, 1991 - "Nevermind" is released; 46,251 copies shipped across the U.S. Oct. 12, 1991 - "Nevermind" debuts on the "Billboard" albums chart at No. 144. Oct. 29, 1991 - "Nevermind" goes gold. Nov. 2, 1991 - The band begins' a six-week European tour as Nirvanamania sweeps the U.S. MTV plays the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video constantly, and the song is hailed as the anthem for a generation. November 1991 - "Nevermind" goes platinum. December 1991 - Nirvana does a quick U.S. tour with Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Jan. 11, 1992 - "Nevermind" hits No. 1 on the "Billboard" albums chart. The same day, Nirvana plays "Saturday Night Live." January-February 1992 - Nirvana tours Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Hawaii. Feb. 1, 1992 - "Nevermind" goes to No. 1 again. Feb. 24, 1992 - Cobain and Hole leader Courtney Love are married in Hawaii. June-July 1992 - Nirvana tours Europe. August 1992 - Lynn Hirschberg reports in "Vanity Fair" that Love used heroin during her pregnancy. Aug. 18, 1992 - Frances Bean Cobain is born. Children's Services of Los Angeles County immediately revokes custody of the child, a direct result of media attention to the "VF" story. Dec. 15, 1992 - "Incesticide," a collection of b sides and rarities, is released. February 1993 - Nirvana records "In Utero" in Cannon Falls, Minn., with outspoken indie-rock producer Steve Albini (Big Black, PJ Harvey, Jesus Lizard). March 23, 1993 - L.A. Family Court rules that children's services stop its supervision of Love and Cobain's child-rearing practices. March-April 1993 - Controversy rages as Geffen/DGC is rumored to be considering rejecting the album, allegedly because it is "uncommercial." June 4, 1993 - Love calls police after an argument with Cobain. Police confiscate three guns and hold Cobain in jail for three hours. July 1993 - Nirvana plays an unannounced show at Irving Plaza in New York City during the New Music Seminar. Sept. 21, 1993 - "In Utero" is released. Oct. 18, 1993 - Nirvana begins their first U.S. tour in two years. January 1994 - Geffen Records and Cobain agree to alter the "In Utero" cover to sell the album through the Wal-Mart and Kmart chains, which had refused to stock the LP. Feb. 5, 1994 - Nirvana begins a European tour. March 6, 1994 - While on tour in Rome, Cobain falls into a coma after ingesting a reported 50 doses of Rohypnol, a Valium-like prescription drug, and an unspecified quantity of champagne. He awakens 20 hours later and immediately begins complaining about the hospital food. He later denies reports that the Rome incident was a suicide attempt. March 18, 1994 - Love calls police to report that Cobain has locked himself in a room with a .38-caliber revolver and is threatening to kill himself. Police confiscate the gun. March 31, 1994 - Cobain checks into the Exodus Recovery Center, in the Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital, in Marina del Ray, Calif. April 1, 1994 - After only two days in residence, Cobain escapes from Exodus by climbing over a wall. April 8, 1994 - Kurt Cobain is found dead in an room above the garage of his Seattle home. Police reports indicate that Cobain died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on April 5. He was 27.