| 1920 |
 |
Karol Josef Wojtyla is born in Wadowice, Poland, on May 18, to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Kaczorowska Wojtyla. |
| 1929 |
The young boy called "Lolek" loses his mother when she dies of kidney failure and heart disease. |
| 1932 |
His older brother, Edmund, dies at age 26. |
| 1938 |
Lolek and his father move to Krakow, where he attends the Jagiellonian University and nurtures his interest in drama. |
| 1939 |
Germany invades Poland. |
| 1940 |
He begins working as a stonecutter to avoid imprisonment or displacement by the occupying Nazis. |
| 1941 |
His father dies. |
| 1942 |
While working in a chemical plant, Wojtyla begins studying for the priesthood in Krakow's underground seminary. |
| 1943 |
He has the lead role in what would be his final theatrical performance. |
| 1944 |
Wojtyla is seriously injured after being hit by a truck and spends nearly two weeks in the hospital. |
| 1945 |
In January, Russia's Red Army arrives in Krakow, and Hitler's troops leave. |
| 1946 |
Wojtyla is ordained a priest and later goes to Rome to continue his education. |
| 1948 |
He earns a doctorate in philosophy and then returns to Poland, where he completes a doctorate in theology. |
| 1949 |
Wojtyla becomes an assistant pastor at St. Florian's in Krakow, where he is the chaplain for students and local intellectuals. He writes an essay on the French worker-priest movement for a Catholic newspaper, the first of his many published works, which include plays, poem cycles, and books. |
| 1954 |
Wojtyla takes a teaching position at the Catholic University of Lublin. |
| 1958 |
He is named auxiliary bishop in Krakow. |
| 1962 |
Wojtyla joins other Catholic bishops in Rome for the historic Second Vatican Council. |
| 1963 |
He is appointed archbishop of Krakow. |
| 1967 |
In the Vatican's Sistine Chapel, Arch- bishop Wojtyla is consecrated cardinal. |
| 1978 |
Pope Paul VI dies in August. Albino Luciani becomes Pope John Paul I but dies within two months. On October 16, Cardinal Wojtyla is elected the 264th pope, the first Slav to hold the position. He chooses the name John Paul II. |
| 1979 |
He writes his first papal encyclical, Redemptor Hominis ("The Redeemer of Man"). Later that year, he makes history by becoming the first pope ever to make a pilgrimage to Ireland. By century's end, he will have traveled to more than 100 countries. |
| 1981 |
In January, Lech Walesa, along with other members of Poland's Solidarity movement, visit the pope. In the spring, the pope sustains a gunshot wound in St. Peter's Square. He makes a full recovery after a three-week stay in the hospital. The attempted assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca, receives a sentence of life imprisonment. |
| 1982 |
The pope meets U.S. President Ronald Reagan. |
| 1992 |
In July, Pope John Paul II has surgery to remove a benign tumor from his intestine. |
| 1993 |
He writes his 10th encyclical, Veritatis Splendor ("The Splendor of Truth"), emphasizing the importance of (c) the church's role in moral instruction. |
| 1994 |
The pope is visited by Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and, later, U.S. President Clinton. |
| 1995 |
His 11th encyclical, Evangelium Vitae ("The Gospel of Life"), reiterates the church's stance against abortion and euthanasia. Two months later he writes the first encyclical on ecumenism, Ut Unum Sint ("That They May Be One"), and beseeches Orthodox and Protestant Christians to join him in exploring how to create a unified faith. He also meets with Nelson Mandela. |
| 1996 |
Yasser Arafat is one of several international political figures who visit this year. |
| 1997 |
Making history once again, John Paul II makes the first papal visit to Cuba. |
| 1998 |
He marks his 20th year as head of the Roman Catholic Church, becoming the longest serving pope of the 20th century. |
| 2005 |
Pope John Paul II dies after suffering heart failure undergoing treatment for an infection. |
