U2 Timeline

1960
13 March
Adam Clayton is born in Chinnor, Oxfordshire
6 May
U2 spy plane shot down in the Soviet Union
10 May
Paul Hewson born in Rotunda Hospital, Dublin
1961
8 August
Dave Evans born in Barking Maternity Hospital, east London
31 October
Larry Mullen Jr. born in Artane, Dublin
1972
30 January
Thirteen Catholic demonstrators shot dead by British paratroopers at civil rights march in
Derry ("Bloody Sunday")
1974
September
Iris Hewson dies.
Autumn
Feedback play debut gig; later change name to "The Hype"
1978
20 March
The Hype changes their name to "U2"; Dick Evans leaves the band
28 April
Bill Graham writes first U2 interview in Hot Press
25 May
Paul McGuinness becomes U2's manager
November
Maureen Mullen (Larry's mother) is killed in an automobile accident
1979
September
U2's debut record, U2-3, is released on CBS Records in Ireland
5 October
U2 make their small screen debut on RTE at a televised concert in the Opera House in
Cork
1980
15 January
Band performs "Stories for Boys" live on The Late Show
26 February
Their second single, "Another Day", is released in Ireland on CBS Records.
23 March
U2 sign with Island Records
23 May
"11 O'Clock Tick Tock", U2's first release for Island, is released in Ireland and the UK
20 October
U2's debut album, Boy, is released in Ireland and the UK; it peaked at No. 52 in British
charts
6 December
U2 play their American debut at The Ritz in New York
1981
3 March
Boy released in America
12 October
U2's second album, October, is released; enters British charts at No. 11
1982
21 August
Bono marries Alison Stewart in Raheny, Dublin
1983
28 February
Their third album, War, is released and hits No. 1 in the UK
23 April
American tour kicks off in Kenan Stadium, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
5 June
U2 plays in the Red Rocks ampitheatre in Denver
July
The Edge marries Aislinn O'Sullivan
14 August
Bono's father, Robert Hewson, makes his first appearance on a U2 stage when he is pulled
up in front of 20,000 people at a gig in the Phoenix Park Racecourse in Dublin
November
The mini album Under a Blood Red Sky is released
22 November
U2 play their Japanese debut in Osaka
December
U2 is voted "Band of the Year" in the Rolling Stone writer's poll
1984
1 August
Mother Records is established
1 October
The Unforgettable Fire is released world-wide
1 December
U2 begin the American leg of The Unforgettable Fire tour
20 December
In Rolling Stone's Top 100 Albums of 1984 survey, Under a Blood Red Sky ranks 48th,
War is 56th, and The Unforgettable Fire comes in as 68th
1985
February
Sales of The Unforgettable Fire pass the million mark
May
Wide Awake in America is released
19 December
For the Rolling Stone's Top 100 Albums of 1985, The Unforgettable Fire comes in as 54th
and Wide Awake In America takes 59th
1986
27 February
In Rolling Stone's Music Awards, among the Reader's Picks as Band of the Year was U2,
Best Songwriter was Bono, Best Live Performance was U2, Bono again competed for best
Male Singer, while Adam Clayton ran for best Bass Player. Fellow bantam The Edge was
up for best Guitarist, and Larry Mullen Jr., unsurprisingly, was up for best Drummer. In
the Critics' Picks, the Band of the Year was U2
4 June
U2 are present for the first date of the Conspiracy of Hope tour in aid of Amnesty
International
3 July
U2 crew member Greg Carroll is killed in a motorcycle accident in Dublin
8 July
Carroll is buried at Kai-lwi Marae in New Zealand
1 August
Recording sessions for The Joshua Tree begin in Dublin
1987
9 March
The Joshua Tree is released and goes quickly to No.1 world-wide.
27 March
U2 perform an impromptu gig on the roof of a liquor store in Los Angeles to film the video
for "Where the Streets Have No Name"
27 April
U2 become the third rock band to appear on the cover of Time magazine
May
Sales of The Joshua Tree pass seven million
8 November
An IRA bomb explodes in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, killing 13 people
17-31 December
U2 makes another appearance in the Rolling Stone's Top 100 Albums list for 1987 with
The Joshua Tree coming in at number three
1988
February
U2 move to Los Angeles to work with Phil Joanou on the Rattle and Hum documentary
2 March
U2 win "Best Vocal of the Year" for "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and
"Album of the Year" for The Joshua Tree at the Grammy Awards
7 June
Roy Orbison, for whom Bono and the Edge had recently written "She's a Mystery to Me",
dies in the US before the release of his Mystery Girl album
10 October
Rattle and Hum album is released
27 October
World premier of the Rattle and Hum documentary
November
The Edge joins Bryan Ferry on-stage for a surprise appearance in the RDS, Simmonscourt
in Dublin
1989
27 April
Ex-Virgin Prune Gavin Friday launches his solo album Each Man Kills the Thing He
Loves in Dublin's Pink Elephant nightclub where Bono joins him on-stage for a version of
Queen's "We Are the Champions"
30 April
Bono makes his first live solo appearance at a fund-raising event in the Abbey Theatre in
Dublin
6 August
Adam Clayton is arrested in Dublin on minor drug charges
21 September
The Lovetown tour kicks off in Australia
1990
20 June
Bono joins David Bowie on stage at a gig in Cleveland, Ohio
November
U2 begin recording their new album with Daniel Lanois producing in Berlin's Hansa
Studios
1991
18 November
U2's seventh album, Achtung Baby, is released to widespread critical acclaim
1992
29 February
The Zoo TV tour kicks off with a gig at the Lakeland Arena in Florida
27 March
Bono orders 10,000 pizzas for the audience at a gig in Detroit; Speedy Pizzas eventually
manage to deliver 100
7 May
The European leg of the Zoo TV tour opens in Paris
1 August
The Outside Broadcast leg of the Zoo TV tour opens in Pennsylvania
28 August
During a New York interview with Rockline, US Presidential candidate Bill Clinton
contacts U2 live on air
1993
20 January
Larry and Adam team up with REM's Michael Stipe in Washington for a performance of
"One" at the MTV 1993 Rock and Roll Inaugural Ball for newly elected American President
Bill Clinton
5 July
The Zooropa album is released world-wide
3 September
The Edge makes his first ever solo appearance at the MTV Awards in Los Angeles where he
performs "Numb" in front of a mini version of the ZooTV set
1 October
U2 play a version of "The Boys Are Back in Town" at Gavin Friday's wedding reception at
the Clarence in Dublin
November
Bono records the vocal for his duet with Frank Sinatra "I've Got You Under My Skin" in
Dublin
10 December
U2 play the final gig of the Zoo TV tour at the Tokyo Dome
1994
March
Zooropa wins "Best Alternative Album" award at the Grammy's
5 April
The Live in Sydney video is released in Europe.
1995
February
Bono and the Edge team up with veteran Irish songwriter Christy Moore to record "North
and South of the River" in Dublin's Windmill Lane Studios
Summer
U2, Eno, Howie B., and other Passengers spend five weeks recording in Dublin
1 June
U2 release their first single of the year, "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, a track that
features in the Batman Forever soundtrack. It goes to No.2 in the UK, No.16 in America,
and No.1 in Australia and Ireland
12 September
Bono, The Edge, and Brian Eno premier "Miss Sarajevo" at the annual Pavarotti and
Friends concert in Modena, Italy
6 November
Passengers' Original Soundtrack 1 is released world-wide. On the same day, Tina Turner
releases "Goldeneye"-the theme to the new 007 movie, written by Bono and the Edge-on
Capitol Records
1996
January
U2 begin working on a new album in Dublin
April
The band relocate to Miami for further work on the album..
1 May
Adam and Larry release their version of the Mission Impossible theme track. It goes Top
10 in the US, the UK, and numerous other territories
11 May
Hot Press journalist Bill Graham dies suddenly at his home in Howarth. The band fly
back to Dublin from America to attend the funeral
1997
4 March
U2 release their long awaited album 'Pop'
1998
19 October
Sweetest Thing singles are released
2 November
The Best of 1980-1990 B-Sides is released
9 November
Best of 1980-1990 is released
17 November
Popmart Mexico video is released
20 November
U2 appear on the Late Late Show in Dublin for the Omagh Tribute
23 December
A baby girl is born to Larry Mullen Jr and his long time partner Ann Acheson, they have
named her Ava after the actress Ava Gardner
1999
21 August
Ali gives birth to a baby boy named Elijah Bob Patricious Guggi Q, this day also being Bono and Ali's 17th wedding anniversary