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1860 – James Matthew Barrie is born in Kirriemuir, Scotland
1867 – J.M. Barrie’s brother dies in a skating accident. Their mother, who informed J.M. Barrie’s love of storytelling and pirate tales, falls into a deep depression.
1873 – J.M. Barrie leaves the small town of Kirriemuir to attend Dumfries Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland. He goes on to study at the University of Edinburgh and receives his degree at the age of twenty-two.
1885 – J.M. Barrie moves to London to pursue a literary career and writes for newspapers to make a living.
1894 – J.M. Barrie marries Mary Ansell, an actress.
1897 – Barrie befriends the Llewelyn Davies boys, the inspirations for Peter and the Lost Boys, in Kensington Gardens. When their parents, Sylvia and Arthur, die tragically, Barrie raises the boys as his own.
1902 – The Little White Bird, the novel from which Barrie later developed the story of Peter Pan, is published.
1904 – Peter Pan is first performed at the Duke of York Theater in London. Gerald duMaurier, the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, plays the part of Peter Pan.
1905 – Peter Pan debuts in America at New York’s Empire Theater.
1906 – Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens is published.
1911 – Peter and Wendy is published.
1913 – J.M. Barrie is made a baronet in Great Britain.
1922 – J.M. Barrie is awarded the Order of Merit by Great Britain.
1924 – Paramount Pictures releases the first film version of Peter Pan.
1929 – J.M. Barrie gives the rights to Peter Pan to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.
1937 – J.M. Barrie dies and is buried beside his parents in his hometown.
1953 – Disney’s animated version of Peter Pan is released. The film is one of Disney’s highest grossing productions to date.
1955 – Mary Martin appears as Peter Pan on the first NBC broadcast.
1991 – Hook, the first movie to put the spotlight on Barrie’s villain, is released.
2004 – Finding Neverland, a movie that examines the relationship between Barrie and the Llewelyn-Davies boys, is released.
2005 – Capt. Hook, the first book to delve into the devious adolescence of Peter Pan’s nemesis, is published.
