From a logging town in Washington to the voice of a generation — the short life of Kurt Cobain.
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Kurt Cobain: Come as You Are 34
1967Kurt Cobain born in Aberdeen, WashingtonKurt Donald CobainBorn in Aberdeen, a struggling logging town.
1976Kurt Cobain's parents divorceChildhoodA divorce he later called the defining event of his childhood.
1981Kurt Cobain gets his first guitarFourteenth birthdayA used guitar for his 14th birthday.
1984Kurt Cobain sees Black Flag in SeattleFirst punk showHis first punk concert.
1985Kurt Cobain befriends the MelvinsAberdeen punkThe local band introduces him to punk rock.
1985Kurt Cobain records the Fecal Matter demoWith Dale CroverHis first recordings, with the Melvins' drummer.
1987Nirvana formed in Aberdeen, WashingtonCobain and NovoselicKurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic start a band in a logging town.
1987Kurt Cobain plays his first show with NirvanaRaymond, WashingtonA house party in a small town near Aberdeen.
1988Kurt Cobain records Nirvana's first demoJack EndinoRecorded in one day at Reciprocal Recording in Seattle.
1989Nirvana release BleachDebut albumRecorded for about 600 dollars.
1990Dave Grohl joins NirvanaDrummerThe final line-up is complete.
1991Kurt Cobain records Nevermind at Sound CityButch VigRecorded in Van Nuys with producer Butch Vig.
1991Nirvana release Smells Like Teen SpiritAnthem of a generationThe single that takes grunge into the mainstream.
1991Nirvana Releases NevermindAlbum propels grunge into the mainstreamNirvana's second album, Nevermind, led by the single "Smells Like Teen Spirit," became an unexpected commercial phenomenon. It displaced Michael Jackson from the top of the US charts and brought Seattle grunge into the mainstream. The album is widely regarded as one of the most influential rock records of its era.
1992Nirvana's Nevermind reaches number oneReplaces Michael JacksonKnocks Dangerous off the top, the same day they play Saturday Night Live.
1992Kurt Cobain marries Courtney LoveWaikiki, HawaiiMarries the Hole singer on a beach in Hawaii.
1992Kurt Cobain on the cover of Rolling StoneCorporate magazines still suckWears a T-shirt mocking the magazine on its cover.
1992Kurt Cobain's daughter Frances Bean bornLos AngelesHis only child.
1992Nirvana headline the Reading FestivalWheelchair entranceCobain is wheeled on stage in a hospital gown.
1992Kurt Cobain at the MTV Video Music AwardsLithiumTeases Rape Me against MTV's wishes, then plays Lithium.
1992Kurt Cobain's Nirvana release IncesticideRaritiesA compilation of B-sides and early recordings.
1993Kurt Cobain plays Hollywood Rock in RioBrazilNirvana's biggest crowds, in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
1993Kurt Cobain records In Utero with Steve AlbiniPachyderm StudioRecorded in two weeks in Minnesota.
1993Nirvana releases "In Utero"Follow-up to "Nevermind" debuts at number oneNirvana released their third studio album, "In Utero," produced with Steve Albini in a deliberately rawer style than its multi-platinum predecessor "Nevermind." The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. It would be the band's final studio album before Kurt Cobain's death the following year.
1993Nirvana record MTV UnpluggedSony Studios, New YorkAn acoustic set of mostly covers.
1994Kurt Cobain plays his last concertMunichNirvana's final show, at Terminal 1 in Munich.
1994Nirvana's Kurt Cobain diesSeattleCobain dies at his home in Seattle, aged 27.
1994Kurt Cobain remembered at a vigil in SeattleSeattle CenterThousands gather — Courtney Love reads from his note.
1994Nirvana release MTV Unplugged in New YorkPosthumous number oneReleased seven months after Cobain's death.
2002Kurt Cobain's last song You Know You're Right releasedFinal recordingNirvana's last studio recording, released eight years later.
2002Kurt Cobain's Journals publishedNotebooksHis notebooks are published.
2014Nirvana inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of FameHall of FameInducted in their first year of eligibility.
2015Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck releasedDocumentaryAn authorised documentary by Brett Morgen.
2020Kurt Cobain's Unplugged guitar soldSix million dollarsHis MTV Unplugged guitar sells for a record six million dollars.