The life and times of Saddam Hussein

A glance at the life of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein:

April 28, 1937 – Born in village of Uja near desert town of Tikrit, north of Baghdad.

1957 – Joins underground Baath Socialist Party.

1958 – Arrested for killing his brother-in-law, a Communist, spends six months in prison.

Feb. 8, 1963 – Returns from Egypt after Baath takes part in coup that overthrows and kills Kassem. Baath ousted by military in November.

July 17, 1968 – Baathists and army officers overthrow regime.

July 30, 1968 – Takes charge of internal security after Baath ousts erstwhile allies and authority passes to Revolutionary Command Council under Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, Saddam’s cousin.

July 16, 1979 – Takes over as president from al-Bakr, launches massive purge of Baath.

Sept. 22, 1980 – Sends forces into Iranwar last eight years.

March 28, 1988 – Uses chemical weapons against Kurdish town of Halabja, killing estimated 5,000 civilians.

Aug. 2, 1990 – Invades Kuwait.

Jan. 17, 1991 – Attacked by US-led coalition. Kuwait liberated in a month.

March, 1991 – Crushes Shiite revolt in south and Kurd revolt in north.

April 17, 1991 – Complying with UN Resolution 687, starts providing information on weapons of mass destruction, but accused of cheating.

Feb. 20, 1996 – Orders killing of two sons-in-law who in 1995 defected to Jordan and had just returned to Baghdad after receiving guarantees of safety.

Dec. 16, 1998 – Weapons inspectors withdrawn from Iraq. Hours later, four days of US-British air and missile strikes begin as punishment for lack of cooperation.

Nov. 8, 2002 – Threatened with “serious consequences” if he does not disarm in UN Security Council resolution.

March 17, 2003 – United States, Britain and Spain declare time for diplomacy over, withdraw proposed resolution. President Bush gives Saddam 48 hours to leave Iraq.

March 20, 2003 – US forces open war with military strike on Dora Farms, a target south of Baghdad where Saddam and his sons are said to be.

April 7, 2003 – US warplanes bomb a section of the Mansour district in Baghdad where Saddam and his sons were said to be meeting.

April 9, 2003 – Jubilant crowds greet US troops in Baghdad, go on looting rampages, topple 40-foot statue of Saddam.

July 22, 2003 – Saddam’s sons, Qusai and Odai, killed in gunbattle with US troops. American forces then raid the northern city of Mosul and later say they missed Saddam ”by a matter of hours.”

Dec. 13, 2003 – Saddam is captured in the town of Adwar, 10 miles south of Tikrit. He is hiding in a specially prepared “spider hole.”

June 30, 2004 – Saddam is transferred to Iraqi legal custody the day before he is expected to be arraigned.

July 1, 2004 – Saddam and 11 regime figures appear in court to hear criminal charges.