29 moments

1. Birth in Tupelo

   1935-01-08 · Tupelo, Mississippi, United States

   

   Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, beginning a life that would lead from the American South to international popular-music prominence. Coordinates represent the Tupelo birthplace area.

2. First public performance

   1945-10-03 · Mississippi–Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, Tupelo, Mississippi, United States

   

   At age ten, Presley sang “Old Shep” in the Mississippi–Alabama Fair and Dairy Show singing contest, an early documented public performance. Coordinates represent Tupelo; the fair's precise 1945 site is not specified in the cited text.

3. Family relocation to Memphis

   1948-11-01 · Memphis, Tennessee, United States

   

   Presley moved with his family from Mississippi to Memphis, the city that became his principal early home and the center of his recording career.

4. First acetates at Memphis Recording Service

   1953-01-01 · Memphis Recording Service, Memphis, Tennessee, United States

   

   Presley visited Sam Phillips's Memphis Recording Service to make a privately paid two-sided acetate, an important first step toward his recording career. The source supports the year but not a more precise date.

5. Grand Ole Opry appearance

   1955-10-02 · Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee, United States

   

   Presley made his sole Grand Ole Opry appearance in Nashville during his regional breakthrough period. The Grand Ole Opry was then performed at Ryman Auditorium.

6. First Las Vegas residency

   1956-04-01 · New Frontier Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

   

   Presley began a two-week engagement at the New Frontier Hotel and Casino, his first Las Vegas residency. The hotel was demolished; coordinates mark its historical Las Vegas Strip site. The source specifies late April, not an exact day.

7. Milton Berle Show aboard USS Hancock

   1956-04-03 · USS Hancock, San Diego, California, United States

   

   Presley performed for NBC's Milton Berle Show on the deck of USS Hancock while the ship was in San Diego. Coordinates represent San Diego because the ship's exact berth is not specified.

8. Return performance in Tupelo

   1956-09-26 · Fairgrounds, Tupelo, Mississippi, United States

   

   At the height of his 1956 rise, Presley performed at the Tupelo fairgrounds before an exceptionally large and heavily policed audience. Coordinates represent the Tupelo fairgrounds area.

9. Army training at Fort Hood

   1958-03-01 · Fort Hood, Texas, United States

   

   Presley completed basic and advanced armor training at Fort Hood before his overseas assignment. The card date marks the beginning of a documented presence extending through September 17, 1958.

10. Army induction at Fort Chaffee

    1958-03-24 · Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, United States

    

    Presley entered United States Army service at Fort Chaffee, a major public event amid his established fame.

11. Emergency leave to Memphis

    1958-08-12 · Memphis, Tennessee, United States

    

    While in Army training, Presley received emergency leave and returned to Memphis to visit his seriously ill mother.

12. Stationed at Ray Barracks

    1958-10-01 · Ray Barracks, Friedberg, Hesse, West Germany

    

    Presley began his West German Army posting as an armor intelligence specialist with the 3d Armored Division. Ray Barracks was in Friedberg, Hesse; “West Germany” reflects the period terminology.

13. Recording at RCA Studio B

    1960-03-20 · RCA Studio B, Nashville, Tennessee, United States

    After returning from Army service, Presley entered RCA's Nashville studio to record material including “Stuck on You.”

14. Memphis charity concerts

    1961-02-01 · Memphis, Tennessee, United States

    Presley gave two Memphis benefit performances for local charities, his first public concerts after military service. The source supports February 1961 but does not name a precise venue.

15. Pearl Harbor memorial benefit

    1961-03-25 · Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii, United States

    Presley performed at a benefit concert for the Pearl Harbor memorial in Hawaii; it was his last public performance for seven years. Coordinates represent Pearl Harbor; the source does not identify the exact performance venue.

16. Marriage to Priscilla Beaulieu

    1967-05-01 · Aladdin Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

    

    Presley married Priscilla Beaulieu in a brief ceremony held in their suite at the Aladdin Hotel. The former Aladdin Hotel has been redeveloped; coordinates mark the historical site.

17. Recording the '68 Comeback Special

    1968-06-01 · NBC Studios, Burbank, California, United States

    Presley recorded the NBC television special later known as the ’68 Comeback Special, marking his highly consequential return to live performance. The source specifies late June but no exact recording day.

18. American Sound Studio sessions

    1969-01-01 · American Sound Studio, Memphis, Tennessee, United States

    Presley recorded at American Sound Studio during the sessions that produced the album From Elvis in Memphis and singles including “Suspicious Minds.” The cited text supports 1969 but does not provide a more precise session date.

19. Las Vegas return at the International

    1969-07-31 · International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

    Presley resumed regular concert performance with a 57-show Las Vegas engagement at the International Hotel. The International Hotel is now the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino.

20. Houston Astrodome concerts

    1970-02-01 · Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas, United States

    Presley performed six record-breaking-attendance shows at the Houston Astrodome during his renewed touring career. The source specifies late February but no individual show dates.

21. Meeting President Nixon

    1970-12-21 · White House, Washington, District of Columbia, United States

    

    Presley met President Richard Nixon at the White House and sought a Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge.

22. Madison Square Garden concert

    1972-07-10 · Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States

    Presley performed at Madison Square Garden during a fourteen-date tour; the July 10 evening concert became a major live album. The immediately preceding source text identifies the venue as Madison Square Garden.

23. Aloha from Hawaii satellite concert

    1973-01-14 · Honolulu International Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

    Presley performed the live Aloha from Hawaii concert, a globally broadcast benefit performance at Honolulu International Center. The venue is now known as Neal S. Blaisdell Arena.

24. Palm Springs stay

    1976-07-13 · Palm Springs, California, United States

    Presley was in Palm Springs when his father dismissed several longtime bodyguards. The source does not identify a specific Palm Springs residence or hotel.

25. Omaha concert

    1977-06-19 · Omaha, Nebraska, United States

    Presley performed in Omaha during his final tour; footage from the concert was used in the television special Elvis in Concert. Coordinates represent central Omaha because the cited text does not name the concert venue.

26. Rapid City concert

    1977-06-21 · Rapid City, South Dakota, United States

    Two days after Omaha, Presley performed in Rapid City, South Dakota, in one of his last filmed concerts. The date is calculated directly from the cited June 19 Omaha performance and the source's “two days later” wording.

27. Final concert

    1977-06-26 · Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States

    Presley gave his final concert at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. Market Square Arena was demolished; coordinates mark its historical site.

28. Last public appearance

    1977-08-08 · Libertyland, Memphis, Tennessee, United States

    Presley's last documented public appearance occurred when he rented Libertyland amusement park in Memphis for a small private group. Libertyland closed in 2005; coordinates represent its former Mid-South Fairgrounds location.

29. Death at Graceland

    1977-08-16 · Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee, United States

    

    Presley was found unresponsive at his Graceland mansion before being taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was subsequently pronounced dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis.