| January 26, 1892 | Bessie Coleman is born | Bessie was born in Atlanta, Texas to a poor black family. She grew up in a very racist community. |
| 1905 | Bessie leaves school to help her mother | Bessie worked hard and saved her money to pay for industrial college, but her mother needed her help at home. Bessie gave up her schooling to help at home. |
| 1915 | Bessie moves to Chicago for a better life | Bessie moved to Chicago, hoping for less racism and a better life with her brother. She became a manicurist, where she met many rich black people. |
| 1918 | Her brother tells tales of flying women | Bessie's brothers told her stories of French women who could fly airplanes, still a new invention. Bessie dreamed of flying, but no school would take her because she was black and a woman. |
| 1920 | A friend helps her go to France | Bessie had met Robert Abbot during her work as a manicurist. He was a wealthy black man, and he helped her go to France to attend aviation school there. |
| 1921 | Bessie returns to America a graduate | Bessie returned to New York with her pilot's license. She was celebrated as a pioneer. |
| 1922 | She furthers her dreams of flying | Bessie returned to Europe to train as a stunt flyer so that she could make a living flying airplanes. |
| September 1922 | Betsy is praised for her skills | When Bessie returned to America she flew in an air show and she was called "the world's greatest woman flyer." |
| 1923 | Bessie's flight takes a nose dive | Bessie finally earned enough money to buy her own airplane. However, she crashed it within a few days, suffering many broken bones. |
| 1924 | She buys a second airplane | She finally saved enough money to buy a second airplane, and this one did well. |
| 1926 | Bessie Coleman dies | Bessie died in April of 1926 while preparing for a stunt flight. Every year, pilots fly over her grave and throw flowers from the sky. |
| 1975 | The Bessie Aviators | The Bessie Aviators is an organization that was founded by women pilots in Bessie's honor. It is open to women pilots of any race. |
| 1990 | More honors for Bessie | Bessie Coleman was honored by several airports, including Chicago's O'Hare and St. Louis' Lambert Airport. |
| 1995 | Bessie gets her own US postal stamp | The United States Postal Service issued a Bessie Coleman stamp in honor of the great pilot. |
