— March 20, 1928: Fred Rogers born in Latrobe, Pa.

— 1954: Rogers introduces "The Children's Corner," a children's show in Pittsburgh where he works as an unseen puppeteer.

— 1963: Rogers accepts offer to develop his own 15-minute show, "Misterogers," for the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

— 1968: National Educational Television, which later becomes Public Broadcasting Service, begins distributing the show, by then called "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."

— 1985-86: Ratings peak for "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," as 8 percent of all U.S. households tune in.

— 1991: During the Persian Gulf War, Rogers tells youngsters, "All children shall be well taken care of in this neighborhood and beyond — in times of war and in times of peace," and asks parents to promise their children they will always be safe.

— 1993: At a ceremony marking the show's 25th anniversary, Rogers says, "It's not the honors and not the titles and not the power that is of ultimate importance. It's what resides inside."

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— December 2000: Rogers tapes the show's final episode.

— August 2001: Final episode airs.

— September 2002: Rogers comes out of broadcasting retirement to record public service announcements telling parents how to help their children deal with the Sept. 11 attacks anniversary.

— Feb. 27, 2003: Rogers dies of stomach cancer.

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