1866: Boris Thomashefsky born in Asitnyashka, in the Kiev province of the Ukraine.

1873: Bessie Kaufman born in Tarashche, in the Kiev province of the Ukraine.

1878: Bessie's family emigrates to the United States, moving first to a farming region in southern Maryland before settling in Baltimore.

1879: Boris, at age 11, leaves for Berditchev to sing and train with Nisan Belzer's renowned synagogue choir.

1881: Boris and his family immigrate to America and Boris goes to work as a soloist in the Henry Street Shul on the Lower East Side of New York City.

1882: At a rented hall on the Lower East Side, Boris produces the first Yiddish Theater presentation in the United States, serving as manager, chorus master and lead female role for Koldunye (The Sorceress)

1885: Boris organizes his own theater troupe and performs in Chicago.

1887: Boris travels to Baltimore with his troupe; they perform his play Aliles Dam (Blood Libel) at Concordia Hall. He meets Bessie Kaufman.

1888: Boris persuades Bessie to join him in New York. He gives Bessie her first starring role in Goldfaden’s Shulamis, which is performed at the Boston Music Hall.

1889: Boris and Bessie marry. Boris organizes a new troupe and opens first Yiddish theater in Philadelphia.

1889: Esther Thomashefsky is born.

1889-1892: Boris and Bessie join Adler in Chicago where they form a new troupe.

1892-1893: Boris and Bessie perform at the German Thalia Theater in New York City, where Aleksander, der kroyn prints fun yerusholaim (Alexander, Crown Prince of Jerusalem) is produced.

1895: Harry Thomashefsky is born.

1895: Esther Thomashefsky dies of diphtheria.

1897: Milton (Mickey) Thomashefsky is born.

1899: Der yeshive bokher (The Yeshivah Student) premieres at the Windsor Theater in New York City.

1899: Boris helps found the Yiddish Actor’s Union.

1899-1900: Boris becomes Joseph Edelstein’s partner at the People’s Theater, New York City.

1900: Dovidl meshorer (David the Chorister) premieres at the People’s Theater in New York City.

1900: Di emigrantn (The Immigrants) premieres at the People’s Theater.

1901: Boris and Bessie visit Europe and perform at the Berlin Yiddish Theater.

1902: Der farloyrener gan eydn (The Lost Paradise) premieres at the People’s Theater.

July 4, 1904: Theodor Herzl Thomashefsky (Ted Thomas) is born.

1905: Boris establishes theater at Hunter, New York (Catskills), where Dos grine vaybl, oder der yidisher yenki-dudl (The Greenhorn Wife or The Yiddish Yankee Doodle) premieres.

1905: Bessie stars in a ’trouser’ role as Der griner bokher (The Greenhorn Boy) at the People’s Theater.

1906: Di Aktrise (The Actress), written by Boris as a tribute to Bessie, premieres in Hunter, NY.

1907: Shma yisroel (Hear O Israel) premieres at the People’s Theater.

1908: Boris publishes his Teater Shriftn (Theatre Works), a series of essays dedicated to Bessie.

1908: Bessie performs at the People’s Theater in the title role of Oscar Wilde’s Salome.

1909: Boris founds Di yidishe bine (The Yiddish Stage), a weekly periodical devoted to all branches of drama and music; it runs through April 1910.

1909: Dos pintele yid (A Little Spark of Jewishness) premieres at the People’s Theater.

1910: Di sheyne amerikanerin (The American Beauty) premieres at the People’s Theater.

1911: Boris tours Europe and performs in London.

1911-1912: Boris and Bessie separate.

1912-1913: Boris performs at Jacob Adler’s People’s Theater. He forms partnership with Adler; they build a new theater on Houston at 2nd Avenue called the Adler-Thomashefsky National Theater.

1912: di Yidishe kroyn (The Jewish Crown) premieres at the National Theatre.

1912: Bessie joins Sarah Adler and Rudolph Schildkraut at the Brooklyn Novelty Theater. Bessie meets composer Rumshinsky. Their first partnership Khantshe in amerike (Hannah in America) premieres.

1913: Boris goes on tour in Europe and performs in London, Odessa and other cities. An account of his travels is serialized in di Forverts (The Forward).

1914-1915: Bessie joins with Jacob Adler at the People’s Theater. Produces a number of plays focusing on women’s issues, including Vaybershe melukhe (Women’s Kingdom).

1915: Thomashefsky's National Theater opens, featuring Regina Zuckerberg.

1915: Bessie's memoirs are serialized in di Varhayt (The Truth).

1916: Bessie takes over management of People’s Theater.

1916: Boris’ memoirs are serialized in Di Forverts (The Forward).

1916: Dos Tsebrokhene fidele (The Broken Fiddle) premieres at Thomashefsky’s National Theatre.

1916: Bessie’s memoirs are published in book form.

1917: Minke di dinstmoyd (Minke the Maid) premieres at Bessie Thomashefsky’s People’s Theatre.

1917: Bessie’s beauty column runs in di Varhayt

1917: Uptown, Downtown premieres at Thomashefsky’s National Theatre.

1919: Vi mener libn (How Men Love) performed at Thomashefsky’s National Theatre.

1923: Bessie begins to perform at English vaudeville houses.

1924: Ted Thomas works as the stage manager on Max Reinhardt’s production of The Miracle with Norman bel Geddes.

1924: Boris takes troupe to perform in Buenos Aires.

1931: The Singing Rabbi opens at the Selwyn Theater.

1933: Boris writes play about Hitler that premieres at Thomashefsky’s Rumanian Village.

1934: Ted Thomas works as the lighting assistant on the premiere of Virgil Thomson’s Four Saints in Three Acts.

1935: Harry Thomashefsky directs the film Bar Mitzvah, starring Boris.

1935: Bessie begins second memoirs, serialized in der Tog (The Day).

1936: Milton (Mickey) Thomashefsky dies.

1937: Ted Thomas works as stage manager for Orson Welles’ premiere of Faustus for the Federal Theater Project.

1937: Ted Thomas works as the stage manager for the premiere of Marc Blitzstein’s musical The Cradle Will Rock, directed by Orson Welles for the Federal Theater Project.

1937: Ted Thomas and Roberta Meritzer marry.

1937: Boris publishes his memoirs in book form.

1938: Ted and Roberta Thomas move to Los Angeles.

July 9, 1939: Boris Thomashefsky dies.

1939: Bessie Thomashefsky and Harry Thomashefsky move to Los Angeles.

December 21, 1944: Michael Tilson Thomas born.

June 27, 1950: Judith (Judy) Thomas, daughter of Harry and Vera Thomashefsky, born.

July 6, 1962: Bessie Thomashefsky dies.

October 28, 1992: Theodor Herzl Thomashefsky (Ted Thomas) dies.

January 28, 1993: Harry Thomashefsky dies.

1998: The Thomashefsky Project is created.

April 14, 2005: First performance of The Thomashefskys: Music and Memories of a Life in the Yiddish Theater at Carnegie Hall.

Caveat: The above dates represent the best estimates. Neither Bessie nor Boris Thomashefsky’s memoirs contain dates. We began with Zalmen Zylbercweig’s entries in his Lexicon of Yiddish Theatre, then reconciled his dates with events described in the autobiographies, newspaper articles, copyright registrations and numerous other documents.