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Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and officially given the name, Marguerite Annie Johnson Angelou.
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Maya began attending George Washington High School and studied drama and dance.
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After dropping out of school and two weeks of persistence and determination, Maya Angelou finally secured a job as a streetcar conductor in San Francisco, California, and she became the first black female streetcar conductor ever.
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Maya Angelou recorded her first album, "Calypso Lady," after working and touring as a calypso dancer for several years.
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Maya became the northern coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference upon request by Martin Luther King Jr.
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Maya and her family moved to Cairo, Egypt, where she worked as a newspaper editor. The family continued to travel and later even moved to Ghana for a few years.
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Maya moved back to live in the United States again after living in Ghana.
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Maya Angelou published her first autobiography, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," about her early life and childhood.
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After she published her first autobiography and continued writing a variety of poems and song lyrics, Maya Angelou was nominated for the Pulitizer Prize.
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Maya Angelou became the first African American woman to ever have written the screenplay for a film. Angelou wrote the "Georgia, Georgia" film script
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Maya Angelou was awarded the Langston Hughes Medal for being a talented, inspiring African American writer and poet.
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Maya read her poem, "On the Pulse of Morning," at President Bill Clinton's inauguration, upon his request. She was one of the first poets to give an inaugural address.
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Angelou received the Mother Teresa Award.
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Maya Angelou passed away due to failing health
