In just 56 years, Steve Jobs changed the world with his ideas and passion. As the world mourns his Oct. 5 death from pancreatic cancer, here is a look back on the major milestones of his life.

Feb. 24, 1955: Joanne Schieble, a graduate student, gives birth to a boy in San Francisco. That boy is adopted by Paul and Clara Jobs of Mountain View, California, and given the name Stephen Paul Jobs.

1972: Jobs enrolls at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, but quickly drops out after a semester to take a job at Atari.

1974: While working for Atari, he attends Homebrew Computer Club meetings with high school friend Steve Wozniak.

1976: Jobs, 21, and Wozniak, 26, found Apple Computer Company. With a $250,000 angel investment after both Atari and HP refuse to back them, they launch the Apple I, a single-board computer with a video interface, for $666.66.

1977: Apple is incorporated as Apple Computer Inc. and comes out with Apple II, the first color personal computer. It sells for $1,295 and is instantly successful.

1980: Apple goes public, selling all 4.6 million shares at $22—within minutes.

1982: Apple’s annual revenue peaks at $1 billion.

1983: Apple’s ‘Lisa’ (named after Jobs’ oldest daughter), the first mouse-controlled computer, fails partly because of its $10,000 price tag. Jobs hires John Sculley (of PepsiCo) as Apple’s CEO.

1984: The Macintosh is introduced. Apple sells 70,000 Macs within the first 100 days of release, after the airing of this Super Bowl commercial.

1985: Jobs and Sculley have a falling out. Mac sales stagnate. Jobs and Wozniak resign. Jobs launches NeXT Inc., a company that makes computers for universities.

1986: Jobs purchases Pixar from George Lucas for around $10 million.

1989: NeXT launches the NeXT Computer (a.k.a The Cube) for $6,500. It bombs in the marketplace.

1993: Jobs turns his focus from computers to software.

1995: Pixar releases ‘Toy Story.’ The company then goes public, raising $140 million. Jobs becomes a billionaire. Apple struggles as executives depart.

1996: Apple purchases NeXT for $427 million, primarily for the operating system that Jobs developed. Jobs is appointed an advisor to Apple.

1997: Jobs becomes interim CEO at Apple after then-CEO Gil Amelio is booted. He takes a salary of $1. Jobs calls himself the ‘iCEO’—a harbinger for things to come.

1998: Apple becomes profitable for the first time in five years after the introduction of the iMac, a bright-colored, all-in-one desktop.

1999: Apple introduces the iBook laptop.

2000: Jobs becomes Apple’s official CEO.

2001: Apple releases the first iPod.

2003: Apple launches iTunes Music Store and sells 1 million songs in the first week.

2004: Jobs is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and undergoes surgery.

2005: Apple releases iPod Nano.

2006: Disney purchases Pixar. Jobs becomes Disney’s largest individual shareholder.

2007: Jobs renames the company Apple Inc. and introduces the iPhone. The release spurs consumer enthusiasm.

2008: In a 60 Minutes interview, Jobs is asked about his business model.  He replies, “My model for business is The Beatles: They were four guys that kept each other’s negative tendencies in check, they balanced each other, and the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are not done by one person, they are done by a team of people.”

2009: Jobs takes six months off to get a liver transplant.

2010: Apple releases the iPad. A new category of tablet computers is born and 30 million units are sold in less than two years.

Jan. 17, 2011: Jobs announces medical leave.

Aug. 24, 2011: Jobs steps down as CEO.

Oct. 5, 2011: Steve Jobs dies in his California home.  He was 56 years old.  His legacy lives on.

— Written by Katie Morell