>> John Sidney McCain III was born on Aug. 29, 1936, at a U.S. military base in Panama, the son and grandson of Navy admirals.
>> Graduated from Episcopal High School, Alexandria, Va., in 1954.
>> Finished fifth from the bottom of his class at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958.
>> Married Carol Shepp in 1965, adopting her two sons. The couple eventually had a daughter.
>> A fellow pilot’s missile accidentally discharged and struck McCain’s freshly fueled plane in 1967 as he prepared to take off from an aircraft carrier off Vietnam. McCain’s flight suit caught fire and he suffered shrapnel wounds in the disaster, which killed more than 130 men.
>> Shot down over Vietnam later in 1967 and imprisoned for five and a half years, two of them in solitary confinement. Tortured into signing a trumped-up “confession,” but refused early release because other prisoners had been held longer.
>> Released from captivity in 1973, attended the National War College in D.C.
>> Began stint as Navy flight instructor in 1974.
>> Joined the Navy Senate Liaison Office in 1977.
>> In 1979, at age 42, McCain met wealthy beer heiress Cindy Hensley, 25. “By the evening’s end, I was in love.”
>> In 1980, divorced Carol and married Cindy. The couple would have three children and adopt a fourth.
>> Retired from the Navy in 1981, moved to Phoenix.
>> Elected to Congress in 1982.
>> Elected to the Senate in 1986, succeeding Barry Goldwater.
>> Reprimanded by the Senate Ethics Committee in 1991 for “poor judgment” in the Keating Five scandal.
>> Published a memoir, “Faith of My Fathers,” in 1999.
>> Ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2000, losing to George W. Bush.
>> In 2002, treated for skin cancer for the third time in a decade.
>> Published his second memoir, “Worth the Fighting For,” in 2002. On his prospects for becoming president, McCain wrote: “My time might be passing.”
>> President Bush in 2002 reluctantly signed into law campaign finance reforms proposed by McCain and Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold.
>> Campaigned for Bush’s re-election in 2004.
>> In 2007, sinking in the polls and unable to raise much money, McCain’s second presidential campaign nearly imploded. He fired most of his staff, and pundits largely dismissed his chances.
>> Mounted an unlikely comeback in 2008 and defeated Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson and Mike Huckabee to become the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee.
