Pick a Day

Whitney Houston is born in Newark, New Jersey, to gospel/soul singer Cissy Houston and John Russell Houston Jr. After years in the background as a session singer, she releases her self-titled debut album in 1985. Thanks to smash hits like "How Will I Know," "Saving All My Love For You," and "The Greatest Love Of All," she breaks through MTV's color barrier as one of the first Black female artists to achieve heavy rotation on the network.

Whitney Houston scores her first #1 on the Hot 100 when "Saving All My Love For You" reaches the top spot. She goes on a remarkable run, with her next six singles all topping the chart.

Whitney Houston charts her fourth #1 on the Hot 100 with "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)," the debut single from her second album.More

Whitney Houston's second album, Whitney, is released. It contains four #1 hits, including the enduring "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)."More

Whitney Houston scores the fifth of seven consecutive #1 hits when "Didn't We Almost Have It All" tops the Hot 100.

Christmas songs get a modern makeover with the all-star compilation A Very Special Christmas, featuring Whitney Houston's "Do You Hear What I Hear?," Madonna's "Santa Baby" and an original song from Run-D.M.C., "Christmas in Hollis." Proceeds from the album go to the Special Olympics.More

Whitney Houston's "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" hits #1 on the Hot 100 for the first of two weeks. It's her seventh #1 on that tally.

Dozens of big-name acts, including Peter Gabriel, Sting, Whitney Houston and Stevie Wonder, rock the stage at the Free Nelson Mandela Concert at Wembley Stadium in London.More

At the Soul Train Awards, Whitney Houston's nomination for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary Single - Female for "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" incites a round of jeers from the audience, who think the pop diva is selling out for her white fans. Houston responds by embracing urban R&B and new jack swing on her next album, I'm Your Baby Tonight.

With American troops fighting in the Gulf War, Whitney Houston does a stirring version of the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. Her performance is lip-synched, but so well received that it is released as a single, charting at #20. This version is re-released in 2001 following the September 11 attacks.

Whitney Houston marries Bobby Brown, whom she first met backstage at the Soul Train Awards in 1989, in a private ceremony at her New Jersey mansion. Their 14-year union is a tumultuous one, plagued by drug abuse and domestic violence. They give fans a glimpse into their relationship on the short-lived reality series Being Bobby Brown in 2005, a year before their separation.

Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," a cover of a Dolly Parton song from 1974, goes to #1 in America.

In her first film role, Whitney Houston plays a pop diva under the protection of Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard. The highlight of the movie is Houston's rendition of "I Will Always Love You," which hits #1 three days after the movie's release.More

Whitney Houston's single "I Will Always Love You" reaches its 14th week at #1, a new record. In 1995, this record is broken by "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.

Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" from the soundtrack to The Bodyguard, tops Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart for the 13th week.

Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown welcome a baby girl, Bobbi Kristina.

"Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" by Whitney Houston hits #1 on the Hot 100. The song appears on the soundtrack to the film Waiting To Exhale, which stars Houston.

The soundtrack to the movie Waiting to Exhale is released. Produced by Babyface with all female artists (including TLC, Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige), each song represents one of the characters in the film. Whitney Houston, one of the stars, contribues three songs, including the #1 hit "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)." The soundtrack spends five weeks at #1 and sells over 7 million copies in America.

Three years after her feature film debut in The Bodyguard, Whitney Houston gives her second acting performance in Forest Whitaker's romantic drama Waiting to Exhale, leading an all-African American cast that includes Angela Bassett and Dennis Haysbert.More

Brandy becomes the first black Disney princess when she plays Cinderella in the ABC TV movie. Whitney Houston plays her Fairy Godmother.

Retailers in the US are hit with a wave of superstar releases on what the industry dubs "Super Tuesday." Among the sets released are Garth Brooks: Double Live, Whitney Houston's My Love is Your Love, Mariah Carey's #1's, Jewel's Spirit, and three soundtracks associated with the animated film The Prince of Egypt.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) reveal their list of the top 365 "Songs Of The Century" (some of which are not songs, but albums). "Over The Rainbow" is #1, followed by "White Christmas" and "This Land Is Your Land."More

Whitney Houston is found dead in the bathtub of her suite at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles, where she was slated to perform at Clive Davis' annual Pre-Grammy party later that night. She was 48.More

Sparkle, starring the aptly named Jordin Sparks as an aspiring singer, opens in theaters. It's the last film for Whitney Houston, who plays her mom.

RCA Records releases a greatest hits album to commemorate the late Whitney Houston, who died in February 2012. The album, titled I Will Always Love You - The Best of Whitney Houston, includes all 11 of her #1 Billboard charting hits.

Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, dies at age 22. She is found unconscious in her bathtub, and the cause of death is eventually revealed as "immersion associated with drug intoxication."

The Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Whitney Houston, The Notorious B.I.G., and T. Rex enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Because of coronavirus, the ceremony is virtual and there are no performances.