| 1878 | July 4 - George Michael Cohan is born in Providence, Rhode Island to vaudeville performers Jerry and Nellie Cohan and older sister Josie |
| 1887 | Cohan makes his first professional appearance at the age of 9 in Little Georgie, performing with the famous vaudeville company The Four Cohan's |
| 1893 | The Four Cohan's debut on Broadway in BF Keith's Union Square theatre |
| 1893 | Cohan's first song, "Why Did Nellie Leave Home" is published. It's success prompted George to explore the publishing offices on Tin Pan Alley |
| 1894 | Several of George's songs are included in vaudeville acts, including May Irwin singing "Hot Tamale Alley" and other vaudevillians performing "You're the Warmest Baby in the Bunch" |
| 1894 | George began writing skits and plays on demand for performers in search of new material |
| 1895 | Jerry Cohan puts his son in charge of the family act. |
| 1897 | The Four Cohan's leave BF Keith's vaudeville shows and begin touring the country developing their own sketches and productions for Broadway |
| 1899 | George marries vaudeville singer and comedienne Ethel Levy |
| 1900 | George and Ethel's first child, Georgette was born |
| 1901 | February 4 - The Governor's Son opens at the Savoy Theatre for a 32 show performance run |
| 1901 | After The Governor's Son closes, The Four Cohan's begin touring throughout the country again |
| 1903 | April 27 - Running For Office opens at the 14th Street Theatre for a 48 show performance run |
| 1904 | November 7 - George's first big hit, Little Johnny Jones, opens at Liberty Theatre. The production includes such hit songs as "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "Yankee Doodle Boy" |
| 1905 | "Give My Regards to Broadway" reaches #1 on the Billboard charts with a recording by Billy Murray |
| 1905 | Revival of Little Johnny Jones at the New York Theatre |
| 1906 | January 1 - Forty Five Minutes From Broadway opens at New Amsterdam Theatre for a 90 show performance run. The score included the perennial favorite "Mary's a Grand Old Name." |
| 1906 | February 12 - George Washington, Jr. opens at the Herald Square Theatre for a 81 show performance run. The score includes "You're a Grand Old Flag." |
| 1906 | Revival of The Governor's Son at Aerial Gardens |
| 1906 | Revival of Forty Five Minutes from Broadway at the New York Theatre |
| 1906 | "So Long, Mary" reaches #1 on the Billboard charts with a recording by Corrine Morgan |
| 1906 | "You're a Grand Old Flag" reaches #3 on the Billboard charts with a recording by Arthur Pryor's Band |
| 1906 | "Forty Five Minutes from Broadway" reaches #3 on the Billboard charts with a recording by Billy Murray |
| 1907 | June 3 - The Honeymooners opens at Aerial Gardens for a 72 show performance run |
| 1907 | December 3 - The Talk of New York opens at the Knickerbocker Theatre for a 157 show performance run |
| 1907 | George marries Agnes Nolan, a chorus girl. The couple would have three children: Mary, Helen and George, Jr. |
| 1907 | Revival of Little Johnny Jones at the Academy of Music |
| 1907 | Revival of George Washington, Jr. at the New York Theatre |
| 1907 | "Harrigan" reaches #1 on the Billboard charts with a recording by Billy Murray |
| 1908 | April 20 - The Yankee Prince Opens at the Knickerbocker Theatre for a 28 performance run. This was the final performance of The Four Cohans |
| 1908 | October 5 - The American Idea opens at New York Theatre |
| 1909 | October 11 - The Man Who Owns Broadway opens at New York Theatre for a 128 show performance run. |
| 1911 | September 25 - The Little Millionaire opens at George M. Cohan Theatre for a 192 show performance run |
| 1911 | "Life's a Funny Proposition" reaches #5 on the Billboard charts with a recording by George M. Cohan |
| 1912 | Revival of Forty Five Minutes from Broadway at George M. Cohan's Theatre |
| 1914 | Is a charter member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) |
| 1914 | December 25 - Hello Broadway opens at the Astor Theatre for a 123 show performance run |
| 1915 | "My Little Girl" reaches #2 on the Billboard charts with a recording by Henry Burr & Albert Campbell |
| 1916 | Produces The Cohan Revue |
| 1917 | In the year of it's publication, "Over There" has 2 #1 recordings on the Billboard charts by Nora Bays and the Peerless Quartet. |
| 1917 | With the onset of World War I, the Prince's Orchestra revives "You're a Grand Old Flag." The recording would reach #7 on the Billboard charts |
| 1918 | Produces The Cohan Revue of 1918 |
| 1918 | Another hit recording of "Over There" by Enrico Caruso tops the Billboard charts at #1 |
| 1919 | "When You Come Back, If You Ever Do" hits #4 on the Billboard charts with a recording by John McCormack |
| 1920 | The Tavern opens on Broadway |
| 1922 | November 13 - Little Nellie Kelly opens at Liberty Theatre for a 276 show performance run |
| 1923 | December 24 - The Rise of Rosie O'Reilly opens at the Liberty Theatre for an 87 show performance run |
| 1923 | "Nellie Kelly" peaks in the top ten on the Billboard charts with a recording by the American Quartet |
| 1923 | "You Remind Me of My Mother" reaches the top ten on the Billboard charts with a recording by Henry Burr |
| 1925 | Publishes autobiography, Twenty Years on Broadway and the Years it Took to Get There |