| 1868 | William Edward Du Bois is born on February 23 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. |
| 1884 | Graduates from Great Barrington High School.
His mother, Mary Burghardt Du Bois, dies in Great Barrington. |
| 1884–85 | Correspondent for the New York Age, the New York Globe, and the Springfield Republican. |
| 1885 | Enters Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. |
| 1888 | Graduates from Fisk and enters Harvard University as a junior. |
| 1890 | Graduates from Harvard and begins graduate study at Harvard. |
| 1892 | Awarded a Slater Fund Fellowship for study in Europe. |
| 1892–94 | Studies at the University of Berlin and travels in Europe. |
| 1894–96 | Professor of Latin and Greek at Wilberforce University in Ohio. |
| 1896 | Marries Nina Gomer.
Awarded PhD by Harvard University.
The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America, 1638 – 1870 is published as No. 1, in the Harvard Historical Studies series. |
| 1896–97 | Instructor of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania. |
| 1897–1910 | Professor of Economics and History, Atlanta University. |
| 1897 | Founds the annual Atlanta University Studies of the Negro Problem and edits the series through 1911. |
| 1899 | Son Burghardt dies in Atlanta and is buried in Great Barrington.
The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study is published. |
| 1900 | Secretary of the first Pan-African Conference in London.
Daughter Yolande is born. |
| 1903 | The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches is published. |
| 1905 | Founds the Niagara Movement and serves as General Secretary through 1909. |
| 1909 | One of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
John Brown is published and a revised version is published in 1962. |
| 1910–1934 | Director of publicity and research, editor of The Crisis, and member of the Board of Directors of the NAACP. |
| 1911 | Attends the First Universal Races Congress in England.
Joins the Socialist Party and resigns in 1912.
Leads Black shift from Republican to Democratic Party. |
| 1915 | The Negro is published. |
| 1917 | Supports Black military service. |
| 1919 | Organizes first Modern Pan-African Movement Conference in Paris.
Leads protest march in New York City against lynching. |
| 1920 | Darkwater: Voices from within the Veil is published. |
| 1921 | Participates in second Pan-African Conference in London, Brussels, and Paris. |
| 1923 | Awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP.
Serves as special envoy for the United States to the inauguration of the President of Liberia. |
| 1926 | Visits the Soviet Union. |
| 1927 | Involved in the Harlem Renaissance. |
| 1928 | Friends gift Du Bois the Burghardt homestead property in Great Barrington.
Dark Princess: A Romance is published. |
| 1933 | Initiates the development of the Encyclopedia of the Negro. |
| 1934 | Resigns as editor of The Crisis and from the board of the NAACP. |
| 1935 | Black Reconstruction in America, 1860–1880 is published. |
| 1934–1944 | Chairman of the Department of Sociology at Atlanta University. |
| 1936 | Makes an extensive trip around the world. |
| 1940 | Dusk of Dawn: An Essay toward an Autobiography of a Race Concept is published. |
| 1944 | Founds Phylon magazine. |
| 1943 | Organizes the first conference of Negro Land Grant Colleges. |
| 1944 | Visits Haiti and Cuba. |
| 1944–1948 | Director of special research at the NAACP. |
| 1945 | Attends Founding Conference of the United Nations.
Leads fifth Pan-African Congress in Manchester, England.
Encyclopedia of the Negro: Preparatory Volume with Reference Lists and Reports is published. |
| 1947 | The World and Africa: An Inquiry into the Part which Africa Has Played in World History is published and a revised edition is published in 1955–1961. |
| 1948 | Appointed co-chairman of the Council on African Affairs. |
| 1949 | Attends world peace congresses in New York, Paris, and Moscow. |
| 1950 | Serves as chairman of the Peace Information Center.
Runs for the U.S. Senate as candidate of the Progressive Party in New York.
Wife, Nina Gomer Du Bois, dies and is buried in Great Barrington. |
| 1950–1951 | Indicted, tried, and acquitted of charges of being and "unregistered foreign agent." |
| 1952 | Marries Shirley Graham. |
| 1954 | Du Bois sells the Burghardt property in Great Barrington. |
| 1958-1959 | Lengthy period of travel in the Soviet Union. |
| 1959 | Lengthy visit to China. |
| 1961 | Joins the Communist Party of the United States.
Moves to Ghana and takes up residence in Accra.
Daughter, Yolande, dies and is buried in Great Barrington. |
| 1963 | Takes Ghana citizenship.
Dies on August 27 and is buried with a state funeral in Accra. |
| 1968 | The Autobiography of W. E. B. Du Bois is published. |
| 1969 | The W. E. B. Du Bois Boyhood Homesite in Great Barrington is dedicated as the W. E. B. Du Bois Memorial Park. |
| 1970 | Simon's Rock College in Great Barrington establishes its W. E. B. Du Bois Collection in Black history and culture. |
| 1976 | The W. E. B. Du Bois Memorial Park in Great Barrington is granted National Historic Landmark status as the W. E. B. Du Bois Boyhood Homesite. |
| 1983 | An archaeological summer field school is at the W. E. B. Du Bois Boyhood Homesite National Landmark in Great Barrington by the University of Massachusetts/Amherst. School are conducted again in 1984 and 2003. |
| 1987 | The W. E. B. Du Bois Boyhood Homesite National Landmark in Great Barrington is donated to the University of Massachusetts. |
| 1994 | The Great Barrington Historical Society places markers at the Du Bois birth site and the graves of Nina Gomer and Burghardt Du Bois in Mahaiwe Cemetery in Great Barrington. |
| 1996 | Simon's Rock College initiates its annual W. E. B. Du Bois lecture. |
| 2001 | The Clinton African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church initiates its annual W. E. B. Du Bois lecture and birthday anniversary celebration. |
| 2002 | The W. E. B. Du Bois River Garden is dedicated in Great Barrington. |
| 2003 | The W. E. B. Du Bois mural in Great Barrington is dedicated. |
| 2006 | Signs noting that Great Barrington is the birthplace of Du Bois are placed on roads entering town. |
