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On April 20, 1999, two students walked non-chalantly into Columbine High School, fired from a multi-gun arsenal and lobbed homemade bombs throughout the school. They killed 12 students and one teacher before commiting suicide. Here are key events surrounding the tragedy and recovery.
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April 20, 1999, 11:00 a.m.
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About 900 Columbine High School students head in to the cafeteria for lunch or hit the books in the library or in classrooms.
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11:21 a.m.
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A 911 dispatcher receives the first report that gun shots had been fired at Columbine High School.
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11:21 - 11:36 a.m.
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According to investigators, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold move from the student parking lot into the cafeteria and upstairs to the library.
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11:36 a.m.
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The last shots are fired, ending a 15-minute reign of terror.
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Noon
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Police SWAT teams find several explosive devices around the school. Ambulances take the first wounded students, all of whom managed to run outside, to area hospitals.
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Shorty after noon
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According to investigators, Harris and Klebold commit suicide.
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12:30 p.m.
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SWAT teams begin a room-by-room sweep of the high school, checking every knapsack and desk.
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Early afternoon
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615 officers from 27 agencies converge on the school.
Anguished parents, awaiting word on their children, gather at nearby Leawood Elementary School.
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2:30 p.m.
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SWAT teams begin freeing students in hiding.
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4 p.m.
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The sheriff's spokesman confirms that as many as 25 people are dead. Officers find the bodies of both suspects.
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4:30 p.m.
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SWAT teams declare the school safe.
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6:15 p.m.
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Authorities find an explosive device in a car in the school parking lot. The sheriff's spokesman says entire school is regarded as a massive crime scene. The campus is marked off with yards of yellow tape. All bodies are still inside.
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10:30 p.m.
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Bomb technicians, accompanied by electricians, clear a path to the administration area to cut power to the alarm system.
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April 21
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The National Rifle Association decides to curtail its national convention in Denver the following week out of "profound sympathy and respect" for victims of the Columbine tragedy. Denver Mayor Wellington Webb urges the NRA to cancel its convention completely.
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April 21
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Jefferson County District Attorney Dave Thomas says he believes "there is some evidence to suggest that other people" were involved in the shooting or were at least aware of what was going on.
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April 22
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A shaken Gov. Bill Owens calls the Columbine High School library "a terrible place" as he toured the bloodied, battered school.
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April 23
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Federal agents have tracked the two semiautomatic guns used in the Columbine High School tragedy -- a TEC-9 pistol and a carbine -- to legal, licensed gun dealers.
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April 24
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High schools throughout the Denver area remain on alert with increased police and adult patrols in hallways and on school grounds.
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April 24
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Police defend their tactics during on April 20, bristling at the notion that they could have acted quicker.
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April 25
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Tens of thousands of mourners, most of them carrying flowers, visit Clement Park, Bowles Crossing and other areas near Columbine to pay respects to the victims.
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April 25
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Kelly Fleming's and Daniel Mauser's funerals.
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April 26
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Authorities confirm that Dylan Klebold's prom date bought two of the weapons used in the assault on Columbine at a Denver-area gun show.
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April 27
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Community debate rages on whether crosses for Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold should join the crosses of the 13 they killed.
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April 28
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The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department says Harris and Klebold were dead for three hours before authorities stormed the library where they lay.
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April 29
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The cost of the tragedy and its aftermath top $1 million.
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April 30
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The family of slain Columbine student Daniel Rohrbough destroys two crosses that had been erected in memory of the boy's killers.
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April 30
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Jefferson County Sheriff John Stone defendes his department's handling of a 1998 complaint that Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold might be building pipe bombs and fantasizing about mass murder.
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May 1
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More than 8,000 men, women and children gather at the Colorado Capitol to send the NRA a message that gun laws must change.
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May 1
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Charlton Heston tells an overflow crowd of NRA members that politicians and the media are trying to capitalize on the tragedy.
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May 1
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Investigators say the parents of Dylan Klebold were "very cooperative" in an interview with investigators.
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May 2
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Columbine High School classmates and teachers return to school.
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May 2
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The remaining 13 crosses memorializing the victims are removed.
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May 3
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A former Columbine student is arrested on charges he sold a semiautomatic pistol to the gunmen.
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May 3
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The family of Isaiah Shoels announces it will file a wrongful death suit against Harris' and Klebold's parents.
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May 5
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A task force meets to explore ways to tap $8 million in potential state, federal and private funding sources to help victims.
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May 8
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Students at area high schools sign no-taunting pledges, hoping the act will stem the tide of hatred and violence in youth culture.
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May 11
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Investigators confiscate video game rental records for two associates of Harris and Klebold.
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May 13
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The condition of the five remaining hospitalized victims continues to improve.
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May 17
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Sixty-five proposals on how to commemorate the shooting victims at Columbine High School are offered.
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May 20
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A student opens fire at Heritage High School in suburban Atlanta, injuring six classmates.
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May 20
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Isaiah Shoels' parents meet with President Clinton and ask for stronger gun laws and tougher hate-crime legislation.
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May 22
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Columbine High School seniors graduate.
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May 26
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The Shoelses' attorneys confirm the family will sue the parents of Harris and Klebold for $250 million.
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May 28
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A judge seals the autopsy reports on the 15 who died.
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June 5
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The gun show, where Harris and Klebold bought weapons, returns.
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June 12
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Some investigators say they still have questions about whether Klebold committed suicide or was killed by Harris.
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June 17
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Rep. Tom Tancredo says the killings at Columbine High School have prompted a shift in his personal and political stance on gun control.
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June 17
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Philip J. Duran, a co-worker of Harris and Klebold turns himself in to face charges he helped broker the sale of a handgun used in the shooting.
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June 24
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A judge unseals the autopsy report on Harris.
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July 1
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Wounded victim Patrick Ireland leaves Craig Hospital.
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July 18
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Columbine students return to the school to decorate tile that will adorn the inside of the building.
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July 28
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Sources say that ballistic reports show no evidence of a third gunman.
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August 6
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Renovations at Columbine are completed.
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August 12
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Anne Marie Hochhalter leaves Craig Hospital
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August 16
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Columbine students return for fall classes.
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August 20
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Richard Castaldo leaves Craig Hospital.
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September 9
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A book about Cassie Bernall's life is released.
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September 21
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Mile High United Way announces that families of the injured students will split $1 million, the last mass distribution.
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October 11
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Security video detailing part of the attack is aired on television.
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October 20
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A Columbine student who threatened to "finish the job" is arrested.
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October 22
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Carla Hochhalter, whose 17-year-old daughter was paralyzed in the shootings, takes her own life.
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October 26
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Harris' parents meet with police.
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November 12
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Mark Manes, who provided a handgun to Harris and Klebold, is sentenced to six years in prison.
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December 4
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Columbine wins the 5A state football championship.
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December 12
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A video tape detailing Harris and Klebold's thoughts prior to the attack is released.
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December 15
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An Internet threat directed at a Columbine student closes the school.
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January 13
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A judge bars the release of a video tape made by Harris and Klebold
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January 20
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The Jefferson County School Board agrees to build a new library with private funds.
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January 27
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The Colorado House Judiciary Committee pass seven gun bills aimed at restricting firearm access.
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February 2
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An effort begins to recall Jefferson County Sheriff John Stone.
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February 11
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A bill that would have required background checks for all buyers at gunshows is defeated.
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February 14
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Two Columbine students are murdered in a sandwhich shop.
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February 22
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A German schoolgirl is arrested for allegedly planning a copycat crime aimed at the one-year Columbine anniversary.
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March 3
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A judge orders John Stone not to release Harris and Klebold's tapes.
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March 18
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The first edition of Rachel's Journal, a magazine aimed at inspiring faith, is released.
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March 27
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The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department reveals that it will release two reports on the shootings — one for law enforcement and a shorter one for the public.
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April 5
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Columbine students, staff and teachers gather to talk about how their lives have changed.
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April 7
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Columbine becomes the most expensive crime in Colorado history as the investigation tab climbs above $9 million.
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April 11
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U.S. Republicans rush a gun-crime bill through the House as the one-year anniversary of Columbine nears.
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April 13
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President Clinton takes part in a town hall meeting in Denver to discuss gun violence.
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April 14
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The families of Harris and Klebold issue statements saying they are still grieving and again apologize for their sons' rampage.
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April 16
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Columbine students, teachers, staff and community members participate in a 5K walk/run to raise money for scholarships.
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April 17
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A judge orders the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department to show its draft report of the April 20 tragedy to parents of Daniel Rohrbough and Kelly Fleming and their lawyers.
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April 18
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Isaiah Shoels family files a lawsuit against the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, claiming Shoels and 12 others died April 20 because sheriff's deputies didn't react quickly enough.
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April 19
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Daniel Rohrbough's family states in a lawsuit that a deputy sheriff's bullet killed their son as he lay wounded on a sidewalk outside Columbine High School.
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April 20
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Memorial services and reflection mark the one-year anniversary of the massacre.
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