A future Olympian is born Oscar Carl born to Henk and Sheila Pistorius in Sandton, Johannesburg. He lacked fibulas in both legs and had to have both amputated below the knee at the age of 11 months.

Oscar's mother dies Sheila Pistorius dies after suffering an adverse reaction to medication after being wrongly diagnosed with hepatitis.

Sports Personality Award Pistorius awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award for outstanding courage and achievement in the face of adversity.

IAAF victory Pistorius wins an appeal against a decision by the governing body of athletics, the IAAF, that he cannot compete against able-bodied athletes.

Olympic Games (Olivier Morin/AFP/Getty) Pistorius, dubbed Blade Runner by the media, becomes the first amputee runner to compete at an Olympic Games, in London.

Paralympic Games Pistorius takes silver in the London Paralympic 200m competition, but complains angrily about the length of competitor Alan Oliveira's blades. He later apologises.

Arrested for shooting Reeva Pistorius arrested at his home in Pretoria after shooting dead girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius in court Pistorius appears before the Pretoria Magistrate's Court where he bursts into tears as prosecutors announce they intend to pursue a charge of premeditated murder. Two days later Pistorius's agent says all future races he is contracted to compete in have been cancelled.

Reeva's funeral Reeva Steenkamp (AFP) Reeva Steenkamp's funeral is held in Port Elizabeth. Pistorius appears in court for the first day of his bail hearing. The prosecutor says Pistorius fired four shots through a bathroom door, hitting Steenkamp three times. His defence reads a statement by Pistorius in which he says he thought Steenkamp was an intruder.

Charged with murder The day on which Steenkamp would have turned 30, Pistorius appears in court. He is charged with premeditated murder and possession of unlicensed ammunition. The trial is due to begin in March 2014.

Verdict: not guilty of murder Pistorius found not guilty of murder, but convicted of culpable homicide (manslaughter in British law).

Five years in jail Sentenced to five years in prison for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Also given a three-year suspended sentence on a separate firearms charge. Pistorius begins sentence at Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru prison.

Prosecutors appeal South African prosecutors appeal the manslaughter verdict and the five-year sentence, arguing Pistorius should be charged with murder, which carries a prison term of at least 15 years.

Pistorius' release date announced It is announced that Pistorius will be released under house arrest on August 21 after spending 10 months in prison. The appeal against his culpable homicide conviction will be heard in November.

Pistorius not released South Africa's Justice Minister Michael Masutha put the release date on hold, saying Pistorius should have served ten months of his sentence before parole was considered. He also referred the case to the parole board.

Pistorius 'cannot afford another trial' Pistorius is broke and unable to defend himself against further legal action from the state, the Paralympic athlete's lawyer Barry Roux said.

Pistorius to remain in jail Pistorius will stay in jail after a decision to grant him parole was again delayed.

Released one day early The Pretoria mansion where Oscar Pistorius is serving the rest of his five year sentence (Photo: AFP/Getty) Pistorius is released on parole, just short of a year into his five-year sentence. The disgraced Paralympic gold medallist must serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest - confined to his uncle Arnold's home in a wealthy suburb of Pretoria.

Appeal hearing begins South African judges hear State Prosecutor Gerrie Nel outline the state's case for the verdict to be changed to murder from culpable homicide, or manslaughter. During the appeal hearing, which could last weeks, the prosecution is arguing that Judge Thokozile Masipa incorrectly applied the law of murder. Pistorius faces being sent back to jail if the original verdict is overturned.