1889
French physiologist Charles Brown-Sequard markets a "rejuvenating elixir" made from the testicles of dogs and guinea pigs, which he claims can increase physical strength. It is the first known product containing testosterone.
1904
To keep him going, St. Louis Olympic marathon winner Thomas Hicks (USA) is given strychnine and brandy during the race.
1935
Synthetic testosterone is developed in Germany, earning scientists Adolf Butenandt and Leopold Ruzicka the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
1940s
Researchers find that men given testosterone had an increased capacity for endurance work. Weightlifters and other athletes begin experimenting with testosterone and other synthetic steroids to improve performance.
1945
Germans test steroids on World War II prisoners of war.
1952
The Russian Olympic team is the subject of steroid rumors after its surprising performance in Helsinki, Finland.
1954
After a Soviet Union coach at the world weightlifting championships in Vienna, Austria, informs a U.S. coach named John Ziegler about the benefits of testosterone, U.S. weightlifters begin using testosterone and other steroids.
1960s-70s
Steroid use in sports spreads rapidly.
1960
Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen crashes during the road race at the Rome Olympic Games after taking a stimulant. He dies from a fractured skull.
1967
British cyclist Tom Simpson collapses and dies while ascending Mont Ventoux in the Tour de France. His autopsy showed he had consumed amphetamines, which resulted in heart failure. His death spurs the Tour de France to institute doping controls.
1972
Former British Olympic silver medalist David Jenkins is sentenced to prison for steroid smuggling.
1975
Steroid use is banned by the International Olympic Committee.
1976
The IOC begins testing athletes for anabolic steroids at the Olympic Games in Montreal.
1983
The gene for human erythropoietin (EPO) is cloned.
1985
HGH, a synthetic human growth hormone, is produced.
1988
The sale of anabolic steroids for non-medical purposes is outlawed in the United States. At the Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson is stripped of his gold medal in the 100-meter race after testing positive for the steroid stanozolol.
1990
The National Football League institutes a year-round, random steroid testing program.
1991
A new federal law makes it illegal to sell or possess anabolic steroids in the United States without a doctor's prescription.
1992
NFL defensive end Lyle Alzado dies from cancer at age 43. Although unproven, Alzado said his cancer was caused by taking muscle-enhancing drugs.
1993
The Association of Tennis Professionals, the Women's Tennis Association and the International Tennis Federation create an anti-doping program.
1998
Australian customs agents find 13 vials of HGH carried by a Chinese swimmer as she arrives for the world championships. Vials of EPO are discovered in a French Festina team car at the Tour de France. Several riders and team support crew are charged with doping. They were suspended. Irish swimmer Michelle Smith, who won three gold medals in the 1996 Olympic Games, is banned for four years for manipulating a urine sample. St. Louis Cardinals slugger Mark McGwire admits using androstenedione.
1999
The NBA adds steroids to its list of banned substances.
2000
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) begins operations. China cuts 27 athletes and 13 coaches from its team for the Sydney Olympic Games, saying some athletes had suspicious test results. The IOC implements EPO tests in the Sydney Olympic Games. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) begins operations.
2002
Before 2002, Major League Baseball has no official testing policy for steroids. As part of a collective bargaining agreement, players and owners agree to hold survey testing in 2003. If more than 5% of results from the anonymous tests are positive, formal testing and penalties will be put into place the next year.
2003
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency identifies a new "designer" steroid known as THG. The steroid is traced to the BALCO Laboratories in Burlingame, CA. Later in the year, a grand jury begins hearing testimony by a number of high-profile BALCO clients, including Barry Bonds and sprinter Marion Jones.
2004
In his State of the Union address, President George W. Bush condemns the use of steroids in baseball, football and other sports. Three weeks later, four people associated with BALCO are indicted on charges of distributing illegal drugs to athletes and money laundering. MLB begins mandatory steroid testing for players. A record 24 athletes are ousted for drug-related violations in the Athens Olympic Games. The San Francisco Chronicle reveals BALCO grand jury testimony from New York Yankees slugger Jason Giambi and San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds. In testimony, Giambi stated he knew he was taking performance-enhancing drugs; Bonds stated he did not know.
2005
Baseball agrees to a new policy banning steroids, masking agents and diuretics. There will be one unannounced mandatory test of each player during the season. In addition, there will be testing of randomly-selected players, with no maximum number, and there will be random testing during the offseason. The penalties for a positive result are: first positive, 10 days; second, 30 days; third, 60 days; fourth, one year, and all without pay. Slugger Jose Canseco admits to taking steroids and accuses many MLB stars of using performance-enhancing drugs in his book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits and How Baseball Got Big. Major league baseball players - including Canseco, Rafael Palmeiro, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa - testify before a congressional committee investigating steroid use. Loopholes in the NFL's steroid program are under fire in light of allegations that some Carolina Panthers players received prescriptions for banned substances within two weeks of playing in Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004. Victor Conte pleads guilty to conspiracy to distribute steroids and money laundering. He will serve four months in a minimum-security prison and four months house arrest. The NHL institutes a drug-testing policy for performance-enhancing substances. Players are tested twice a year. The first positive results in a 20-game suspension, the second brings 60 games and the third a permanent ban, though players can apply for reinstatement after two years. Rafael Palmeiro, of the Baltimore Orioles, is given a 10-day suspension for violating MLB's steroid policy. The next day, Seattle Mariners pitcher Ryan Franklin is suspended for the same infraction. MLB approves a new steroid policy. The penalties for a positive result are now 50 games for a first offense and 100 for a second offense. A third positive test would result in a lifetime ban. They will also test for amphetamines. A first positive test would lead to mandatory additional testing, a second offense would draw a 25-game suspension and a third offense would get 80 games.
2006
The ITF becomes the administrator of the men's tennis anti-doping program, which continues to adhere to the penalties of the WADA code and the world-recognized IOC list. An Italian prosecutor tells Austrian TV that Italian police find 30 packs of drugs, equipment for blood transfusions and blood testing and more than 100 syringes in raids on residences of Austrian skiers at the Torino Olympic Winter Games. After winning the Tour de France, U.S. cyclist Floyd Landis tests positive for an illegal testosterone ratio. U.S. sprinter Justin Gatlin accepts a positive drug test and a USADA suspension for up to eight years with an option to challenge the finding in arbitration.
2007
The NFL and its players union announce changes to toughen its steroid policy, including adding EPO to its list of banned substances; making players suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs forfeit a prorated potion of their signing bonus; increasing from seven to 10 the number of players on each team randomly tested each week during the season and subjecting all players to random carbon isotope ratio testing.