1980
- MOS completes development of the 6510 Central Processor and chip set
1981 January
- MOS Engineer Albert Charpentier looks for new chip project and starts work on state-of-the-art video and sound chips for the worlds "next great video game"
1981 Spring
- Charpentier recruited another MOS Engineer, Robert Yannes to assist him in figuring out how far other companies push their current technology
1981 November
- First Silicon is complete
- Jack Tramiel kills the "next great video game" concept and tells the engineers to make a home computer to show at CES in 6 weeks
- Two days later the basic engineering layout for the 64 is complete
1981 December
- 5 Prototypes are assembled
1982 January
- Operating System software from the VIC-20 is ported to the much more powerful C64 hardware
- Commodore announces the Commodore 64 microcomputer at the Winter CES. It features a 6510 processor, 64 KB RAM, 20 KB ROM with Microsoft BASIC, custom SID sound chip, 8 sprites, 16-color graphics, 40-column screen, for US$595. It is the first personal computer with an integrated sound synthesizer chip.
- Production is approved immediately after the show
1982 Spring
- Minor engineering changes occur which will later cause as many problems as they resolve
- Production problems, like sourcing odd parts and figuring out how to use metric screws with 'English' nuts are worked out between several worldwide plants
1982 June
- Summer CES Commodore shows the 64 again but this time production is well underway
1982 August
- Production is stable enough and large enough to start shipping the 64 to retailers
1983 January
- Commodore shows off the 23 pound "portable" $995 SX-100 with integrates black and white 5" screen. A colour 5" screen version with two 5.25" 1541 type drives lists for $1295.
- The price drops $100 as Commodore starts distributing the machines through mass marketers like Sears
1983 Spring
- Nearly the whole C64 team, Al Charpentier, Robert Yannes, Charles Winterable, David Ziembeicki and Bruce Crockette, left Commodore early in 1983 and started Peripheral Visions which was quickly renamed Ensoniq (which becomes part of Creative Labs in the late 1990's).
1983 April
- Commodore offers $100 rebate on 64's
1983 May
- After many false starts and name changes, Commodore Business Machines ships the Executive 64 with one 1541 type 170 KB floppy and 5" colour screen for $995.
- This is the worlds first portable colour computer.
1983 June
- Commodore drops the dealer price of the 64 all the way down to $200
1984 January
- January 13th - Commodore shows off prototype 264 and 364 at CES and indicates they should be in production by June
- January 15th - Commodores founder, visionary and CEO, Jack Tramiel quits Commodore with secret plans to buy the near bankrupt Atari
- Commodore shows a Golden Jubilee version of the 64 to commemorate the 1,000,000 C64 to be produced in the US
- Commodore introduces the SX-64, the worlds first portable colour computer. It comes is a heafty 10.5 kg and incorporates a 5-inch color monitor and one or two 5.25 inch floppy drive all for $1600.
1984
- Commodore introduces the Educator 64. A 64 in a Commodore PET 8032 style case.
1985 January
- The last Commodore VIC-20 rolls off the line
- Commodore shows off the C128 Personal Computer at CES. This new machine has three modes: 64, CP/M and the new 128KB mode.
1985
- Commodore stops production of the 64 several times (presumably in favour of the much more powerful Commodore 128) but restarts the C64 line because of consumer demand.
1986 January
- Germany celebrates its 1,000,000 C64 with a Golden Jubilee version
- Berkley Software demonstrates GEOS for the Commodore 64 at Winter CES.
- Commodore 128D's hit retail stores in Europe and North America for about $500
- September - Plus/4 was in full liquidation were selling for a mere $79
1986 June
- In an effort to revitalize sales, Commodore releases a sleek new 128 like case, changes the name to 64C, and bundles it with GEOS.
- The Commodore 1541C is displayed at Summer CES
1987 January
- Berkley Software shows off a host of applications for GEOS, including geoCalc, geoFile, and geoDex and sets them to retail at about $50 each
1987 December
- Sales of the 'new' 64C 270,000 units.
1988 June
- GEOS 2 for the Commodore 64 is shown at Summer CES
1990
- CMD Creative Micro Designs releases 3 hard drives for the Commodore 64: 20 MB for $600, 40 MB for $800, and a whooping 100 MB for US$1300
- Commodore 64 Games System is released in Europe
1992
- Last Commodore 64 is pushed off the assembly line
1994
- Commodore goes bankrupt and the Commodore 65 prototypes and documentation are auctioned off as part of the liquidation
2003 May 15
- Jeri Ellsworth has her 3 year project to develop a 100% C64 compatible machine using modern hardware is released. This project is not sanctioned by the current owners of the Commodore trademark so the machine is called the C-One.
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