Andy Summers (ne Somers) of the Police is born in England.
Sting (born Gordon Sumner) of the Police is born in England.
Stewart Copeland of the Police is born in Alexandria, Virginia.
The Police’s first single - “Fall Out”/”Nothing Achieving,” featuring short-lived guitarist Henri Padovani - is released on Illegal Records.
Guitarist Andy Summer joins the Police, who are soon winnowed down to a trio with the exodus of Henri Padovani.
The Police make their U.S. debut with a gig at New York’s CBGB’s.
Outlandos D’Amour, the Police’s first album, is released. It contains the hits “Roxanne” (#12 U.K., #32 U.S.), “Can’t Stand Losing You” (#2 U.K.) and “So Lonely” (#6 U.K.)
Reggata De Blanc, the Police’s second album, is released, launching the #1 U.K. hits “Message in a Bottle” and “Walking on the Moon.”
The third Police album, Zenyatta Mondatta, appears. It yields two hits
The Police’s “Regatta De Blanc” wins a Grammy for Best Instrumental Rock Performance.
The Police release their fourth album, Ghost in the Machine.
Ghost in the Machine, by the Police, peaks at #2 in the U.S.
The Police win their second Grammy for Best Instrumental Rock Performance (“Behind My Camel”) and first for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group (“Don’t Stand So Close to Me”).
The Police top the British and American charts with “Every Breath You Take.”
Synchronicity, the Police’s fifth and biggest album, is released.
The Police perform to an audience of 70,000 at Shea Stadium in New York.
The Police win multiple Grammies
The Police perform their last concert, a five-song set at an Amnesty International benefit in Atlanta.
“Don’t Stand So Close to Me ‘86” (U.K. #24, U.S. #46), a remake of an earlier hit, becomes the Police’s final single.
Six years after the Police’s breakup, A&M Records releases the box set Message in a Box
The Police Live!, a live double-disc set, is released.
The Very Best of Sting and the Police is issued on the 20th anniversary of the Police’s formation. The collection mixes tracks by the Police and Sting.
The Police are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the eighteenth annual induction dinner. Gwen Stefani of No Doubt is their presenter.
