Middlesex - Timeline by Jeffrey Eugenides Lyrics
Book 1: Introduction + Immigration1922summer - Desdemona and Lefty fall in love and confess in Bithynios
August 31 - Desdemona and Lefty leave Bithynios because of the Turks' victory
September 6-8 - Greek troops stop guarding Smyra
September 13 - Fires start in Smyra; Desdemona and Lefty escape by pretending to be French and go on a boat with Dr. Philobosian to Athens, then the United StatesBook 2: Birth of his parents + marriage1923March 24 - Lefty takes Desdemona, Jimmy, and Lina to a musical called The Minotaur, driving both couples horny; sex ensues
late spring - Lefty graduates English school; Desdemona and Lina learn of their pregnancy
late autumn - "Minotaurs" haunt the two families
December 17 - Theodora (Tessie) is born; at night, Jimmy dies from drowning in a car from crashing into an icy lake while Milton is born1924February - The Zebra Room opens1927July - After years of deprivation, Desdemona and Lefty have sex while intoxicated1928April 27 - Zoë (Zo) is born1929October 24 - The Great Depression begins1932Desdemona finds a job of silk-weaving and harvesting in the ghetto
summer - Lefty acquires a second job of model-seeking
November 24 - W.D. Fard is arrested and confesses for being a fraud1933May - Desdemona leaves her job as she is no longer needed; Fard leaves and reveals himself as Jimmy to Desdemona
December - 21st amendment is enacted, meaning USA can now drink legally; as a result, The Zebra Room becomes an above-ground bar and grill1943Because of race riots, the Zebra Room turns ugly
summer - Milton plays clarinet for Tessie through his room, which Desdemona disapproves of1944July - Michael Antoniou also starts to get closer to Tessie; bitterly, Milton registers for the Navy
Fall - Milton starts Navy training1945March - Desdemona prays for Milton’s safety; in return for his safety, she vows that he’ll rebuild Bithynios’s church1946June - Milton and Tessie get married1949Zo marries Mike1954March 20 - Chapter Eleven is born1956February - The Zebra Room is converted to a diner; Lefty starts to feel useless1958October - Desdemona and Lefty move in with Milton and Tessie because of the financial trouble Lefty got in from excessive gambling1959Greek Easter - Tessie’s temperature raises 6/10ths of a degree, meaning that she is ovulating; she and Milton believe that having sex then means that she’ll birth a girl
October - Desdemona’s silver spoon predicts that Cal would be born a boyBook 3: His birth as a female1960January 8 - Calliope Helen Stephanides is born; Lefty gets a seizure and can no longer speak1967July 23-27 - Detroit Riot of 1967; The Zebra Room is destroyed by a fire, but the multiple insurances the family had on it gave them enough money to get a new Cadillac and move to Middlesex Boulevard, away from the city1970winter - Lefty dies after months of regression; Desdemona retreats to bed till death1971spring - Milton starts Hercules Hotdogs with its first stand, which expands from there1972February - Lina moves back with the Stephanides’ because Mrs. Watson died
summer - Chapter Eleven evades the war; meanwhile, Calliope starts to change physically and falls for the Obscure Object1974July 21 - Calliope gets raped by Jerome
July 22 - Calliope starts sexually approaching the Obscure Object
August - Calliope is hit by a tractor from being chased by Jerome and the emergency room doctor discovers her conditionBook 4: His self-discovery as a male-> 1 week after - Calliope and her parents have appointments with Dr. Luce in New York as research subjects and to discuss solutions to her hermaphroditism
-> 2 weeks after - Cal discovers that he’s male and runs away; feeling deceived
late September - Tessie and Milton return to Middlesex; Cal is still missing and has joined Octopussy’s Garden in San Francisco
December - Tessie no longer feels Cal in “her umbilical cord”1975January 8 - Cal’s 15th birthday passes and is still missing
January 12 - a mysterious voice calls Milton
-> 1 week later - the voice calls again
-> 1 week later - the voice calls again and claims to have Cal, demanding ransom
-> next night - the false kidnapper turns out to be Mike, Milton chases him in a car and dies on the Ambassador Bridge from collision; Cal returns for his funeral
August 31 - Desdemona and Lefty leave Bithynios because of the Turks' victory
September 6-8 - Greek troops stop guarding Smyra
September 13 - Fires start in Smyra; Desdemona and Lefty escape by pretending to be French and go on a boat with Dr. Philobosian to Athens, then the United StatesBook 2: Birth of his parents + marriage1923March 24 - Lefty takes Desdemona, Jimmy, and Lina to a musical called The Minotaur, driving both couples horny; sex ensues
late spring - Lefty graduates English school; Desdemona and Lina learn of their pregnancy
late autumn - "Minotaurs" haunt the two families
December 17 - Theodora (Tessie) is born; at night, Jimmy dies from drowning in a car from crashing into an icy lake while Milton is born1924February - The Zebra Room opens1927July - After years of deprivation, Desdemona and Lefty have sex while intoxicated1928April 27 - Zoë (Zo) is born1929October 24 - The Great Depression begins1932Desdemona finds a job of silk-weaving and harvesting in the ghetto
summer - Lefty acquires a second job of model-seeking
November 24 - W.D. Fard is arrested and confesses for being a fraud1933May - Desdemona leaves her job as she is no longer needed; Fard leaves and reveals himself as Jimmy to Desdemona
December - 21st amendment is enacted, meaning USA can now drink legally; as a result, The Zebra Room becomes an above-ground bar and grill1943Because of race riots, the Zebra Room turns ugly
summer - Milton plays clarinet for Tessie through his room, which Desdemona disapproves of1944July - Michael Antoniou also starts to get closer to Tessie; bitterly, Milton registers for the Navy
Fall - Milton starts Navy training1945March - Desdemona prays for Milton’s safety; in return for his safety, she vows that he’ll rebuild Bithynios’s church1946June - Milton and Tessie get married1949Zo marries Mike1954March 20 - Chapter Eleven is born1956February - The Zebra Room is converted to a diner; Lefty starts to feel useless1958October - Desdemona and Lefty move in with Milton and Tessie because of the financial trouble Lefty got in from excessive gambling1959Greek Easter - Tessie’s temperature raises 6/10ths of a degree, meaning that she is ovulating; she and Milton believe that having sex then means that she’ll birth a girl
October - Desdemona’s silver spoon predicts that Cal would be born a boyBook 3: His birth as a female1960January 8 - Calliope Helen Stephanides is born; Lefty gets a seizure and can no longer speak1967July 23-27 - Detroit Riot of 1967; The Zebra Room is destroyed by a fire, but the multiple insurances the family had on it gave them enough money to get a new Cadillac and move to Middlesex Boulevard, away from the city1970winter - Lefty dies after months of regression; Desdemona retreats to bed till death1971spring - Milton starts Hercules Hotdogs with its first stand, which expands from there1972February - Lina moves back with the Stephanides’ because Mrs. Watson died
summer - Chapter Eleven evades the war; meanwhile, Calliope starts to change physically and falls for the Obscure Object1974July 21 - Calliope gets raped by Jerome
July 22 - Calliope starts sexually approaching the Obscure Object
August - Calliope is hit by a tractor from being chased by Jerome and the emergency room doctor discovers her conditionBook 4: His self-discovery as a male-> 1 week after - Calliope and her parents have appointments with Dr. Luce in New York as research subjects and to discuss solutions to her hermaphroditism
-> 2 weeks after - Cal discovers that he’s male and runs away; feeling deceived
late September - Tessie and Milton return to Middlesex; Cal is still missing and has joined Octopussy’s Garden in San Francisco
December - Tessie no longer feels Cal in “her umbilical cord”1975January 8 - Cal’s 15th birthday passes and is still missing
January 12 - a mysterious voice calls Milton
-> 1 week later - the voice calls again
-> 1 week later - the voice calls again and claims to have Cal, demanding ransom
-> next night - the false kidnapper turns out to be Mike, Milton chases him in a car and dies on the Ambassador Bridge from collision; Cal returns for his funeral