Early Life and Education of Elon Musk: A Complete Timeline

How education and upbringing influenced the life of Elon Musk. A timeline of key moments.

Elon Musk is a businessman and entrepreneur who leads Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter, and xAI. As of February 2026, he is the world's wealthiest person, with an estimated net worth of US$852 billion according to Forbes.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

1950: Joshua Haldeman Moves to South Africa

In 1950, Elon Musk's maternal grandfather, Joshua N. Haldeman, moved to South Africa. He was an American-born Canadian chiropractor, aviator, and political activist in the technocracy movement.

June 28, 1971: Elon Musk's Birth

On June 28, 1971, Elon Reeve Musk was born. He is now known as a businessman and entrepreneur, especially for his roles at Tesla, SpaceX, Twitter and xAI.

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1979: Musk's Parents Divorce

In 1979, Elon Musk's parents divorced, and he chose to live with his father.

June 1989: Musk Arrives in Canada

In June 1989, Elon Musk arrived in Canada and worked odd jobs.

1989: Musk Emigrates to Canada

In 1989, Elon Musk emigrated from South Africa to Canada and obtained Canadian citizenship.

1990: Musk Enters Queen's University

In 1990, Elon Musk entered Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.

1995: Musk Studies at University of Pennsylvania

Elon Musk studied at the University of Pennsylvania until 1995.

1995: Musk Accepted to Stanford Graduate Program

In 1995, Elon Musk was accepted to a graduate program in materials science at Stanford University but did not enroll.

1997: Musk Receives Degrees from University of Pennsylvania

In 1997, Elon Musk received bachelor's degrees from the University of Pennsylvania before moving to California.

1997: Musk Awarded Degrees by UPenn

In 1997, the University of Pennsylvania awarded Elon Musk a Bachelor of Arts in physics and a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School.

2000: Musk contracts malaria while on vacation

In 2000, Elon Musk contracted a severe case of malaria while on vacation in South Africa.

2000: Musk marries Justine Wilson

In 2000, Elon Musk married Canadian author Justine Wilson, whom he met at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada.

2002: Musk becomes a U.S. citizen

In 2002, Elon Musk became a U.S. citizen.

2002: Musk's first child dies of SIDS

In 2002, Nevada Musk, Elon Musk and Justine Wilson's first child, died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) at 10 weeks old.

2004: Musk and Wilson have twins

In 2004, Elon Musk and Justine Wilson had twins through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

2006: Musk and Wilson have triplets

In 2006, Elon Musk and Justine Wilson had triplets through in vitro fertilization (IVF).

2008: Musk and Wilson divorce

In 2008, Elon Musk and Justine Wilson divorced and agreed to share custody of their children.

2008: Began dating Talulah Riley

In 2008, Elon Musk started a relationship with English actress Talulah Riley.

2008: Musk Supported Barack Obama

In 2008, Elon Musk supported Barack Obama.

2012: First divorce from Talulah Riley

In 2012, Elon Musk and Talulah Riley divorced. Also, reportedly, he had been "pursuing" Amber Heard since 2012.

2012: Musk Supported Barack Obama Again

In 2012, Elon Musk supported Barack Obama for president.

2014: Briefly filed for divorce from Talulah Riley

In 2014, Elon Musk briefly filed for divorce from Talulah Riley before remarrying.

2015: Honorary doctorate from Yale University

In 2015, Elon Musk received an honorary doctorate in engineering and technology from Yale University.

2015: World Economic Forum hasn't invited Musk

The World Economic Forum stated in 2023 that they had not invited Elon Musk since 2015 to their event.

2016: Finalized second divorce from Talulah Riley

In 2016, Elon Musk finalized his second divorce from Talulah Riley.

2016: Musk Supported Hillary Clinton

In 2016, Elon Musk supported Hillary Clinton for president.

2017: Dated Amber Heard

In 2017, Elon Musk dated American actress Amber Heard for several months.

2018: Confirmed dating Grimes

In 2018, Elon Musk and Canadian musician Grimes confirmed they were dating.

March 2019: Musk releases "RIP Harambe" rap track

In March 2019, Elon Musk released a rap track titled "RIP Harambe" on SoundCloud through his label Emo G Records.

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August 2020: Musk Acquires Second Private Jet

In August 2020, Elon Musk acquired a second private jet owned by Falcon Landing LLC, a SpaceX-linked company.

2020: Birth of first child with Grimes

In 2020, Elon Musk and Grimes had their first child, initially named "X Æ A-12".

2020: Musk Endorsed Andrew Yang's Presidential Candidacy

In 2020, Elon Musk endorsed Andrew Yang's presidential candidacy and supported his proposed universal basic income, and also endorsed Kanye West's 2020 presidential campaign.

2020: Musk relocates to Texas

In 2020, Elon Musk relocated to Cameron County, Texas, citing California's economic complacency.

September 2021: Semi-separated from Grimes

In September 2021, Elon Musk and Grimes were reported to be "semi-separated".

December 2021: Declared single status

In December 2021, Elon Musk stated in an interview with Time that he was single.

2021: Birth of twins with Shivon Zilis

In 2021, Elon Musk had twins born via IVF with Shivon Zilis, director of operations and special projects at Neuralink.

2021: Musk Opposed Build Back Better Act

In 2021, Elon Musk publicly expressed opposition to the Build Back Better Act, a $3.5 trillion legislative package endorsed by Joe Biden.

2021: Musk reveals he has Asperger syndrome on SNL

In 2021, while hosting Saturday Night Live, Elon Musk disclosed that he has Asperger syndrome (an outdated term for autism spectrum disorder).

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2022: Birth of third child with Grimes

In 2022, Elon Musk and Grimes had their third child.

2022: Musk expresses support for Ukraine

In 2022, Elon Musk expressed his support for Ukraine amidst the Russian invasion, and suggested referendums and peace deals on Russia-occupied territories.

2022: Musk Donated to Citizens for Sanity

In 2022, Elon Musk gave over $50 million to Citizens for Sanity, a conservative political action committee.

2022: Musk votes Republican for the first time

In 2022, Elon Musk voted for a Republican candidate for the first time, after previously supporting Democratic candidates. He has expressed support for universal basic income, gun rights, freedom of speech, a tax on carbon emissions, and H-1B visas.

2022: Musk's child changes name and severs ties with him

In 2022, one of Elon Musk and Justine Wilson's twins came out as a trans woman and officially changed her name to Vivian Jenna Wilson, adopting her mother's surname.

June 2023: Musk Hosts DeSantis's Campaign Announcement

In June 2023, Elon Musk supported Republican Ron DeSantis for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, giving $10 million to his campaign, and hosted DeSantis's campaign announcement on a Twitter Spaces event.

October 2023: Grimes sued Musk over parental rights

In October 2023, Grimes sued Elon Musk over parental rights and custody of X Æ A-Xii.

2023: Musk shuns World Economic Forum

In 2023, Elon Musk stated he avoided the World Economic Forum due to it being boring; the organization countered they hadn't invited him since 2015.

2023: Errol Recounts Zambian Emerald Mine Deal

In 2023, Errol Musk recounted that the deal he made regarding a Zambian emerald mine was to receive "a portion of the emeralds produced at three small mines".

January 2024: Musk Hosted Bipartisan X Spaces

From June 2023 to January 2024, Elon Musk hosted a bipartisan set of X Spaces with Republican and Democratic candidates, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Vivek Ramaswamy, and Dean Phillips.

October 2024: Reported Texas Compound Purchase

In October 2024, The New York Times reported that Elon Musk bought a Texas compound for his children and their mothers, which Musk denied.

2024: Child born with Shivon Zilis via surrogacy

In 2024, Elon Musk had a child born via surrogacy with Shivon Zilis.

2024: Musk Supported Donald Trump

In 2024, Elon Musk supported Donald Trump.

2024: Musk Donates to Trump's Election Campaign

In 2024, Elon Musk was the largest donor in the U.S. presidential election, where he supported Donald Trump.

February 14, 2025: St. Clair claims birth of Musk's son

On February 14, 2025, Ashley St. Clair claimed on X to have given birth to Elon Musk's son Romulus five months earlier.

February 22, 2025: St. Clair files for sole custody

On February 22, 2025, Ashley St Clair filed for sole custody of her five-month-old son and for Elon Musk to be recognised as the child's father.

March 31, 2025: Musk comments on St. Clair's child

On March 31, 2025, Elon Musk wrote that he was unsure if he was the father of Ashley St. Clair's child, but had paid her $2.5 million and would continue paying her $500,000 per year.

2025: Child born with Shivon Zilis

In 2025, Elon Musk had a child born with Shivon Zilis.

2025: Report suggests Musk has more children than publicly known

In 2025, The Wall Street Journal reported that sources close to Elon Musk suggested that the "true number of Musk's children is much higher than publicly known".

2025: Musk Serves in Trump Administration

In early 2025, after Donald Trump was inaugurated as president, Elon Musk served as Senior Advisor to the President and as the de facto head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).