John was born in Derry in 1937. He received the Nobel Prize in 1998 following his work throughout the Northern Ireland peace process.
1937 - Born
1969 - Becomes Nationalist member of Northern Ireland Parliament
1973 - Elected member of Northern Ireland Assembly
1979 - Elected leader of the SDLP
1983 - Elected to Westminster
1985 - Involved in secret talks leading up to the Anglo-Irish Agreement
1998 - Awarded Nobel Prize
2004 - Retires from politics