Cleveland: Donald Trump has officially accepted the Republican Party's nomination as candidate for the White House.
Here's a look at 10 key dates in the life of the real estate magnate:
June 14, 1946: Donald Trump is born in Queens, New York, the fourth of five children. His father Fred is a wealthy real estate developer and son of German immigrants. His mother Mary comes from Scotland.
Boisterous and unruly, young Donald is packed off to a military boarding school and graduates from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business in 1968. He then joins his father's business.
1978: Spurning New York's outer boroughs where his father made his fortune, Trump targets big-league Manhattan. His first major deal on the island comes to fruition thanks to his father's political connections and a nearly $1 million loan from Fred Trump's company.
Trump purchases the derelict Commodore Hotel near Grand Central station and redevelops it as the Grand Hyatt.
The landmark Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan is complete five years later, a symbol of the swanky extravagance of the 1980s.
Trump is snapping up some of the country's flashiest real estate, riding the wave of "Reaganomics" in the United States.
October 22, 1987: Trump gives a speech to the Rotary Club in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and questions why the United States is providing military protection to wealthy allies such as Japan and Saudi Arabia.
It is the beginning of a decades-long flirtation with politics.
November 1987: Trump's memoir, The Art of the Deal, is published and cements his reputation as a shrewd and savvy businessman.
Penned by ghostwriter Tony Schwartz, the book is a hit, spending 48 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. More than a million copies are sold.
1991: Trump files for bankruptcy in connection with the $1 billion Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, a year after it opened. Trump gives up half his stake in the venture and sold his yacht and airline to come up with the funds needed to restructure its debt.
The New York billionaire declares bankruptcy a further three times in connection with Atlantic City properties before finally pulling out of the city in 2009.
January 8, 2004: Trump debuts as the star of new reality TV show The Apprentice.
Highlighting his business acumen as well as his natural showmanship, the hit show reinvigorates Trump's celebrity status and introduces him to a new generation of Americans too young to remember his 1980s business successes.
His trademark line -- "You're fired" -- becomes a well-known catchphrase.
June 16,2015: Trump announces he is running for president of the United States.
His bid immediately stirs controversy when he vows during the speech at Trump Tower to build a wall on the US-Mexico border to keep out illegal immigrants.
He says Mexicans coming to the United States are "bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
March 1, 2016: Trump storms through primary season, cutting down rivals in a crowded Republican field and appealing to frustrated white working and middle classes with his unapologetic, anti-establishment tough talk.
On Super Tuesday, he scores wins in seven states, as far apart and disparate as Alabama and Vermont. His performance sends rivals such as Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio crashing out of the race.
May 3, 2016: Trump becomes the presumptive Republican standard-bearer after Ted Cruz, his sole remaining serious challenger, suspends his campaign after losing the Indiana primary.
"We're going to win in November, and we're going to win big," Trump tells jubilant supporters at Trump Tower in New York.
July 21, 2016: Trump officially accepts the Republican nomination for the White House.
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