1823 – 1840

1823	Born in Dublin (exact year of birth uncertain), second son of Dr. Simon McCoy, physician and professor of materia medica, Queen’s College, Galway.
1838	First paper published in Magazine of Natural History: ‘Remarks on Mr Eyton’s arrangement of the Gulls.’
1839	Arranged collections of the Museum of the Geological Society of Dublin and became a member of that Society.
1840	Engaged by Sir Richard Griffith to determine fossils collected by Griffith and the staff of the Boundary Survey for a Geological Map of Ireland.

1841 – 1845

1841	Named and catalogued for sale shells and fossils of the Henry Sir Collection. Curated collections of the Royal Dublin Society and the Geological Society of Dublin. Catalogue of the Museum of the Geological Society of Dublin published – his first publication on fossils. First met Adam Sedgwick.
1843	Married Anna Marie Harrison in Dublin.
1844	Publication of Synopsis of the Carboniferous Limestone Fossils of Ireland (based on his work for Sir Richard Griffith).
1845	Geological Survey of Ireland established. Hired as first field staff member. Surveyed and completed maps. (Resigned September 1846.)

1846 – 1852

1846	Publication of Synopsis of the Silurian Fossils of Ireland (based on his work for Sir Richard Griffith). In November invited by Adam Sedgwick to arrange the fossil collection of the Woodwardian Museum at Cambridge (worked 1846-1854).
1847	Publication of ‘On the fossil botany and zoology of the rocks associated with the coal of Australia’ in Annals and Magazine of Natural History (based on examination of fossils collected by Rev. W.B. Clark and sent to Sedgwick)
1849	Appointed Professor of Mineralogy and Geology at Queen’s College, Belfast. Continued work with Sedgwick during vacations.
1852	Elected Fellow of the Geological Society of London.

1854 – 1858

1854	Appointed Professor of Natural Science at the University of Melbourne (lifelong tenure). Publication of ‘Contributions to British Palaeontology’ (reprint of 28 papers from Annals and Magazine of Natural History). Arrived in Victoria December 1854.
1855	Publication of Synopsis of the British Palaeozoic Rocks and Fossils (his major work). University of Melbourne officially opened. Lectured in a wide range of subjects including chemistry, botany, mineralogy, comparative anatomy, systematic zoology, geology and palaeontology.
1856	Appointed Palaeontologist to the Geological Survey of Victoria. Moved National Museum of Victoria collection to University of Melbourne. 'System Garden' laid out in north-west corner of university grounds. Chairman of Royal Commission on the Victorian Goldfields. Started work on Prodromus of the Palaeontology of Victoria.
1858	Formally appointed Director of the National Museum. Appointed to Victorian Board of Science.

1861 – 1869

1861	Vice-President of the Royal Society of Victoria. Acclimatisation Society established with McCoy and Frederick von Mueller Vice-Presidents. Publication of ‘Note on the ancient and recent natural history of Victoria’ in Catalogue of the Victorian Exhibition – the first general account of palaeontology and zoology in Victoria.
1864	President of the Royal Society of Victoria.
1867	Publication of ‘On the recent zoology and palaeontology of Victoria’ in Annals and Magazine of Natural History (included the first detailed list of Victorian birds).
1869	Public lecture: ‘ The order of creation’. Began publication of a series of popular articles on Victorian and Australian natural history in the Australasian under the pseudonym ‘Microzoon’ (1869-1871).

1870 – 1879

1870	Public lecture: ‘ The plan of creation’. Vice-President of the Royal Society of Victoria.
1874	First part of Prodromus of the Palaeontology of Victoria published.
1878	Publication of Prodromus of the Zoology of Victoria (in twenty parts with 200 coloured plates; published serially 1878-1890).
1879	Awarded Murchison Medal from Geological Society of London.

1880 – 1889

1880	Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of London. Invited to be first President of the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria (President 1880-1883).
1880s & 1890s	Honorary member of many British and foreign learned societies. Received honours from Italy and Austria.
1882	Publication of Prodromus of the Palaeontology of Victoria ceased with seventh Decade.
1886	Received D.Sc. from Cambridge (one of the first granted). Wife (Anna Marie Harrison, born c. 1819) died.
1887	Son (Frederick Henry, born 1843) died.
1891	Knighthood (KCMG) awarded. Daughter (Emily Mary, born 1842) died.
1899	Died 13 May. Buried in the Brighton Cemetery, Melbourne.

References

Reproduced from The Victorian Naturalist, Volume 118 (5), 2001, McCoy Special Issue Part One.