Petraeus is sworn in as new director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Broadwell keeps in contact with Petraeus and is later invited to his office for events.

October/November 2011

Petraeus and Broadwell begin their affair about two months after he takes over at the CIA, according to a friend.

January 24, 2012

Broadwell's biography, "All In: The Education of General David Petraeus," is published.

January 30

In an interview with her hometown newspaper, the Bismarck Tribune, Broadwell describes Petraeus as an inspirational figure who always takes care of his subordinates.

May

An American official and a source close to Jill Kelley say Gen. John Allen and other officers begin receiving anonymous e-mails. The e-mails bear the handle "kelleypatrol -- or something similar," an official said, describing the missives as "a warning that Kelley was a seductress or something along those lines." That official called the e-mails "vaguely threatening, but above all weird." The source close to Kelley said Allen forwarded at least one of those e-mails to Kelley, thinking it's a joke. It mentions the upcoming meeting Kelley and Allen are due to have.

Kelley, 37, is an unpaid volunteer social liaison to Joint Special Operations Command, based in Tampa. Kelley and her husband have said they have been friends with the Petraeus family for more than five years.

June

Kelley and her husband begin to get e-mails from an unknown source, with four different e-mail addresses used, according to sources close to Kelley. Some are directed at her husband.

Kelley complains to an agent she knows in the FBI's Tampa office about threatening e-mails from an unidentified source. Tampa Division Cybersquad begins an investigation. The e-mails do not mention Petraeus, but a U.S. official tells CNN the nature of the messages was along the lines of "stay away from my guy." Another source says they referenced "the comings and goings of the generals and Ms. Kelley."

The identity of that FBI agent was a mystery for days after the scandal broke. He was identified November 14 by the general counsel for the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association as Frederick Humphries.

July

Investigators and prosecutors determine they should investigate the case. An FBI agent asks Kelley for copies of the e-mails. A source close to Kelley says the e-mails being sent to her stop in mid-July.

Petraeus' relationship with Broadwell ends, according to friends close to Petraeus. The end of the affair was a mutual decision, says a friend.

Records of IP addresses are obtained, and Kelley is told that Broadwell (whom she does not know) is the sender of the anonymous e-mails. A U.S. official tells CNN that investigators "gained access" to Broadwell's computer. As part of the FBI's investigation, agents discover e-mails between Petraeus and Broadwell using Gmail accounts.

Petraeus tells Broadwell to stop sending harassing emails to Kelley, a U.S. official says. There is disagreement between sources exactly when this took place.

July 28

Broadwell -- by now a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve -- appears on a panel at the Aspen Institute.

"I was embedded with Gen. Petraeus in Afghanistan, and it was a little confusing to some of the folks there because I am also a military reservist with a top-secret FBI clearance and then some," Broadwell told the audience.

Late summer

The FBI informs the Justice Department about the investigation. By this time, the FBI has long concluded there was no national security breach, but continues investigating whether Petraeus had any role in the harassing e-mails sent to Kelley. It is not clear when FBI Director Robert Mueller and Attorney General Eric Holder are informed.

September