The document summarizes key events in Chairman Mao Zedong's life and political career: 1) In October 1949, Mao overthrew the Nationalist government and became the chairman of the People's Republic of China. 2) In the 1960s, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward economic plan. 3) Mao met with US President Richard Nixon in 1972, with the meeting going relatively well.