English Language Timeline

  • 8 BCE

    Suspected Date of Beowulf's

    Suspected Date of Beowulf's
    There is only one manuscript left, but it was written after the Viking's raid to praise the Danes.
  • 5 BCE

    Arrival of Three Germanic Tribes

    The three Germanic Tribes were the Saxons, Angels and Jutes. The language they spoke was similar to ours and was called Celtic.
  • 4 BCE

    The Art of Rhetorique

    This was one of the first pieces that used logic and theoretic English written by Thomas Wilson and published by him as well.
  • 700

    Manuscript Records

    The first manuscript records came from the year 700 and anything before that was deemed imaginary because there was no recollection of it.
  • 793

    Angelo-Saxon vs. Vikings

    Angelo-Saxon vs. Vikings
    After King Alfred of Wessex led his army to victory and established his national identity, he divided England into a kingdom.
  • 1150

    Texts that Survived

    In 1150 there were many records of old texts that were found and researched further.
  • 1209

    The University of Cambridge

    The University of Cambridge
    This is the world's third oldest surviving university. It was created by a scholar of Oxford in 1209
  • 1387

    Chaucer's Canterbury Tales

    Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
    A story written by Geoffrey Chaucer around 1387 spoke about other people telling their stories about being on the Canterbury Trail.
  • 1399

    The First English Speech

    The first English speech was done by King Henry IV in 1399 at his coronation.
  • 1436

    The Invention of the Printing Press

    The Invention of the Printing Press
    In 1436 Johannes Gutenberg created the printing press. It was the first of its kind to be able to automatically print writing.
  • 1492

    The Discovery of North America

    The Discovery of North America
    North America was discovered by Christopher Colombus in 1492.
  • The Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio

    Shakespeare's first Folio was written and printed in 1623, it was ordered to be the first play in Shakespeare's collection.
  • The American Revolution

    The American Revolution began in 1775 with the battles of Lexington and Concord. It only escalated from there till the final battle of Yorktown was fought where the peace treaty was finally signed.
  • Weekly News

    Weekly News
    Weekly news is something we still watch and read today. It was the first English newspaper but was published originally in London beginning in 1855.
  • Civil War

    Civil War
    The Civil War began in 1861 and lasted till 1865. It was a fight between the Union and the Confederacy. It is known as one of the most deadliest battles fought on American soil.
  • The Norway Invasion

    The Norway Invasion
    This invasion was created to battle over who should be king. The most successful person through this invasion was William the Duke of Normandy. King Harold as well as few others were killed in this invasion.