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410
Germanic Tribes
First Germanic tribes arrive in England from the lowlands on the other side of the North Sea. -
600
Great Kingdoms
Rise of three great kingdoms politically unifying large areas: Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex. Supremacy passes from one kingdom to another in that order. -
700
English Texts
Texts in English emerge and become numerous. Many are religious texts but there is also one great work of literature that was written down in this period: -
950
English Borrows Pronouns
Danes and English continue to mix peacefully, and ultimately become indistinguishable. Many Scandinavian loanwords enter the language; English even borrows pronouns like they, them, their. -
975
Beowulf's writing
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1041
The invention of the Printing Press
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1107
The Norman Invasion
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1204
English Loses Duchy
The English kings lose the duchy of Normandy to French kings. England is now the only home of the Norman English. -
1387
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
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1474
Printing Press to England
William Caxton brings a printing press to England from Germany. Publishes the first printed book in England. Beginning of the long process of standardization of spelling. -
Bible Published
King James Bible published, which has influenced English speech and writing down to the present day. -
Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio
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The American Revolution.
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English Impact
American political, economic, military supremacy. Borrowing patterns continue. English has greater impact than ever on other languages, even those with more native speakers. -
Invasion of Cambodia
Nixon orders a secret invasion of Cambodia by US and South Vietnamese troops. -
Internet
Internet begins to change the way people communicate and find out information. Portable phones. Texting. -
Death of Osama bin Laden