William Shakespeare By Tony An 1559 The coronation of Queen Elizabeth I 1576 The first public playhouse (“The Theatre”) is built in London 1577 Sir Francis Drake’s circumnavigation of the world 1584 Sir Walter Raleigh’s first expedition to Roanoke 1588 The defeat of the Spanish Armada 1590 The North Berwick Witch Hunt 1594 Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus premieres 1601 The Earl of Essex’s attempted rebellion 1603 King James I succeeds Queen Elizabeth I 1605 The Gunpowder Plot 1607 The founding of Jamestown, Virginia 1608 The plague hits London, closing the theaters 1611 The King James Bible is published 1613 The Globe is destroyed by a fire 1623 Shakespeare’s Macbeth premieres 1642 Theaters are shut down by the Puritans and acting is banned