History of English By Adrianxalvarez Period: 400 to 2000 Old, Middle, Modern English Eras 700 Suspected date of Beowulf's writing (Old English Era) 793 Viking Raid on Lindisfarne 871 Reign of Alfred the Great 1066 The Norman Invasion (Middle English Era) 1215 Signing of Magna Carta 1347 Black Death begins in Europe 1387 Chaucer's Canterbury Tales 1440 Invention of the Printing press 1492 Discovery of the Americas 1623 Publication off Shakespeare's First Folio 1776 The American Revolution 1804 Napoleon crowns himself Emperor (Modern English Era) 1945 End of World War II 1969 Moon Landing