Important dates in the development of the English language. By FAOGUABC 1476 William Caxton establishes the first English printing press 1500 Start of English Renaissance 1526 William Tyndale prints his English translation of the New Testament of “The Bible” 1539 “The Great Bible” published 1549 First version of “The Book of Common Prayer” published 1622 Publication of the first English-language newspaper, the “Courante” or “Weekly News” 1755 Samuel Johnson publishes his “Dictionary of the English Language” 1795 First English settlement at the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa 1834 Abolition of slavery in the British Empire 1865 United States ends slavery after Civil War 1922 British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) founded 1928 First edition of the “Oxford English Dictionary” is published 1947 India and Pakistan gain independence from Britain 1954 Sir Ernest Gowers’ “The Complete Plain Words” published 1989 Second edition of the “Oxford English Dictionary” is published
