The History of the English Language By jwool Period: 400 to 1150 Old English 750 Beowulf's Writing 787 Viking invasions 957 England united under King Edgar 1016 Cnut becomes king of England 1066 The Norman Invasion Period: 1150 to 1500 Middle English 1337 Hundred Years' War 1346 The Black Plague 1387 Chaucer's Canterbury Tales 1399 Reign of Henry IV 1440 The invention of the printing press 1492 The discovery of the Americas Period: 1500 to 2000 Modern English 1604 King James Bible 1623 Publication of Shakespeare's First Folio 1702 Publication of the First Daily English-language Newspaper "The Daily Courant" 1765 The American Revolution 1785 First Publication of The Times in London 1939 World War II
