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Apr 23, 1564
Birth
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-on-Avon on April 23, 1564. It is not certain the exact day on which he was born but church records show that he was baptized on April 26. Usually three days was the amount of time to wait before baptizing a newborn baby. -
Period: Apr 23, 1564 to
Birth to Death
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Jan 1, 1568
80 Years War Begins
Prince WIlliam of Orange revolts against rule of Philip II which sparked the beginning of the 80 years war. The Eighty Years' War or Dutch War of Independence was a revolt of the Seventeen Provinces against Philip II of Spain, the sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands. -
Jan 1, 1568
Akbar Expands His Empire
Born on October 15, 1542 in Umarkot, India, and enthroned at age 14, Akbar the Great began his military conquests to claiming imperial power and expanding the Mughal Empire. He was known for his inclusive leadership style as for his war mongering, Akbar ushered in an era of religious tolerance and killed over 30,000 Hindu peasants. Akbar the Great died in 1605. -
Jan 1, 1570
Tidal Wave Disaster
1000 people were killed in 1570 when a giant tidal wave in the North Sea devastated the coast from Holland to Jutland. -
Marriage
At age 18, William marries Anne Hathaway who was 26 years old on November the 27th at Temple Grafton, a village just five miles from Stratford. -
First Child
Susanna, the first child, is born just five months after Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway’s wedding. She married John Hall in 1607. They had one daughter, named as Elizabeth, in 1608. -
Beginning of Career
Shakespeare left his family in Stratford to join a company of actors as a playwrighter and performer. This was the start of his career in theater. -
First Play
Shakespeare is believed to have written his very first play, Henry VI, Part One. In 1590, Shakespeare is again believed to have written Henry VI, Part Two and Henry VI, Part III. -
First Thermometer Developed
Galileo developes the first thermometer in Italy. Galileo Galilei is often claimed to be the inventor of the thermometer. However the instrument he invented could not strictly be called a thermometer. To be a thermometer an instrument must measure temperature differences. Galileo's instrument did not do this, but indicated temperature differences. His instrument should be called a thermoscope. -
Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare composed the greatest love story of all time, Romeo and Juliet. The play Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy in Shakespeare's early career about two young lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. -
Hamlet
Shakespeare is thought to have composed arguably his greatest play, Hamlet. Prince Hamlet is depressed. He came home to Denmark from school in Germany to attend his father's funeral, he is shocked to find his mother Gertrude already remarried. The Queen has married Hamlet's Uncle Claudius, the dead king's brother. Hamlet is vowed to get revenge on his uncle for killing his father. -
Queen Elizabeth I Death
Elizabeth I was Queen of England and Ireland from November 17, 1558 until her death. She was called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess. Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty. -
Dutch East India Company Makes Gunpowder Factory
In 1611, the Dutch East India Company established a gunpowder factory in Pulicat. Its output was so substantial that for several decades it was able to keep many of the major Dutch trading centers in the East Indies and homeward-bound fleets well supplied. -
Globe Theatre Burns Down
On June 29, 1613, a staged cannon fire during a performance of “Henry VIII” ignited a fire that burned the Globe Theatre to the ground. In 1614, The Globe Theatre reopens. -
Death
William dies on April 23rd, his burial being recorded in the Stratford Holy Church Register two days later. -
Ann Hathaway's Death
Shakespeare’s wife, Anne Hathaway dies. Fellow actors John Hemminges and Henry Condell gather together and publish for the first time, 36 of Shakespeare’s 37 plays in a collection known as The First Folio.
