1564: William Shakespeare born in Stratford-upon-Avon
1582: Shakespeare marries Anne Hathaway
1583: Shakespeare’s first child, Susanna, is born
1585: Shakespeare’s twins, Judith and Hamnet, are born
1592: Shakespeare is first alluded to as a playwright, in Greene’s Groates-worth of Wit
1593: Shakespeare’s first printed poem, Venus and Adonis, appears
1594: Shakespeare’s first printed play, Titus Andronicus, appears
1596: Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, is granted a coat of arms; Shakespeare’s son, Hamnet, dies
1597: Shakespeare purchases New Place in Stratford-upon-Avon
1598: Shakespeare is first mentioned as a sonneteer and author of 12 plays in Palladis Tamia
1599: Shakespeare’s father is granted a confirmation of arms; Shakespeare’s acting company takes down its old theater and uses the timber to build the Globe
1601: Shakespeare’s father, John Shakespeare, dies
1602: The heralds dispute the legitimacy of a group of coat of arms, including Shakespeare’s; Shakespeare ratifies his purchase of New Place
1603: Shakespeare’s acting company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, becomes the King’s Men at the accession of James I; Hamlet appears in print
1607: Shakespeare’s daughter Susanna marries John Hall
1608: Shakespeare’s mother, Mary (Arden) Shakespeare, dies; his granddaughter Elizabeth is born
1609: Shakespeare’s Sonnets appears in print
1613: Shakespeare purchases the Blackfriars gatehouse in London; the Globe burns down during a performance of Henry VIII and is rebuilt within a year
1616: Shakespeare writes his will; his daughter Judith marries Thomas Quiney; Shakespeare dies
1623: The First Folio is published; Shakespeare’s widow Anne dies
