William Shakespeare

44 BC   (the ''Ides of March'') - Julius Caesar, dictator of Rome, is assassinated by a group of Roman senators, amongst them Gaius Cassius Longinus, Marcus Junius Brutus, and Caesar's Massilian naval commander, Decimus Brutus. Caesar's famous last quote - coined by William Shakespeare in his play ''Julius Caesar'' - was most likely ''not'' spoken (see: "''Et tu, Brute?''").

1564   Born

1582   In Stratford-upon-Avon, 18 year-old William Shakespeare and 26 year-old Anne Hathaway pay a 40-pound bond for their marriage license (Shakespeare would later become one of the greatest playwrights in history).

1595   William Shakespeare writes ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''.

1595   William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'' is probably first performed.

1600   William Shakespeare's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is first performed.

1602   William Shakespeare writes ''The Merry Wives of Windsor''

1602   William Shakespeare First performance of ''Twelfth Night'' on Candlemas

1604   At Whitehall Palace in London, the William Shakespeare tragedy ''Othello'' is presented for the first time.

1611   At Whitehall Palace in London, William Shakespeare's romantic comedy ''The Tempest'' is performed for the first time.

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