470 - 399 BC: Socrates: "The deaf express themselves in gestures..."
1814 - 1863: Pierre Pélissier (FR)
1834 – 1910: Fritz Hirn, Deaf Teacher of the Deaf (FI)
1834: The First Silent Banquet in Paris (Banquet Silencieux, FR)
1847 - 1922: Alexander Graham Bell (USA)
1856: Publication of Iconography des Signes, by Pélissier
1861 - 1918: Francis Maginn (UK)
1861 - 1937: George W. Veditz, First Person to Film Sign Language (ASL)
1958: International Week of the Deaf launched by the World Federation of the Deaf
1960: William Stokoe, "Sign Language Structure"
1981: Sweden, Legal Recognition of Swedish Sign Language
1988: European Parliament Resolution on Sign Languages
1995: Lithuania, Legal Recognition of Lithuanian Sign Language
1995: Finland, Legal Recognition of Finnish Sign Language
1995: Slovakia, Legal Recognition of Slovak Sign Language
2000: Greece, Legal Recognition of Greek Sign Language
2000: Latvia, Legal Recognition of Latvian Sign Language
2002, 2019: Slovenia, Legal Recognition of Slovenian Sign Language
2002: Germany, Legal Recognition of German Sign Language
2002: Romania, Legal Recognition of Romanian Sign Language
1997: Portugal, Legal Recognition of Portuguese Sign Language
1998: Czech Republic, Legal Recognition of Czech Sign Language
2003: UK, Legal Recognition of British Sign Language
2003: Paddy Lad, "Deafhood"
2003: Walloon - Belgium, Legal Recognition of French Belgian Sign Language
2004: Iceland, Legal Recognition of Icelandic Sign Language
2005: Austria, Legal Recognition of Austrian Sign Language
2006: Cyprus, Legal Recognition of Cypriot Sign Language
2006: Flanders - Belgium: Legal Recognition of Flemish Sign Language
2007: Spain, Legal Recognition of Spanish and Catalan Sign Languages
2007: Estonia, Legal Recognition of Estonian Sign Language
2009: Macedonia, Legal Recognition of Macedonian Sign Language
2009: Hungary, Legal Recognition of Hungarian Sign Language
2009: Bosnia and Herzegovina: Legal Recognition of Sign Language
2011: Iceland, Legal Recognition of Icelandic Sign Language
2011: Poland, Legal Recognition of Polish Sign Language
2014: Denmark, Legal Recognition of Danish Sign Language
2014: Albania, Legal Recognition of Albanian Sign Language
2015: Croatia, Legal Recognition of Croatian Sign Language
2015: British Sign Language (Scotland) Bill passed unanimously
2015: Serbia, Legal Recognition of Serbian Sign Language
2016: Malta, Legal Recognition of Maltese Sign Language
2017: Ireland, Legal Recognition of Irish Sign Language
2017: 23 September marked as International Day of Sign Languages
2018: Luxembourg, Legal Recognition of Luxembourg Sign Language
2020: The Netherlands, Legal Recognition of the Sign Language of the Netherlands
2021: Bulgaria: Legal Recognition of Bulgarian Sign Language
2021: Italy, Legal Recognition Italian Sign Language
Deaf History -