1785 Jacob Grimm is born in Hanau, a market town in one of the small polities      that made up what is now Germany.

1786 Wilhelm Grimm is born, also in Hanau.

1796 The Grimms’ father dies, leaving the family in financial distress. An aunt      pays for Jacob and Wilhelm to attend a prestigious school in Kassel.

1802 Jacob graduates and moves to Marburg to study law.

1803 Wilhelm graduates and joins Jacob in Marburg.

1806 Jacob drops out of law school, moves back to Kassel, and becomes a civil     servant to support the family. To help a writer friend, who hopes to publish     a folklore collection, Jacob and Wilhelm begin gathering tales in their spare time. Napoleon sets up Confederation. 

1807 France invades Kassel.

1808 Wilhelm undergoes treatment for heart troubles.

1812 Impatient with their sluggish friend, the Brothers Grimm, as they style themselves, publish Children’s and Household Tales.

1813 France is rousted from central Europe by nations opposing Napolean. Jacob becomes a diplomat, Wilhelm a secretary to the royal librarian in Kassel.

1819 The Grimms publish the second edition of their Tales. Wilhelm emerges as keeper of the stories, while Jacob turns to other scholarly pursuits.

1825 The Grimms’ Small Edition (50 tales with illustrations by a third brother, Ludwig) achieves mild commercial success. Wilhelm marries Dortchen Wild. They eventually have three sons.

1829 After Jacob is passed over for a position at the library in Kassel, the Grimms move to Göttingen, where both brothers become librarian-professors.

1837 After refusing to swear allegiance to the king of Hanover, whom they consider despotic, the Grimms lose their jobs and return to Kassel.

1841 The Grimms move to Berlin and resume teaching.

1848 Jacob publishes The History of the German Language, then retires.

1852 Wilhelm retires. Both brothers devote their remaining years to compiling a German dictionary.

1857 The Grimms publish the final edition of their fairy-tale collection.

1859 Wilhelm dies. Jacob eulogizes him as the "fairy-tale brother."

1863 Jacob dies. By the time of their deaths the Brothers Grimm have won respect as leading scholars.