Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Stora Kopparberg mining community obtained a charter from King Magnus Eriksson on the 16th of June 1288. This event marked the first known commercial corporation in the world and established a legal framework for groups to act as single entities to conduct business and hold property.
The Bubble Act of 1720 prohibited the establishment of any companies without a royal charter to protect the South Sea Company from competition. This legislation created a legal stranglehold on new business ventures and led to a catastrophic crash in share prices by the end of 1720.
The Limited Liability Act 1855 passed at the behest of Robert Lowe, the Vice President of the Board of Trade. This legislation allowed investors to limit their liability in the event of business failure to the amount they invested in the company.
New Jersey was the first state to adopt an enabling corporate law in 1896 with the goal of attracting more business to the state. Delaware followed New Jersey's lead in 1899 and emerged as the leading corporate state after New Jersey repealed its enabling provisions in 1913.
The landmark decision of the House of Lords in Salomon v. Salomon & Co. in 1897 confirmed the separate legal personality of the company. This ruling established that the liabilities of the company were separate and distinct from those of its owners.