This Day in History

The first half of Louisa May Alcott’s novel, Little Women, was published by the Roberts Brothers

The first half of Louisa May Alcott’s novel, Little Women, was published by the Roberts Brothers. Alcott was urged to write a “girls’ book,” which she resisted, but she said she would try. After several attempts, her autobiographical approach was met with rave reviews by her niece. This manuscript was published with only 2000 copies, which sold out quickly. Her second half was published in the following year and it brought unexpected critical and commercial success. Today, Little Women is an enduring tale of growing up and finding your path despite societal expectations. It is one of the most widely read novels of American literature. (October 01, 1868)

Beatrix Potter’s children’s story The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published in England

Beatrix Potter’s children’s story The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published in England. After being rejected several times for lack of color illustrations, she published 250 copies privately and distributed them to friends, including Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Frederick Warne & Co. eventually reconsidered and published 5000 copies, which sold out almost immediately. The story remains a beloved children’s book worldwide. (October 02, 1902)

After spending a week in New York City, Edgar Allan Poe was found delirious and walking the streets of Baltimore

After spending a week in New York City, Edgar Allan Poe was found delirious and walking the streets of Baltimore. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he died four days later. The cause of his death is still unknown, and rumors ranging from suicide, alcoholic or drug overdose, undiagnosed tumors, cholera, and tumors still circulate today. (October 03, 1849)

Author Anne Rice was born Howard Allen Frances O’Brien in New Orleans, Louisiana

Author Anne Rice was born Howard Allen Frances O’Brien in New Orleans, Louisiana. Shortly after the loss of her young daughter to leukemia, Rice expanded work on her short story Interview with the Vampire, expanding it into a full novel. Since then, she has created a popular series and is said to have revived the interest in vampire fiction. (October 04, 1941)

Brian O’Nolan, known better by his pen name Flann O’Brien, was born in Strabane County, Tyrone in Ireland

Brian O’Nolan, known better by his pen name Flann O’Brien, was born in Strabane County, Tyrone in Ireland. O’Brien wrote a regular satirical column in the Irish Times and published several novels (in both English and traditional Gaelic). Despite being a full time novelist and having a group of literary contemporaries including Samuel Beckett, John Updike, and James Joyce, O’Brien didn’t experience much fame during his lifetime. However, his writing remains today as a fixture of postmodernist literature. (October 05, 1911)

Japanese writer Kazuo Ishiguro was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature

Japanese writer Kazuo Ishiguro was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Upon receiving the award, Ishiguro said, “It’s a magnificent honour, mainly because it means that I’m in the footsteps of the greatest authors that have lived, so that’s a terrific commendation. The world is in a very uncertain moment and I would hope all the Nobel Prizes would be a force for something positive in the world as it is at the moment. I’ll be deeply moved if I could in some way be part of some sort of climate this year in contributing to some sort of positive atmosphere at a very uncertain time.” (October 06, 2017)

Allen Ginsberg read portions of his poem “Howl” aloud for the first time

Allen Ginsberg read portions of his poem “Howl” aloud for the first time. The poem, which decried America’s capitalist system and contained strong sexual descriptions. The Ginsberg and his poem were later subjected to an obscenity trial over the poem’s material, to which Ginsberg proclaimed his rights of free speech. The charges were ultimately dismissed, and Ginsberg remained a controversial and outspoken figure throughout the 50s and 60s. (October 07, 1955)

English poet and engraver William Blake entered into London’s Royal Academy to study art

English poet and engraver William Blake entered into London’s Royal Academy to study art. While Blake studied art most of his life, he began pairing his art with his personal writings. Eventually his poetry made him even more famous. He is remembered among the greatest Romantic poets of all time. (October 08, 1779)

15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was shot by a member of the Taliban while riding a bus after taking exams

15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was shot by a member of the Taliban while riding a bus after taking exams. Malala’s activism for girls’ rights to education had angered the Taliban, and they intentionally sought her out and shot her in the head. She was rushed to the ICU where she was saved, and while she recovered she grew in fame, as did her noble cause. In 2012 she received the Nobel Peace Prize, and a year later she co-authored the memoir I am Malala, which remains a widely read work of non-fiction with adult and young adult readers. (October 09, 2012)

Author R

Author R. K. Narayan was born in Madras, India. His works, including The Financial Expert and The Guide were celebrated in India and made great advances in introducing Indian literature to worldwide readers. British author Graham Greene was his mentor and helped him become published in a global market. (October 10, 1906)

Francois Mauriac was born in Bordeaux

Francois Mauriac was born in Bordeaux. Mauriac was a novelist, poet, critic, and journalist who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1952. He is also remembered for his public rifts with major public figures, including Albert Camus, Roger Peyrefitte, and the Catholic church. (October 11, 1885)

Playwright and actress Alice Childress was born in Charleston, South Carolina

Playwright and actress Alice Childress was born in Charleston, South Carolina. After launching a successful acting career, which included a Tony nomination for her role in Anna Lucasta, Childress wrote her first one-act play. She continued to balance acting and writing over a forty year career, penning ten plays in total. Many of her plays featured themes relating to interracial marriage and the beauty and power of black women. (October 12, 1916)

Edward Albee’s play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opened at the Billy Rose Theater on Broadway

Edward Albee’s play Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? opened at the Billy Rose Theater on Broadway. The play won the 1962 Tony for best play and was initially awarded the Pulitzer Prize in drama, until the advisory board retracted it based on the play’s profanity and sexual themes. (October 13, 1962)

A

A. A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh was published in both England and the United States after appearing in a Christmas story in London’s The Evening News. Pooh was immediately successful, and the rights of the character were eventually purchased by Disney. Winnie the Pooh is considered one of the most iconic and financially valuable fictional characters from, and even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (October 14, 1926)

E

E. B. White published his children’s classic, Charlotte’s Web. The book is one of the most widely read children’s paperbacks, enjoyed by both children and adults alike. (October 15, 1952)

Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece Jane Eyre was published

Charlotte Brontë’s masterpiece Jane Eyre was published. The novel was originally published under the name Currer Bell and was negatively received, being criticized for anti-Christian themes, due to rebellious activities in a youth. Today, Jane Eyre is considered one of the most important and greatest British works of all time. (October 16, 1847)

French writer Albert Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44

French writer Albert Camus was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44. Camus is the second youngest writer to have been awarded this prize. He is best remembered for his absurdist plays, stories, and essays, including Rhinoceros and The Myth of Sisyphus. Sadly, Camus died only two years after receiving his Nobel when he was killed in a car accident. (October 17, 1957)

Phillis Wheatley, the first African American published poet, was freed from slavery

Phillis Wheatley, the first African American published poet, was freed from slavery. As a child, Phillis was sold into the Wheatley family of Boston, who raised her and taught her to read and write. When her talents were discovered, the family encouraged her to write more and more, and even helped her become published. Her collection of poetry, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, was published in September of 1775. Once she found success in this publication she was emancipated by the Wheatley family. (October 18, 1775)

Poet Edna St

Poet Edna St. Vincent Millay died in Austerlitz, New York from a heart attack and fall down her stairs at home. Millay achieved fame as a 20-year-old when receiving fourth place in a prestigious poetry contest, despite being the clear frontrunner. She continued writing and publishing poetry, which evolved and exposed her feminist and pacifist beliefs. Today she is remembered as a leading poet of the 20th century. (October 19, 1950)

J

J.R.R. Tolkien published The Return of the King, his final installment of his Lord of the Rings series. The book and its series was called by critics “a masterpiece of prose.” (October 20, 1955)

British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born in Devon, England

British poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born in Devon, England. Coleridge and his close friend Wordsworth were the founders the Romantic movement, a type of poetry that focuses on the freedom of the individual and the power of individual emotions. (October 21, 1772)

Philosopher, novelist, and playwright Jean-Paul Sartre refused the Nobel Prize in Literature

Philosopher, novelist, and playwright Jean-Paul Sartre refused the Nobel Prize in Literature. When he was announced as a nominee for the prize, Sartre sent a letter warning that if he was awarded the prize he wouldn’t accept it. However, the letter was not read in time. Sartre felt that his Marxist and existentialist beliefs conflicted with what the Nobel Prize stood for. Furthermore, Sartre worried that the prestige that went along with the prize would change him, announcing, “a writer should not allow himself to be turned into an institution.” The prize was not given to a different recipient. (October 22, 1964)

English poet laureate Robert Bridges was born in Kent, England

English poet laureate Robert Bridges was born in Kent, England. Bridges achieved literary fame later in his life, as he dedicated the first half of his life to his medical career as a doctor. Bridges’ poetry focused on his Christian faith and his unique study of rhythm and meter. He was also crucial to the posthumous publication of his college friend Gerard Manley Hopkins. Bridges served as the UK’s Poet Laureate from 1913 until his death in 1930. (October 23, 1844)

Playwright Moss Hart was born in New York City

Playwright Moss Hart was born in New York City. Hart is remembered for his theater hits, including You Can’t Take it With You and The Man Who Came to Dinner, which he co-wrote with theater partner George S. Kaufman. (October 24, 1904)

American writer John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, a decision heavily criticized by literary critics

American writer John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, a decision heavily criticized by literary critics. Even Steinbeck acknowledged that it was an honor he didn’t deserve, but he graciously accepted it as a gentleman. (October 25, 1962)

Danish fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen enrolled in grammar school at the age of 17

Danish fairy tale author Hans Christian Andersen enrolled in grammar school at the age of 17. Due to a disruption in his schooling and circumstances that interrupted his education, Andersen was removed from school at 14 to pursue acting. When that failed he returned to school and had to study with mostly 11-year-olds, an experience that he hated. He later called his school years dark and bitter, recalling instructors that abused him and refused to let him write. (October 26, 1822)

American poet Sylvia Plath was born in Boston, Massachusetts

American poet Sylvia Plath was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Despite literary and academic brilliance, Plath suffered from depression that first appeared during college, and during that time she attempted suicide. Plath went through six months of intensive therapy, including electroshock treatments, and was released. She later married British poet Ted Hughes and the couple had two children. After it was revealed that Hughes was having an affair, he and Plath separated and she moved into a residence formerly inhabited by W. B. Yeats. Sadly, Plath succumbed to her depression in February of 1963 when she killed herself. She was only 30 years old. Today her words are lasting and influential, both her poetry and her semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar. (October 27, 1932)

Arthur Evelyn St

Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh was born in London, England. Waugh achieved fame through his writing, most prominently in his publication of his novel Brideshead Revisited, but both intrigued and upset people with his strong political and religious beliefs. (October 28, 1903)

The first ballpoint pen went on sale

The first ballpoint pen went on sale. Introduced as a cheaper and more convenient alternative to the fountain pen, it was László Bíró’s design that finally popularized the new writing tool, particularly designed for writing on different surfaces or on the go. Many notable writers have famously written with ballpoint pens, including Jack Kerouac and Margaret Atwood. (October 29, 1945)

Orson Welles caused hysteria and found new heights of acting fame after his impassioned radio performance of H

Orson Welles caused hysteria and found new heights of acting fame after his impassioned radio performance of H. G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds caused mass panic. Wells’ novel was performed for the Mercury Theater on the Air with a regular introduction to the show’s title and what it would be performing. However, the show made use of many interrupting radio bulletins which announced the arrival of the alien species as well as their growing violent actions. The numerous interrupting news bulletins caused a mass panic with listeners, who believed the fictitious events were really happening and were being reported in real time. As a result of this performance, the FCC banned fake radio news bulletins in order to stop this incident from ever happening again. (October 30, 1938)

Romantic poet John Keats was born in London, England

Romantic poet John Keats was born in London, England. Keats’ life was cut short by his death from tuberculosis at 29, but in his four short years as a writer he earned a spot alongside Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron as second generation Romantic poets. (October 31, 1795)