This Day in History

Richard Wright’s controversial novel Native Son was published

Richard Wright’s controversial novel Native Son was published. Although some critics found Wright’s depiction of Bigger Thomas’ crimes an honest statement on American society, others found his depiction of black characters stereotypical and damaging to the reputation of African Americans in general. (March 01, 1940)

Cartoonist and author Theodor Geisel, known better by the name Dr

Cartoonist and author Theodor Geisel, known better by the name Dr. Seuss, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Geisel published over 60 books under this pen name including The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears a Who, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and many other children’s classics. Today his books have sold over 600 million copies. The celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday and his accomplishments as a writer is now celebrated as Read Across America Day. (March 02, 1904)

Anne Sullivan began working in the Keller household for their six-year-old daughter who was deaf and blind

Anne Sullivan began working in the Keller household for their six-year-old daughter who was deaf and blind. Although Sullivan did not get along with the parents, she and their daughter Helen got along better, and Sullivan soon found a way to teach Helen both reading and writing. The two became an iconic duo, gaining national attention as Keller’s accomplishments grew. This story was later featured in the play The Miracle Worker. (March 03, 1887)

Imagist poet William Carlos Williams died in his sleep at his home in Rutherford, New Jersey

Imagist poet William Carlos Williams died in his sleep at his home in Rutherford, New Jersey. Besides being a poet, Williams was a practicing physician, serving as the chief of pediatrics until his death.⁣ (March 04, 1963)

Shakespeare’s Richard III was performed in Williamsburg, Virginia

Shakespeare’s Richard III was performed in Williamsburg, Virginia. This marks the first time one of Shakespeare’s plays was performed in America. The Virginia Shakespeare Festival still takes place each year in Williamsburg to this day.⁣ (March 05, 1750)

Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born in Durham, England

Victorian poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning was born in Durham, England. Barrett Browning was a prolific poet, writing poems since the age of six. She is also remembered for her marriage to famous poet Robert Browning and their strong love, lasting until Barrett Browning’s death in 1861.⁣ (March 06, 1806)

Modernist playwright and author Kōbō Abe was born in Tokyo

Modernist playwright and author Kōbō Abe was born in Tokyo. Abe was once a prominent figure of the Communist party but publicly renounced their views in 1967. He died in 1993 and is remembered for his contributions to surrealist and absurdist fiction.⁣ (March 07, 1924)

The first episode of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy aired on BBC radio

The first episode of Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy aired on BBC radio. The series became increasingly popular and won several awards. The episodes were later compiled into novel form, resulting on Douglas Adams’ popular novels by the same name.⁣ (March 08, 1978)

British author and poet Vita Sackville-West, later known as Lady Nicholson, was born in Kent

British author and poet Vita Sackville-West, later known as Lady Nicholson, was born in Kent. Sackville-West wrote numerous poem collections and 13 novels, but she is better remembered as a close friend and later lover of Virginia Woolf. Sackville-West helped Woolf overcome her crippling anxiety and self-doubt, producing better writing in both women. Virginia Woolf based the androgynous protagonist of her novel Orlando on Vita Sackville-West.⁣ (March 09, 1892)

Greek poet Manolis Anagnostakis was born in Thessaloniki

Greek poet Manolis Anagnostakis was born in Thessaloniki. Anagnostakis wrote surrealist poetry in addition to working as a radiologist in Greece.⁣ (March 10, 1925)

Italian poet Tarquato Tasso was born in Naples

Italian poet Tarquato Tasso was born in Naples. Tasso is best known for his poem “Gerusalemme liberata” (Jerusalem Delivered), and was in line to be crowned King of the Poets by Pope. However, years of battling crippling mental illness plus failing physical health had caught up to him, and Tasso died on the day he was supposed to receive this prestigious and lucrative position.⁣ (March 11, 1544)

Beat poet Jack Kerouac was born in Lowell, Massachusetts

Beat poet Jack Kerouac was born in Lowell, Massachusetts. Kerouac’s writings were not widely read until after his untimely death at the age of 47, when he gained popularity. Today his most popular work is his travelogue novel, On the Road.⁣ (March 12, 1922)

George Bernard Shaw’s final installment of his Methuselah play series premiered in New York City

George Bernard Shaw’s final installment of his Methuselah play series premiered in New York City. Shaw’s plays were referred to as “A Metabiological Pentateuch.” Overall, the plays range in setting from 4004 B.C. to 31, 920 A.D. (March 13, 1922)

American author Ernest Hemingway married journalist Mary Welsh

American author Ernest Hemingway married journalist Mary Welsh. Welsh and Hemingway met in London in 1944 while she was on assignment and they began an affair, despite both being married to other people. They married in Cuba and Welsh remained his companion until Hemingway’s death by suicide in 1961. (March 14, 1946)

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous novel The Scarlet Letter was published in Boston

Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous novel The Scarlet Letter was published in Boston. Although Hawthorne did not believe it would be much of a seller, the book sold well and is today his most popular novel. The book’s growing demand also led to an increase in publication, making The Scarlet Letter the first mass produced book in American history. (March 16, 1850)

Playwright Paul Green was born in Lillington, North Carolina

Playwright Paul Green was born in Lillington, North Carolina. Green’s play Abraham’s Bosom won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1927, and his play The Last Colony is performed in Roanoke’s famous outdoor play festival every year. (March 17, 1894)

Today is the birthday for two famous poets

Today is the birthday for two famous poets. Robert P. Tristram Coffin was born in Brunswick, Maine in 1892 and Wilfred Owen was born in 1893 in Shropshire, England. (March 18, 1900)

Arthur C

Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey died at the age of 90. Clarke was beloved by scientists and science fiction readers and his novel won awards from UNESCO for popularizing science in pop culture. Coincidentally, on the same day as his death, the largest gamma-ray burst was recorded. This phenomena was later named “The Clarke Effect.” (March 19, 2008)

Playwright Henrik Ibsen was born in Skien, Norway

Playwright Henrik Ibsen was born in Skien, Norway. Ibsen is one of the most talented and widely-read playwrights in history and is often called the Father of Realism. He is remembered for poems such as A Doll’s House, An Enemy of the People, and Hedda Gabbler. (March 20, 1828)

Nigerian author and professor Chinua Achebe died at the age of 82

Nigerian author and professor Chinua Achebe died at the age of 82. Achebe became famous after the publication of his first novel, Things Fall Apart, which some have considered the book that triggered an interest in non-western literature. Achebe is now known as the Father of African Literature and his novel is the most popular African book ever written. Besides being an author, Achebe also worked as a teacher, professor, and diplomat for the short-lived country of Biafra. (March 21, 2013)

Poet and professor Billy Collins was born in New York City

Poet and professor Billy Collins was born in New York City. Besides serving as the US Poet Laureate from 2001-2003, Collins worked as a professor at Lehman College in the City University of New York for almost 50 years before retiring in 2016. Collins’ poetry is hugely popular with American readers as he brings a relatable wit and charm to his modern verse. (March 22, 1941)

Educator and author Jim Trelease was born in Orange, New Jersey

Educator and author Jim Trelease was born in Orange, New Jersey. Trelease spent time volunteering in elementary classrooms in his work for the Springfield Daily News and noticed a correlation between students who read for pleasure and those who were read to on a daily basis. This led to more research, culminating in his publication of The Read-Aloud Handbook in 1979. This publication led to a growth in read-alouds and sustained silent reading in classrooms across America and, eventually, worldwide. Today, the book has sold more than 2 million copies. (March 23, 1941)

Tennessee Williams’ play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof premiered on Broadway

Tennessee Williams’ play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof premiered on Broadway. The play went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. (March 24, 1955)

D

D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover was ruled “not obscene” after a US obscenity trial. The book was previously banned in 1929 for being sexually explicit. The overturning of this ban led to an increase in new and radical forms of expression and free speech. (March 25, 1960)

American poet Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California

American poet Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California. Frost is one of America’s most popular and prestigious poets, best remembered for his poems about nature. While Frost won the Pulitzer in Poetry four times, he never won the Nobel Prize for Literature, despite being nominated a whopping 31 times. (March 26, 1874)

Columbian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez married Mercedes Barcha

Columbian author Gabriel Garcia Marquez married Mercedes Barcha. The two had met years earlier but Barcha wished to finish her studies before marrying, and then she had to wait for Marquez to return from his work as a correspondent in Europe. The two were finally married in 1958 and remained together until his death in 2014. (March 27, 1958)

Poet and author Virginia Woolf died in Sussex, England

Poet and author Virginia Woolf died in Sussex, England. Although incredibly gifted, Woolf struggled with mental illness throughout her lifetime, including bouts of depression brought on by probable bipolar disorder. On the day of her death, she wrote a note to her husband, filled her pockets with stones, and walked into the nearby River Ouse. Her body was not recovered until nearly a month later. (March 28, 1941)

F

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s debut novel This Side of Paradise sold out only three days after its initial printing. The book’s stunning success was enough to convince Zelda Sayre to marry him less than a week later. (March 29, 1920)

Author Anne Sewell was born in Norfolk, England

Author Anne Sewell was born in Norfolk, England. While struggling with a prolonged illness, Sewell began working on a children’s novel about horses, but her pain often interfered with the writing process. She wrote much of the novel through transcription to her mother at her bedside, finishing the novel Black Beauty only six months before her death. Today, the book has sold over fifty million copies and remains one of the most beloved children’s stories of all time. (March 30, 1820)

Short story writer and novelist Flannery O’Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia

Short story writer and novelist Flannery O’Connor was born in Savannah, Georgia. O’Connor’s life was cut short by lupus, but her posthumously published Complete Stories won the National Book Award for Fiction.⁣ (March 31, 1925)