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1
American poet Gwendolyn Brooks was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in poetry
American poet Gwendolyn Brooks was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in poetry. She was the first African American to win the award. Her poetry, including her most famous poem “We Real Cool,” continues to be a fixture in ELA classes today. (May 01, 1950)
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2
Arthur Miller won the Pulitzer Prize for his play, The Crucible
Arthur Miller won the Pulitzer Prize for his play, The Crucible. The prize was a surprise to many, as the play had only received mixed reviews during its run. Seven years later, Miller was called to testify in front of the HUAC for alleged Communist activities, for which he refused to testify and was briefly blacklisted. Ironically, Miller’s actions mirrored that of his protagonist, John Proctor. (May 02, 1949)
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3
The Anne Frank House opened in The Netherlands
The Anne Frank House opened in The Netherlands. In 1955, the building that harbored Frank and her family was scheduled for demolition and was saved at the last minute by protesters camped stationed outside. Instead, the company that had purchased the building donated to the Anne Frank Foundation. Five years later, the museum opened. The museum has gone through extensive renovations since then to accommodate large crowds, as it gets almost 1.5 million visitors per year. (May 03, 1960)
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4
Ernest Hemingway won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Old Man and the Sea. Hemingway wrote the novel in the course of eight weeks and called the experience “the best I can write ever for all of my life.” (May 04, 1953)
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5
American author Sinclair Lewis refused the Pulitzer Prize for his novel Arrowsmith
American author Sinclair Lewis refused the Pulitzer Prize for his novel Arrowsmith. With his refusal, Lewis released a statement, saying, “All prizes, like all titles, are dangerous. The seekers for prizes tend to labor not for inherent excellence but for alien rewards: they tend to write this, or timorously to avoid writing that, in order to tickle the prejudices of a haphazard committee. And the Pulitzer Prize for novels is peculiarly objectionable because the terms of it have been constantly and grievously misrepresented.” Critics of Lewis believe his refusal may also stem from the fact that he was recommended for the prize for his novels Main Street and Babbit, but both times the decision was overruled by trustees and it was given to a different author. (May 05, 1926)
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6
James Gordon Bennett, Sr
James Gordon Bennett, Sr. published the first issue of The New York Herald. The paper, which initially sold for 1 cent each, became the most circulated and widely-read paper in the world in just 10 years. (May 06, 1835)
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7
Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë published their collection of poems under their male pseudonyms Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell
Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë published their collection of poems under their male pseudonyms Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. The collection only sold three copies. Undeterred, all three ladies continued writing and each published her own novel within the next year. (May 07, 1846)
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8
Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales was published in Copenhagen
Hans Christian Andersen’s Fairy Tales was published in Copenhagen. His first collection sold poorly but eventually the tales became famous and iconic. (May 08, 1835)
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9
Author J
Author J.M. Barrie was born in Angus, Scotland. Barrie is best remembered for writing Peter Pan, a play that seems intended for children but actually contains a lot of societal themes. The play also popularized the name Wendy! (May 09, 1860)
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10
Author Caroline B
Author Caroline B. Cooney was born in Geneva, New York. Cooney has written nearly 80 novels, many of them popular with young adults. (May 10, 1947)
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11
William Faulkner’s Go Down, Moses and Other Stories, was published as a collection of short stories
William Faulkner’s Go Down, Moses and Other Stories, was published as a collection of short stories. However, Faulkner considered the work to be a novel rather than a collection of stories, so the subtitle “And Other Stories” was later dropped. (May 11, 1942)
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12
Imagist poet Amy Lowell died of a cerebral hemorrhage in her hometown of Brookline, Massachusetts
Imagist poet Amy Lowell died of a cerebral hemorrhage in her hometown of Brookline, Massachusetts. Lowell was a founding member of the Imagist movement and was beloved by fans until her death. After her death, Lowell was posthumously awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. (May 12, 1925)
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13
Novelist and short story writer Daphne du Maurier was born in Cornwall, England
Novelist and short story writer Daphne du Maurier was born in Cornwall, England. Du Maurier is best remembered for her novels Rebecca and Jamaica Inn, as well as her short story “The Birds.” (May 13, 1907)
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14
Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs
Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway was published in both England and America. The story follows Clarissa Dalloway as she plans a party, all the while battling several inner demons. The novel was included on TIME Magazine’s 100 best English novels since 1923. (May 14, 1925)
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15
Alexander Pope’s “An Essay on Criticism” was published anonymously
Alexander Pope’s “An Essay on Criticism” was published anonymously. The publication contained the oft-quoted line “To err is human, to forgive divine.” (May 15, 1711)
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16
American author Edgar Allan Poe married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm
American author Edgar Allan Poe married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. Virginia contracted tuberculosis when she was 18 and died at the age of 24. Critics speculate than many of Poe’s works, especially “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee,” were inspired by his late wife. (May 16, 1931)
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17
John Murray, Thomas Moore, and other friends of author Lord Byron participated in the burning of all of the author’s diaries
John Murray, Thomas Moore, and other friends of author Lord Byron participated in the burning of all of the author’s diaries. Thomas Moore had been entrusted with Lord Byron’s personal manuscripts for publication after his death. However, Bryon’s scandalous behavior during his life abroad in Greece denied him burial at Westminster Abbey. Byron’s publisher, John Murray, and other men in his office decided to take drastic measures. The men burned two volumes of personal correspondence and diary entries, an act which has been called “one of the worst literary crimes ever committed.” (May 17, 1824)
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18
Irish author Bram Stoker published his novel, Dracula
Irish author Bram Stoker published his novel, Dracula. When the novel was published in America in 1899, it came to light that Bram Stoker did not comply with portions of the American copyright law. Therefore, the novel fell to public domain, leading to many replications since then. (May 18, 1897)
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19
Playwright Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago, Illinois
Playwright Lorraine Hansberry was born in Chicago, Illinois. Hansberry authored the popular play A Raisin in the Sun, for which she won the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award. She was the first African American recipient, as well as the youngest to win. Sadly, Hansberry died at the age of 34 from pancreatic cancer. (May 19, 1930)
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20
Publisher Thomas Thorpe published Shakespeare’s collected sonnets for the first time
Publisher Thomas Thorpe published Shakespeare’s collected sonnets for the first time. The original publication, often called the quarto, contained 154 sonnets was originally sold as one shilling. (May 20, 1609)
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21
Poet Alexander Pope was born in Middlesex, England
Poet Alexander Pope was born in Middlesex, England. Pope’s “An Essay on Criticism” and his poem “The Rape of the Lock” popularized satiric verse and made him a household name. (May 21, 1688)
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22
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Doyle is best remembered for his beloved Sherlock Holmes mysteries. (May 22, 1859)
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23
The bodies of Scott Fischer and Rob Hall were recovered on Mount Everest, almost two weeks after they and 6 others died in the deadliest hiking season in Everest history at that time
The bodies of Scott Fischer and Rob Hall were recovered on Mount Everest, almost two weeks after they and 6 others died in the deadliest hiking season in Everest history at that time. Survivor Jon Krakauer recalled the disaster in his book Into Thin Air. (May 23, 1996)
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24
Eduardo De Filippo was born in Naples
Eduardo De Filippo was born in Naples. De Filippo, known in the film industry as simply Eduardo, was a prominent playwright, director, poet, and screenwriter. He often wrote and directed his own plays before they became famous outside of Italy. (May 24, 1900)
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25
American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston, Massachusetts
American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Emerson is considered one of the founding members of Transcendentalism and the American Romantic movement. (May 25, 1803)
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26
Russian author Lyudmila Petrushevskaya was born in Moscow
Russian author Lyudmila Petrushevskaya was born in Moscow. Petrushevskaya’s works were often censored by the Soviet government and so she focused on writing plays, which had less restrictive rules in place. After the Soviet bans were lessened, she redirected her creative efforts toward prose, publishing several novels and short stories. (May 26, 1938)
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27
Spoken-word sensation Gil Scott-Heron passed away from complications of HIV
Spoken-word sensation Gil Scott-Heron passed away from complications of HIV. Scott-Heron was awarded a posthumous Grammy in 2012. (May 27, 2011)
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28
Irish poet Thomas Moore was born in Dublin
Irish poet Thomas Moore was born in Dublin. Moore’s reputation as a poet was solidified when he wrote lyrics to a number of Irish tunes, later referred to as “Moore’s Melodies.” (May 28, 1779)
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29
Abolitionist Sojourner Truth delivered her famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech before the 1st Black Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio
Abolitionist Sojourner Truth delivered her famous “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech before the 1st Black Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. (May 29, 1851)
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30
Argentinean author Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude was published
Argentinean author Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude was published. The book has been called one of the most important pieces of literature published in the world and contributed to Marquez winning the Nobel Prize in 1982. (May 30, 1967)
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31
Poet Walt Whitman was born in West Hills, New York
Poet Walt Whitman was born in West Hills, New York. Whitman is called the father of free verse and bridged American poetry between Transcendentalism and Realism. Whitman’s poems are still widely read in English classrooms today. (May 31, 1887)
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