This Day in History

Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, known by her pen name as George Sand, was born in France

Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, known by her pen name as George Sand, was born in France. Dupin was groundbreaking in women’s rights and female authorship, publishing over 70 novels and plays. She also made waves for her many romantic affairs and her affinity for smoking in public and wearing men’s clothes, simply because they were “sturdier and less expensive.” You may be familiar with her most famous quote, “There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.” (July 01, 1804)

Ernest Hemingway, beloved American author and journalist, committed suicide in Ketchum, Idaho

Ernest Hemingway, beloved American author and journalist, committed suicide in Ketchum, Idaho. Hemingway led a vigorous life, filled with adventures and love affairs, but a series of plane accidents left him suffering from physical pain, poor eyesight, and depression. Hemingway was subjected to electroshock therapy to treat his growing paranoia and depression, but he eventually shot himself in the entryway of his Idaho home. (July 02, 1961)

Franz Kafka was born in Prague

Franz Kafka was born in Prague. Kafka became one of the best writers of the 20th century, known for his absurdist and existentialist themes. (July 03, 1883)

Lewis Carroll began writing his masterpiece, Alice in Wonderland, after telling a simple tale to a friend’s daughter, Alice Liddell

Lewis Carroll began writing his masterpiece, Alice in Wonderland, after telling a simple tale to a friend’s daughter, Alice Liddell. Little Alice liked the story so much she begged him to write it down, resulting in a novel which is a wonder of imagination, and having the titular character named after her. (July 04, 1862)

George Bernard Shaw quit his job at the successful Edison Telephone Company to become a full time writer at the age of 23

George Bernard Shaw quit his job at the successful Edison Telephone Company to become a full time writer at the age of 23. This decision was ultimately a wise one, as the writer of Pygmalion and other plays was eventually awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925. (July 05, 1880)

Anne Frank and her family entered the “Secret Annex” above an office building in Amsterdam and remained in hiding for a little more than 2 years

Anne Frank and her family entered the “Secret Annex” above an office building in Amsterdam and remained in hiding for a little more than 2 years. Anne’s diary became a monument in literature and Anne was named one of TIME magazine’s most important people in the century, saying, “With a diary kept in a secret attic, she braved the Nazis and lent a searing voice to the fight for human dignity.” (July 06, 1942)

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle died at the age of 71

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle died at the age of 71. After a successful writing career, in which he created the beloved character Sherlock Holmes, Doyle was found clutching his chest in his home office. His dying words, directed to his wife, were, “You are wonderful.” (July 07, 1930)

Ernest Hemingway was wounded in a battle in Italy

Ernest Hemingway was wounded in a battle in Italy. His hospitalization in Milan led to him meeting and falling in love with his nurse, Agnes von Kurowsky. Though Kurowsky would eventually leave him for another man, Hemingway based the character Catherine Barkley from A Farewell to Arms on her. (July 08, 1918)

Ann Radcliffe was born in Holborn, London

Ann Radcliffe was born in Holborn, London. Radcliffe wrote The Italian, for which she was paid so well she became the highest paid author in the 1790s. Although her works do not contain as many supernatural elements, she is considered the founder of the Gothic novel. (July 09, 1764)

Marcel Proust was born in Auteuil, France

Marcel Proust was born in Auteuil, France. Proust’s monumental work, À la Recherche du Temps Perdu (In Search of Lost Time), consists of seven volumes, over 4000 pages and more than 2000 characters! (July 10, 1871)

Harper Lee’s masterpiece To Kill a Mockingbird was published by J

Harper Lee’s masterpiece To Kill a Mockingbird was published by J. B. Lippincott & Co. When first published, Lee was told to only expect to sell about a thousand copies. Instead, it was featured in Reader’s Digest and became an immediate bestseller. To this date, it has never been out of print. (July 11, 1960)

Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts

Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts. Thoreau’s writings touch on almost every subject, including civics, environmentalism, history, and philosophy. He is best known for his book Walden, explaining his views on living simply in nature. (July 12, 1817)

Nadine Gordimer, South African writer and activist, died

Nadine Gordimer, South African writer and activist, died. Gordimer was an active critic of apartheid and advised Nelson Mendela in writing his most famous speeches. Though her works Burger’s Daughter and July’s People were banned during the apartheid era, she was eventually given recognition she deserved and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991. (July 13, 2004)

Lord Byron returned to England after a two year trip through the Mediterranean

Lord Byron returned to England after a two year trip through the Mediterranean. Shortly after his return he published Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, which brought him instant popularity. Byron said, “I awoke one morning and found myself famous.” Byron’s fame would greatly influence his flamboyant lifestyle and controversial romantic choices. (July 14, 1811)

Ralph Waldo Emerson shocked listeners when he gave the commencement address at Harvard Divinity School, his alma mater

Ralph Waldo Emerson shocked listeners when he gave the commencement address at Harvard Divinity School, his alma mater. In his speech he credited Jesus as being a great man, but not God. Despite the large outcry of critics, Emerson made no reply. He was not invited back to Harvard for thirty years. (July 15, 1838)

Theodore Geisel published his first cartoon under the nickname “Dr

Theodore Geisel published his first cartoon under the nickname “Dr. Seuss” in the magazine, The Judge. For the next few years that publication featured four of his covers and over 200 individual cartoons. (July 16, 1927)

Jack Kerouac embarked on his first cross-country road trip with friends “in search of God

Jack Kerouac embarked on his first cross-country road trip with friends “in search of God.” His journals from this trip and subsequent trips across America eventually formed his groundbreaking novel, On the Road. (July 17, 1947)

Hunter S

Hunter S. Thompson was born in Louisville, Kentucky. Thompson rose to fame after reporting on his time spent living with the famed motorcycle group, Hell’s Angels. His new first-person style of reporting was eventually dubbed “gonzo journalism” and he became most famous for his novel, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. (July 18, 1937)

Author and educator Frank McCourt died at the age of 78

Author and educator Frank McCourt died at the age of 78. McCourt’s memoir Angela’s Ashes, which depicted his poverty-stricken upbringing in Ireland, won the Pulitzer Prize in 1996. (July 19, 2009)

Cormac McCarthy was born in Providence, Rhode Island

Cormac McCarthy was born in Providence, Rhode Island. McCarthy’s prose has shaped contemporary fiction, including hits such as Blood Meridian, All the Pretty Horses, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Road. (July 20, 1933)

The final installment of the Harry Potter series was published

The final installment of the Harry Potter series was published. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was met with extremely favorable reviews and currently holds the Guinness World Record for most book sales in a 24 hour period. (July 21, 2007)

Young adult author S

Young adult author S. E. Hinton was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Hinton became a household name when she published the groundbreaking YA novel The Outsiders, which she wrote when she was only 16 years old. The Outsiders was one of the first books targeted to teens, and it is often credited for originating the young adult fiction genre. (July 22, 1948)

American novelist and screenwriter Raymond Chandler was born in Chicago

American novelist and screenwriter Raymond Chandler was born in Chicago. After losing his job in the Great Depression, Chandler found more time to write, publishing The Big Sleep in 1939. He wrote several more novels and short stories, and is credited with creating the “hard-boiled detective” stock character in literature and films. (July 23, 1888)

William Sydney Porter, known by his pen name as O

William Sydney Porter, known by his pen name as O. Henry, was released from a three year prison sentence for embezzlement. It appears that while O. Henry was a brilliant writer, he was a rather careless banker, resulting in a two year run from the law, where the author hid from the government in Honduras. Although he served three years in prison, Porter continued to write under a pen name, publishing 14 stories while he was in jail. (July 24, 1901)

Emmett Till was born in Chicago

Emmett Till was born in Chicago. At the age of 14, Emmett was brutally mutilated, shot, and thrown in a river for whistling at a white woman. His mother’s insistence on an open casket opened many’s eyes to the brutality of Jim Crow laws and made Till a historic icon of the Civil Rights movement. Emmett Till has been honored in poems, songs, plays, and novels, and was likely an influence on Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. (July 25, 1941)

Playwright George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin

Playwright George Bernard Shaw was born in Dublin. In his lifetime Shaw wrote over 60 plays and earned the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1925. (July 26, 1856)

Poet and literary critic Giosuè Carducci was born in Tuscany, Italy

Poet and literary critic Giosuè Carducci was born in Tuscany, Italy. Carducci is known as the national modern poet of Italy and he was awarded Italy’s first Nobel Prize in Literature in 1906. (July 27, 1835)

Percy Bysshe Shelley abandoned his wife and “eloped” with Mary Godwin, who was only 16

Percy Bysshe Shelley abandoned his wife and “eloped” with Mary Godwin, who was only 16. Although the two ran off to marry, this was impossible as Shelley was already married. The couple caused quite the scandal until the two were legally married two years later, after the suicide of Shelley’s wife. (July 28, 1814)

J

J. R. R. Tolkien published his first volume of the Lord of the Rings series, The Fellowship of the Ring. The book was met with mostly favorable reviews, which only improved as the rest of the series was published in the following years. Recently, The Lord of the Rings series has been compared to Paradise Lost in terms of its cultural significance. (July 29, 1954)

The first paperback books were published by Penguin Books in the UK

The first paperback books were published by Penguin Books in the UK. Paperbacks have been a vital invention to increase literacy among the general population and in getting books in public schools. For this reason July 30 is National Paperback Book Day! (July 30, 1935)

British author JK Rowling was born in Gloucestershire, England

British author JK Rowling was born in Gloucestershire, England. Rowling shot to immediate fame after the publication of her immensely popular children’s book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, starring a scarred boy who shared the same birthday. (July 31, 1965)