French explorer, and writer Alexandra David-Néel was born #OTD in 1868.
She wrote over 30 books about Eastern religion, philosophy, & her travels, including Magic and Mystery in Tibet, which was published in 1929.
literature
Aphra Behn, the First Englishwoman to Earn a Living With Her Writing, Is Finally Getting Her Due
A year-long event series aims to champion the pioneering 17th-century writer’s legacy
By Elizabeth Djinis via @SmithsonianMag
Aphra Behn's The Amorous Prince, or, The Curious Husband was staged this month for the first time in 350 years.
American writer, literary critic and journalist Edmund Wilson was born #OTD in 1895.
Over his career, he contributed to numerous periodicals and his essays and reviews are often credited with influencing public and scholarly opinion on many subjects. Wilson was the author of more than twenty books, including Axel's Castle, Patriotic Gore, and Memoirs of Hecate County. He was a friend F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and John Dos Passos.
French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic writer Blaise Pascal was born #OTD in 1623.
One of his most famous contributions in Mathematics is the Pascal's Theorem. Along with Pierre de Fermat, Pascal is credited with founding probability theory. He also made significant contributions to the study of binomial coefficients, which led to the formation of Pascal's Triangle.
Books by Blaise Pascal at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/7913
American writer Harriette Woods Baker was born #OTD in 1815.
She wrote under the pseudonym "Madeline Leslie." She devoted herself successfully to novels; but after about 15 years, she wrote popular religious literature. Some of her well-known titles include The Family in the Parsonage (1853), The Mother’s Mission (1854), and The Orphan Children (1856).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harriette_Woods_Baker
Books by Madeline Leslie at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/31136
"For the most wild, yet most homely narrative which I am about to pen, I neither expect nor solicit belief."
#OTD in 1843.
Edgar Allan Poe's Gothic short story "The Black Cat" is first published in The Saturday Evening Post.
At the time, the publication was using the temporary title United States Saturday Post. The story was reprinted in The Baltimore Sun and The Pensacola Gazette that same year.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Cat_(short_story)
The Black Cat at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2148
Using a 13-inch (33-cm) telescope at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, Clyde W. Tombaugh, a 24-year-old American with no formal training in astronomy, discovered the dwarf planet Pluto #OTD in 1930.
The music of the spheres : A nature lover's astronomy by Grondal discusses Pluto as well as many other planets:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/70382
More about Pluto at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Pluto&submit_search=Go%21
What Is the Dominant Emotion in 400 Years of Women’s Diaries?
A new anthology identifies frustration as a recurring theme in journals written between 1599 and 2015. via @history-Smithsonianmag
By Sarah Gristwood
American artist, author, translator, and illustrator Wanda Gág was born #OTD in 1893.
"Millions of Cats" (1928), tells the story of an old man and an old woman who decide to get a cat. The book's unique illustrations, which Gág created using lithographic crayon, made it a classic of children's literature. Gág wrote and illustrated several other children's books, including "The Funny Thing" and "Snippy and Snappy."
"Millions of cats" will be available at PG pretty soon.
American novelist, short story writer, and poet Louisa May Alcott died #OTD in 1888. In 1860, Alcott began writing for the Atlantic Monthly. In the mid-1860s she wrote passionate, fiery novels and sensation stories akin to those of English authors Wilkie Collins and Mary Elizabeth Braddon under the nom de plume A. M. Barnard. Alcott achieved further success with the first part of Little Women: or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy (1868).
Louisa May Alcott at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/102
"“Age is my alarm clock,” the old man said. “Why do old men wake so early? Is it to have one longer day?”
#OTD in 1953.
Ernest Hemingway wins the Pulitzer Prize for The Old Man and the Sea.
The story was initially published in its entirety in the September 1st, 1952 issue of Life magazine. It was later issued as a book by Charles Scribner's Sons.
English author, poet, and gardener Vita Sackville-West was born #OTD in 1892.
She published more than a dozen collections of poetry and 13 novels during her life. She was twice awarded the Hawthornden Prize for Imaginative Literature: in 1927 for her pastoral epic, The Land, & in 1933 for her Collected Poems. She was the inspiration for the protagonist of Orlando: A Biography, by her friend & lover Virginia Woolf.
Vita Sackville-West at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/34850
Zelda Fitzgerald died #OTD in 1948.
She was an American novelist, socialite, and the wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Zelda Fitzgerald herself was an important figure in the cultural scene of the 1920s and 1930s, known for her own writing, her artistic talents, and her tumultuous relationship with her husband. She struggled with mental health issues throughout her life and has been the subject of much fascination and analysis in literary and cultural circles.
English social reformer and author Caroline Norton was born #OTD in 1808.
Caroline Norton campaigned vigorously for changes to laws concerning divorce, custody rights, & property rights for married women. Her efforts were instrumental in influencing the passage of the Custody of Infants Act 1839 and the Matrimonial Causes Act 1857. In addition to her activism, she was a prolific writer. She authored novels, poetry, and essays.
Caroline Norton at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=Caroline+Norton+&submit_search=Go%21
Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh was born #OTD in 1853.
During his short and tumultuous life, van Gogh produced a vast body of work, including over 2,000 paintings, drawings, and sketches. Some of his most famous paintings include "The Starry Night," "Sunflowers," and "Irises." His art often reflects his emotional struggles, including his battles with mental illness and feelings of isolation.
Books by Van Gogh at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/40599
English novelist and poet Charlotte Brontë died #OTD in 1855.
She is best known for her novel Jane Eyre, which she published under the gender neutral pen name Currer Bell. Along with "Jane Eyre," her other notable works include "Shirley" (1849) and "Villette" (1853). Brontë's writing is celebrated for its exploration of social issues, particularly the role of women in Victorian society.
Books by Charlotte Brontë at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/408
![Cover page of The Search After Hapiness [sic]: A Tale by Charlotte Brontë](/proxy/post_attachment/141211/eb11f45900.jpg "Cover page of The Search After Hapiness [sic]: A Tale by Charlotte Brontë")
"Every sensitive person carries in himself old cities enclosed by ancient walls."
Swiss writer Robert Walser was born #OTD in 1878.
One of Walser's most notable works is his collection of short prose pieces titled "Der Spaziergang" (1917). Walser's writing fell out of favor after his death in 1956, but experienced a revival in the late 20th century, thanks in part to the efforts of literary scholars and translators.
Books by Robert Walser at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/26294
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French philosopher, an influential early socialist thinker, and one of the founders of utopian socialism Charles Fourier was born #OTD in 1772.
He developed a comprehensive system of societal organization known as Fourierism which influenced many writers and thinkers such as Dostoevsky, André Breton, Walter Benjamin, Herbert Marcuse and many others. He is is credited with having originated the word feminism in 1837.
About Fourier at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=charles+fourier&submit_search=Go%21
![Lithograph, "Vue d’un phalanstère, village français [composé] d’apres la théorie sociétaire de Ch. Fourier", H. Fugère. Date uncertain, but from 19th century. 860.05, Houghton Library, Harvard University](/proxy/post_attachment/152525/628e13e6de.jpg "Lithograph, \"Vue d’un phalanstère, village français [composé] d’apres la théorie sociétaire de Ch. Fourier\", H. Fugère. Date uncertain, but from 19th century. 860.05, Houghton Library, Harvard University")
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#OTD in 1925.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is first published in New York City, by Charles Scribner's Sons.
After its publication, The Great Gatsby received generally favorable reviews, though some literary critics believed it did not equal Fitzgerald's previous efforts. Compared to his earlier novels, This Side of Paradise (1920) and The Beautiful and Damned (1922), the novel was a commercial disappointment.
The Great Gatsby at PG:
https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/64317
Irish writer and poet who wrote under the pseudonym "Æ" George William Russell was born #OTD in 1867.
As a poet, Russell's work often explored themes of spirituality, mysticism, nature, and the Irish landscape. One of Russell's most famous works is "The Candle of Vision" (1918), a mystical autobiography in which he describes his spiritual experiences and encounters with the divine.
Books by George William Russell at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/1869
“Knowledge leaves no room for chances.”
American lawyer, Union general in the American Civil War, politician, diplomat, & author Lew Wallace was born #OTD in 1827.
He is best known for his historical novel "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ" (1880), which became one of the best-selling novels of the 19th century. He wrote several other novels, essays, and biographies, though none achieved the same level of success as Ben-Hur.
Books by Lew Wallace at PG:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/836
English writer Evelyn Waugh died #OTD in 1966.
Waugh's early works, such as "Decline and Fall" (1928) and "Vile Bodies" (1930), satirize the societal decadence and moral decline of the interwar period. However, it was his novel "Brideshead Revisited" (1945) that brought him widespread acclaim. His other notable works include "A Handful of Dust" (1934), which critiques the emptiness of modern life, and "Scoop" (1938), a satire of sensationalist journalism.
#OTD in 1897
The Grand Guignol is opened in Paris by Oscar Méténier.
From its opening in 1897 until its closing in 1962, it specialised in naturalistic horror shows. Its name is often used as a general term for graphic, amoral horror entertainment, a genre popular from Elizabethan and Jacobean theatre (for instance Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, and Webster's The Duchess of Malfi and The White Devil), to today's splatter films.
Scholar, librarian, biographer and poet Richard Garnett died #OTD in 1906.
One of Garnett's notable achievements was his involvement in the compilation of the "Dictionary of National Biography." He worked on this ambitious project, which aimed to provide biographical information on notable British figures, from its inception in 1882 until his retirement in 1899. In addition to his scholarly pursuits, Garnett was passionate about promoting libraries and reading.
#OTD in 1923.
Seán O'Casey's drama The Shadow of a Gunman, the first of his "Dublin Trilogy", set during the recent Irish War of Independence, opens at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin.
O'Casey's first accepted play, The Shadow of a Gunman. This was the beginning of a relationship that was to be fruitful for both theatre and dramatist but which ended in some bitterness. The play was followed by Juno and the Paycock (1924) and The Plough and the Stars (1926).
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