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The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, February 20, 2026

Posted on February 20, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of filmmaker Robert Altman, born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1925. He directed several critically acclaimed films, including MASH (1970), Nashville (1975), Short Cuts (1993), and Gosford Park (2001).

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, February 19, 2026

Posted on February 19, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on this date in 1942. The order authorized the removal of any or all people from a military area, as deemed necessary by the military. Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor several weeks earlier, and residents of the West Coast felt especially vulnerable.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Posted on February 18, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of novelist Toni Morrison, born Chloe Ardelia Wofford in Lorain, Ohio (1931). When she was in her late 20s, she returned to teach at her alma mater, Howard University, and she joined a local writers’ group. Members were only allowed to come to the meetings if they had writing to share, and she appreciated the group of people — plus, she said, she really liked the food

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Posted on February 17, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of crime novelist Ruth Rendell, born in South Woodford, England (1930). Her parents were teachers, but after she graduated from high school she was determined not to become a teacher herself, so she went to work for the local paper. She covered local news, but she wasn’t the best journalist.

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, February 16, 2026

Posted on February 16, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this day in 1848 that the Polish composer Frédéric Chopin played his final concert in his adopted city of Paris. Chopin only performed about 30 concerts during his lifetime; he wrote to his friend, the composer Franz Liszt: “I am not at all fit for giving concerts, for the crowd intimidates me, its breath suffocates me, I feel paralyzed by its curious look, and the unknown faces make me dumb.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, February 15, 2026

Posted on February 15, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of comic book artist and writer Art Spiegelman, born in Stockholm, Sweden (1948), the son of Holocaust survivors, who both suffered from depression and terrible nightmares. The Spiegelmans moved to Queens, New York, where the boy fell in love with the art of Mad magazine and developed a passionate interest in comics and cartooning. By age 14, he’d sold his first piece of art to the Long Island Post.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, February 14, 2026

Posted on February 14, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is Valentine’s Day, a big day for greeting card and candy sales, which goes back more than 1,500 years to the Feast of St. Valentine established in the fifth century, though nobody is sure exactly which of the many martyred Valentines it is the feast day of. The ancient Romans had a fertility festival celebrated at mid-February of every year. The festival was called Lupercalia in honor of Lupa, the wolf who was said to have suckled Romulus and Remus, who went on to found the city of Rome.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, February 13, 2026

Posted on February 13, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the first man to travel faster than the speed of sound: Chuck Yeager, born in Myra, West Virginia, on this day in 1923. Whereas 20/20 is considered “perfect vision,” his was better than perfect at 20/10, and he once shot a deer from 600 yards away. This keen vision was a great asset to a future pilot.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, February 12, 2026

Posted on February 12, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Judy Blume, born in Elizabeth, New Jersey (1938), the best-selling author of more than two dozen books for young people. She was 27 years old, with two preschool aged children, when she began writing seriously. For two years, she received constant rejections. Then in 1970, she had her big breakthrough, with the young adult novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, February 11, 2026

Posted on February 11, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of novelist and travel writer Pico Iyer, born to Indian parents in Oxford, England (1957). After college, he spent a year working in a Mexican restaurant in the U.S., disguising himself as a Mexican. Then he and a friend went on a trip from California through Central America to Bolivia.

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