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Writer's Almanac

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The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, October 17, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, October 17, 2020

On this day in 1933, Albert Einstein officially moved to the United States to teach at Princeton University after renouncing his German citizenship.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, October 16, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, October 16, 2020

It’s the birthday of Irish playwright Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), a devoted aesthete and one of the most quotable authors in the English language.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, October 15, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, October 15, 2020

It’s the birthday of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844), who wrote that God was like a star whose light we can see, even though the star died long ago.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, October 14, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, October 14, 2020

It’s the birthday of poet and playwright e e cummings (1894-1962), about whom a critic once asked, “What is wrong with a man who writes like this?”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, October 13, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, October 13, 2020

It’s the birthday of Harlem Renaissance writer Arnaud “Arna” Wendell Bontemps (1902-1973), who also preserved and anthologized African American literature.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, October 12, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, October 12, 2020

On this day in 1823, Scottish chemist Charles Macintosh sold the first raincoat. They are still sometimes called “macs” in Great Britain.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, October 11, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, October 11, 2020

“Saturday Night Live” premiered on this day in 1975, with George Carlin as host and Andy Kaufman and the Muppets as special guests.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, October 10, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, October 10, 2020

It’s the birthday of singer-songwriter John Prine (1946), who died of complications stemming from COVID-19 earlier this year.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, October 9, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, October 9, 2020

It’s the birthday of writer Belva Plain (1915-2010), whose first book, “Evergreen,” stayed on the New York Times best-seller list for 61 weeks.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, October 8, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, October 8, 2020

100 years ago today, the science fiction author Frank Herbert was born in Tacoma, Washington. He is best known for “Dune” (1965) and its sequels.

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