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Writer's Almanac

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The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, October 7, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, October 7, 2020

It’s the birthday of poet and author Diane Ackerman (1948), who is known for her wide-ranging works that blend science and literary art.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, October 6, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, October 6, 2020

200 years ago today, Jenny Lind was born in Stockholm, Sweden. She is considered to be one of the most gifted sopranos ever.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, October 5, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, October 5, 2020

It’s the birthday of Czech activist-turned-president Václav Havel (1936-2011), who said, “The solution to the situation does not lie in leaving it.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, October 4, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, October 4, 2020

On this date in 1535, the first complete modern English translation of the Bible was compiled and printed by Myles Coverdale.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, October 3, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, October 3, 2020

It’s the birthday of Emily Post (1873), who said, “Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, October 2, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, October 2, 2020

It’s the birthday of Nat Turner (Virginia, 1800), who led one of the most famous and effective slave revolts of the Americas in 1831.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, October 1, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, October 1, 2020

It’s the birthday of Jimmy Carter (1924), who said, “A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, September 30, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, September 30, 2020

It’s the birthday of W.S. Merwin (1927-2019), who asked that his Pulitzer Prize money be given to a painter who was blinded by police in a 1969 Berkeley protest.

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The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, September 29, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, September 29, 2020

It’s the birthday of novelist Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865), who said, “I do not see why the public have any more to do with me than buy or reject the ware I supply to them.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, September 28, 2020

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, September 28, 2020

On this date in 1918, a parade to sell war bonds resulted in an epidemic of the “Spanish flu” that caused mass death in Philadelphia.

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