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Writer's Almanac

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The Writer’s Almanac for August 8, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for August 8, 2019

On this date in 1929, the Graf Zeppelin airship took off from Lakehurst, New Jersey, on a round-the-world flight. Passengers included journalist Lady Grace Drummond-Hay.

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The Writer’s Almanac for August 7, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for August 7, 2019

On this date in 1947, Thor Heyerdahl’s raft “Kon-Tiki” crashed into a reef in French Polynesia.

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The Writer’s Almanac for August 6, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for August 6, 2019

It’s the birthday of Sir Alexander Fleming (1881), who accidentally discovered the antibacterial properties of penicillin in 1928.

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The Writer’s Almanac for August 5, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for August 5, 2019

On this day in 1957, a popular dance and music show called “American Bandstand,” hosted by a young Dick Clark, went national and introduced rock and roll to millions of people.

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The Writer’s Almanac for August 4, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for August 4, 2019

Today is the birthday of PD James (1920), who was 42 when she published her first crime novel and 59 years old when her big hit “Innocent Blood” came out.

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The Writer’s Almanac for August 3, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for August 3, 2019

Today is the birthday of PD James (1920), who was 42 when she published her first crime novel and 59 years old when her big hit “Innocent Blood” came out.

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The Writer’s Almanac for August 2, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for August 2, 2019

It’s the birthday of James Baldwin (1924), who said, “I love America more than any other country in the world and…I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for August 1, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for August 1, 2019

It’s the birthday of Maria Mitchell (1818), who grew up assisting her father with astronomical observations and who became the first female astronomy professor in the US.

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The Writer’s Almanac for July 31, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for July 31, 2019

It’s the birthday of writer and Holocaust survivor Primo Levi (1919), who warned of those “ready to believe and act without asking questions.”

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The Writer’s Almanac for July 30, 2019

The Writer’s Almanac for July 30, 2019

On this day 54 years ago, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments of 1965 into law, creating the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

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