The Writer’s Almanac for August 26, 2018

Today is the birthday of French-Italian-Polish poet Guillaume Apollinaire (1880), who is credited with coining the word “Surrealism.” He had a strong interest in modern painting, and was a friend of many artists, especially Picasso.

With a poem by Stephen Dobyns.

The Writer’s Almanac for August 25, 2018

It’s the birthday of Leonard Bernstein. When he was 10, his Aunt Clara sent her piano to the Bernstein home, and Leonard became a pianist.

With a poem by John O’Keefe.

The Writer’s Almanac for August 24, 2018

It was on this day in the year 410 that Rome was sacked by the Visigoths. It was the first time in 800 years that Rome was successfully invaded.

With a poem by Robert Herrick

The Writer’s Almanac for August 23, 2018

On this date in 1966, Lunar Orbiter 1 took the first photograph of the Earth from space. It’s since been restored and digitized, and the level of detail has allowed scientists to study the weather patterns of that day.

The Writer’s Almanac for August 22, 2018

It’s the birthday of Annie Proulx, author of Brokeback Mountain, who said, “I believe if you get the landscape right, the characters will step out of it, and they’ll be in the right place. The story will come from the landscape.”

The Writer’s Almanac for August 21, 2018

It’s the birthday of jazz pianist and bandleader William “Count” Basie, born in Red Bank, New Jersey, in 1904. He got his nickname from a disk jockey, who was of the opinion that Basie was every bit as good as Duke Ellington and deserved a similarly aristocratic title.

The Writer’s Almanac for August 20, 2018

It was on this day in 1940 that an assassin mortally wounded Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky using an ice pick while Trotsky was staying in Mexico City.

The Writer’s Almanac for August 19, 2018

Today is the birthday of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the original Star Trek series. Star Trek was the first sci-fi series to depict a generally peaceful future, and that came from Roddenberry’s fundamental optimism about the human race.

The Writer’s Almanac for August 18, 2018

On this day in 1958, Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita was published in the United States by G.P. Putnam’s Sons. The book was a sensation, selling more than 100,000 copies in one week–the first novel to do so since Gone with the Wind.

The Writer’s Almanac for August 17, 2018

On this date in 1982, the first compact discs for commercial release were manufactured in Germany. The first album sold in disc form on this date? ABBA’s 1981 album The Visitors.