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The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, September 1, 2026

Posted on September 1, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this date in 1850 that P.T. Barnum brought Jenny Lind to New York. Lind, the “Swedish Nightingale,” was a gifted soprano who was wildly popular in Europe, and Barnum became aware of her in 1849, as she was wrapping up her third London season.

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, August 31, 2026

Posted on August 31, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Armenian-American writer William Saroyan, born in Fresno, California (1908). His parents were recent refugees from the Turkish massacres in Armenia. His father died when William was three.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, August 30, 2026

Posted on August 30, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of American cartoonist R. Crumb, born Robert Dennis Crumb in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1943). His father was a combat illustrator for 20 years while serving in the Marines.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, August 29, 2026

Posted on August 29, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, born in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1920. He’s one of the fathers — along with Dizzy Gillespie — of the jazz style known as “bebop,” although he never really liked to label it that way.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, August 28, 2026

Posted on August 28, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

On this day in 1963, more than 200,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, now known as the March on Washington.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, August 27, 2026

Posted on August 27, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

On this date in 1859, petroleum was discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania. It’s been called “the most important oil well ever drilled” because it marked the beginning of the modern petroleum age.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Posted on August 26, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of American writer Barbara Ehrenreich (1941), best known for her book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America (2001).

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Posted on August 25, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

And it’s the birthday of conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, born in Lawrence, Massachusetts (1918). When he was 40, he became the youngest musical director ever in charge of the New York Philharmonic.

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, August 24, 2026

Posted on August 24, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Mount Vesuvius erupted, destroying the Roman city of Pompeii, on this date in the year 79. Pompeii was about five miles away from the mountain, and it was a resort town for Rome’s elite.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, August 23, 2026

Posted on August 23, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of writer Edgar Lee Masters, born in Garnett, Kansas (1868). He spent most of his childhood on his grandparents’ farm near Petersburg, Illinois.

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