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The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, February 26, 2026

Posted on February 26, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

President Woodrow Wilson established the Grand Canyon National Park on this date in 1919, after a 30 year opposition from ranchers, miners, and entrepreneurs. Today, the Grand Canyon National Park covers more than 1,900 square miles; the canyon itself is 277 river miles long, 10 miles wide, and a mile deep.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Posted on February 25, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this date in 1570 Queen Elizabeth I was officially excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church and declared a heretic, whereupon The English Parliament declared it treason to call the queen a heretic or imply that she was not the rightful monarch. It put English Catholics in a bind: They had to choose between renouncing their faith or facing crippling fines for committing treason.

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, February 24, 2026

Posted on February 24, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of Wilhelm Grimm, born in Hanau, Germany (1786), who with his brother Jacob collected and compiled oral folktales from nearby villages. The brothers Grimm published their first volume in 1812, many of them very dark and violent. While their original intent was only to preserve their culture’s oral folktales, they soon realized children were reading their book,

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, February 23, 2026

Posted on February 23, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

On this date in 1455, the first printing of the Gutenberg Bible began in Mainz, Germany. Although books in China had been printed as early as the 9th century, every book in Europe had been produced by hand, copied painstakingly by scribes, until Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press with moveable type.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, February 22, 2026

Posted on February 22, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Edna St. Vincent Millay, born in Rockland, Maine (1892). She and her two sisters were raised by a single mother, and they grew up poor in rural Maine. In August of 1912, the 20-year-old Millay was asked to recite some poetry at an evening party at the Whitehall Inn in Camden, Maine.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, February 21, 2026

Posted on February 21, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Anaïs Nin, born in Neuilly, France (1903), the daughter of a Spanish composer and Danish-Cuban classically trained singer. She studied psychoanalysis with Otto Rank, and was a patient of Carl Jung at one time. She wrote in literary obscurity for most of her life, until her diaries began to be published in 1966.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, February 20, 2026

Posted on February 20, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of filmmaker Robert Altman, born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1925. He directed several critically acclaimed films, including MASH (1970), Nashville (1975), Short Cuts (1993), and Gosford Park (2001).

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, February 19, 2026

Posted on February 19, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on this date in 1942. The order authorized the removal of any or all people from a military area, as deemed necessary by the military. Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor several weeks earlier, and residents of the West Coast felt especially vulnerable.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, February 18, 2026

Posted on February 18, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of novelist Toni Morrison, born Chloe Ardelia Wofford in Lorain, Ohio (1931). When she was in her late 20s, she returned to teach at her alma mater, Howard University, and she joined a local writers’ group. Members were only allowed to come to the meetings if they had writing to share, and she appreciated the group of people — plus, she said, she really liked the food

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, February 17, 2026

Posted on February 17, 2026 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of crime novelist Ruth Rendell, born in South Woodford, England (1930). Her parents were teachers, but after she graduated from high school she was determined not to become a teacher herself, so she went to work for the local paper. She covered local news, but she wasn’t the best journalist.

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