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The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, September 9, 2024

Posted on September 9, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of novelist Leo Tolstoy, born into nobility near Tula, Russia (1828). Besides the pain of losing his mother as a young boy, his childhood was one of relative ease: He read books from his father’s extensive library, went swimming and sledding, listened to stories, and played in the fields and woods on his family’s large estate. After his father died, he lived with relatives and then enrolled at the University of Kazan.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, September 8, 2024

Posted on September 8, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this day in 1920 that the first transcontinental U.S. airmail service began, from New York to San Francisco. The Wright brothers made their first flight in 1903, but it took a while for them to convince the U.S. government that airplanes were a technology worth pursuing. The brothers approached the government three separate times in 1905 hoping to interest them as a customer, but to no avail. The military finally agreed to purchase a plane from the Wrights in 1908, but it crashed during flight trials, killing the military observer and injuring Orville Wright. A year later, the flight trials resumed, and this time the government actually purchased the plane.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, September 7, 2024

Posted on September 7, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this day in 1927 that the first successful television image was demonstrated, by the inventor Philo T. Farnsworth. Farnsworth was a Mormon farm boy from Utah, and he grew up in a log cabin. When the family moved to a house in Idaho, Farnsworth was amazed that the house had electricity — he had never seen it before.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, September 6, 2024

Posted on September 6, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of writer Alice Sebold, born in Madison, Wisconsin (1963). She grew up near Philadelphia — and she says that she was the “weird” one in an otherwise normal, suburban, middle-class family. Her older sister was smart and talented, but Alice fell between the cracks. She was turned down by the University of Pennsylvania even though her father was a professor there.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, September 5, 2024

Posted on September 5, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of comedian and actor Bob Newhart, born in the Austin area of Chicago (1929). Newhart started out as an accountant before he began doing stand-up comedy in the 1950s. He became known for his deadpan style and slight stammer. He said: “I’ve been told to speed up my delivery when I perform. But if I lose the stammer, I’m just another slightly amusing accountant.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, September 4, 2024

Posted on September 4, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Richard Wright, born on a plantation near Natchez, Mississippi (1908). He’s the author of Uncle Tom’s Children (1938), Black Boy (1945), as well as a number of short stories and a volume of haiku, but he’s best known for his novel Native Son (1940).

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Posted on September 3, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of British manufacturer Matthew Boulton, born in Birmingham, England (1728). Boulton and his business partner James Watt introduced the public to the Boulton & Watt steam engine, a machine that revolutionized manufacturing.

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, September 2, 2024

Posted on September 2, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this day in 1935 that George Gershwin officially completed the score for the opera Porgy and Bess. Nine years earlier, during tryouts for his musical Oh, Kay! (1926), Gershwin picked up the novel Porgy by DuBose Heyward. Set in the slums of Charleston, South Carolina, the book told the story of a crippled beggar named Porgy, a beautiful drug addict named Bess, and her abusive lover, Crown.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, September 1, 2024

Posted on September 1, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It was on this day in 1773 that 20-year-old Phillis Wheatley published Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral. It was the first book of poetry published by an African-American. Phillis was born in West Africa and brought over as a slave when she was a young girl. She was purchased by a Boston family, who taught her to read and write, and eventually gave her her freedom.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, August 31, 2024

Posted on August 31, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Maria Montessori, born on this day in Chiaravalle, Italy (1870). She was a bright student, studied engineering when she was 13, and — against her father’s wishes — she entered a technical school, where all her classmates were boys. After a few years, she decided to pursue medicine, and she became the first woman in Italy to earn a medical degree.

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