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The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, February 12, 2024

Posted on February 12, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

Charles Darwin was born in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England (1809). When he was only 22, a man named Robert FitzRoy began looking for a naturalist who might accompany him on a voyage to the southern tip of South America. One of Darwin’s professors recommended him for the job, and Darwin jumped at the chance.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, February 11, 2024

Posted on February 11, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of physicist Leo Szilard, born in Budapest, Hungary (1898). In 1939, a few years after coming to America, knowing that German scientists had discovered nuclear fission, he drafted the famous letter that Albert Einstein sent to President Roosevelt advocating the development of an atomic bomb.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, February 10, 2024

Posted on February 10, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of poet and novelist Boris Pasternak, born near Moscow (1890). His father was a painter, his mother was a concert pianist, and Boris studied composition for six years under Scriabin. His first volume of poetry was published when he was 23, and with the publication of Over the Barriers (1917), and My Sister—Life (1922), he was recognized as a major new lyrical voice.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, February 9, 2024

Posted on February 9, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of humorist and playwright George Ade, born in Kentland, Indiana (1866). His daily column for the Chicago Record, “Stories of the Streets and of the Town,” evolved into the popular Fables in Slang (1899). The book was a best seller, and he followed with 11 more humorous volumes.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, February 8, 2024

Posted on February 8, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of novelist Jules Verne, considered the first science-fiction writer, born in Nantes, France (1828). He was a stockbroker, but he would wake up every morning at 5:00 a.m. to get in a few hours of writing before he went down to the stock exchange. His first novel, Five Weeks in a Balloon (1850), sold so well that he quit his job to write full-time.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Posted on February 7, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of writer Laura Ingalls Wilder, born in Pepin, Wisconsin (1867). The Ingalls family moved repeatedly—to Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Iowa and finally to De Smet, South Dakota. Laura married a farmer named Almanzo Wilder, and they settled in the Ozarks on a chicken farm.

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, February 6, 2024

Posted on February 6, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of film director François Truffaut, born in Paris (1932). His parents didn’t want him around, and he spent his childhood with his grandmother, forgetting his loneliness through books and movies. He estimates that he watched about two thousand movies between his tenth and fifteenth birthdays.

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, February 5, 2024

Posted on February 5, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of baseball player Hank (Henry) Aaron, born in Mobile, Alabama (1934). He started off in the Negro Leagues with the Indianapolis Clowns, then spent 20 years with the Milwaukee (later, Atlanta) Braves. He hit 755 home runs—40 more than the record set by Babe Ruth.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, February 4, 2024

Posted on February 4, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, born in Breslau, Prussia (1906). He came from a family of Lutheran theologians and pastors and decided when he was 16 that he wanted to study for the ministry. He chose to study at the Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, February 3, 2024

Posted on February 3, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the avant-garde novelist and poet Gertrude Stein, born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (1874). She was one of the early students at Radcliffe College, the sister school to Harvard University, and her favorite professor was the psychologist William James. He taught her that language often tricks us into thinking in particular ways and along particular lines.

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