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The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, April 5, 2024

Posted on April 5, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of the father of antiseptic medicine: Joseph Lister, born in Upton, England (1827). He was a surgeon at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary, where about half of all patients in surgery died later of what was called “ward fever.” The prevailing theory of infection was that it was caused by miasma, or bad air.

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, April 4, 2024

Posted on April 4, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Ann Johnson in St. Louis in 1928, whose 1969 memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was a big best-seller. It begins: “When I was three and Bailey four, we had arrived in the musty little town, wearing tags on our wrists which instructed — “To Whom It May Concern” — that we were Marguerite and Bailey Johnson Jr., from Long Beach, California, en route to Stamps, Arkansas, c/o Mrs. Annie Henderson. Our parents had decided to put an end to their calamitous marriage, and Father shipped us home to his mother.”

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Posted on April 3, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Washington Irving, born in 1783 in New York City. That same week, the British cease-fire was brokered and the American Revolution ended, and William and Sarah Irving named their youngest child in honor of its most famous general, George Washington.

The Writer’s Almanac for Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Posted on April 2, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of the fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen, born in Odense, Denmark (1805), the son of an illiterate mother and a poor cobbler. He trained for the ballet, the stage and the opera, but when all of that failed, he settled on becoming a poet. His first novel gained him enough success that he was able to afford to travel, which would become his life-long passion.

The Writer’s Almanac for Monday, April 1, 2024

Posted on April 1, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of political commentator Rachel Maddow. She was born in California’s Castro Valley (1973), not far from San Francisco. She was the first openly gay American to be chosen a Rhodes scholar, and she went on to become the first openly gay American news anchor.

The Writer’s Almanac for Sunday, March 31, 2024

Posted on March 31, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of philosopher René Descartes, born in La Haye en Touraine, France (1596), called the father of modern philosophy, but he considered himself a mathematician and scientist. He became interested in philosophy when he heard that the church persecuted Galileo for his scientific theories.

The Writer’s Almanac for Saturday, March 30, 2024

Posted on March 30, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of novelist Jon Hassler, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (1933). He worked as a teacher for 20 years before he became serious about writing, and his first novel, Staggerford (1977), was published when he was 42. He said he learned his craft at the Red Owl Grocery Store in Plainview, Minnesota where he started working when he was 11.

The Writer’s Almanac for Friday, March 29, 2024

Posted on March 29, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of author, actor, and comedian Amy Sedaris. She was born in Endicott, New York, in 1961, and she grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She’s written two satirical homemaking books, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence (2006) and Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People (2010).

The Writer’s Almanac for Thursday, March 28, 2024

Posted on March 28, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

It’s the birthday of Nelson Algren (1909). Born Nelson Algren Abraham to working-class parents in Detroit, he grew up in Chicago’s immigrant neighborhoods. He wrote his first story, “So Help Me,” during the Great Depression, while he was working at a gas station in Texas. His life — and work — changed dramatically after he was caught stealing a typewriter and spent five months in jail.

The Writer’s Almanac for Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Posted on March 27, 2024 - Writer's Almanac

On this date in 1915, the woman known as “Typhoid Mary” was put into quarantine in a cottage in the Bronx. Her name was Mary Mallon, a large and fiery 40 year old Irish-American woman. She worked as a cook in and around New York City, and every household she worked in seemed to suffer an outbreak of typhoid fever.

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