March 11th is National Johnny Appleseed Day, a celebration of the life of pioneering nurseryman John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman. The line between reality and legend is often blurred when it comes to Chapman's biography. Hard facts about his life are sparse. He was born on September 26, 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts. His father Nathaniel was…
Frederick Douglass’ 206th birthday
Abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman Frederick Douglass was born 206 years ago. Having been born into slavery, Frederick Douglass was not 100% certain of his birth date, but he selected February 14th as his day of choice because he recalled his mother referring to him as her "little valentine." Douglass' memories of his mother were…
Anne Bronte’s 204th birthday
English novelist Anne Bronte was born on this day in 1820. The youngest of the famous Bronte sisters, she remains the most unsung, though not due to any lack of talent. While gentle and unassuming in real life, her most successful novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall rocked Victorian society with its bold presentation of…
Charles Dickens’ other Christmas tales
Just about everyone has the story of A Christmas Carol memorized, but did you know Charles Dickens wrote other Christmas books? In the 1840s, Dickens would publish four more Yuletide tales to varying degrees of success. While most repeat the formula of people being visited by supernatural beings—be they ghosts, fairies, or goblins— each has…
Happy Noirvember
Every November, movie fans celebrate “Noirvember,” a month-long commemoration of film noir. A moody, pessimistic type of crime film that originated in 1940s Hollywood, film noir has enjoyed a long shelf life beyond its original postwar milieu. Defining “film noir” (a French term that means “black film”) is surprisingly difficult. Some see it as a…
October 30, 1735 – Birthday of John Adams, second president of the United States
This October 30th marks the 288th birthday of John Adams, the second president of the United States. While often overshadowed by the other major players of the American Revolution, Adams' role should not be overshadowed. Few would deny he was a strong political philosopher with a keen intellect and fierce sense of integrity. Adams was…
Spotlight: “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame” by Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame saved Notre Dame cathedral during a crucial period in French history. This is no exaggeration. In the early nineteenth-century, the historical and cultural value of surviving medieval architecture was ignored by the general populace. Efforts to update the Notre Dame cathedral, which included replacing its stained…
August 13, 1899: Birthday of iconic filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock
British filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock was born 124 years ago today on a Friday the 13th. That latter fact seems only fitting since Hitchcock’s style has forever become associated with suspense and terror. While his most well-known films came out in the 1950s and 1960s, Hitchcock’s career lasted from the early 1920s to the late 1970s…
Bastille Day
“Vive le 14 julliet!” This phrase is associated what English speakers call Bastille Day and the French call “Quatzore Julliet.” It is the anniversary of two early events of the French Revolution: the storming of the Bastille in 1789 and the Festival of the Federation, a mass gathering held in Paris the year after. The…
Selections from Marilyn Monroe’s bookshelf
Born 97 years ago today, Marilyn Monroe remains a twentieth-century icon, representing cinematic glamor and sadly often remembered more for her untimely death than her acting talent or her contributions to the Civil Rights movement. Another thing few realize about Monroe is that she was a passionate book lover with a personal library containing over…
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