The Story of Writing

Benedict Arnold betrays George Washington and the American colonists, and the birthday club includes H. G. Wells, Allen Lane, Chuck Jones, and Stephen King - with a reading from Wells' "The Time Mach…

Magellan sets sail, the Battle of the Sexes hits the tennis court, "don't ask, don't tell" ends, and happy birthday to Upton Sinclair - with a reading from his landmark book "The Jungle."

U.S. President George Washington publishes his farewell address, and the birthday club includes Sadie Delany, Rachel Fields, and William Golding - with a reading from "Death Comes for the Archbishop,…

Tiffany and Young opens its doors and the New-York Daily Times publishes its first edition - both became NYC landmarks, now known as Tiffany & Co. and the New York Times. Booker T. Washington gives h…

The U.S. Constitution is approved and the Union and Confederate Armies fought the terrible battle of Antietam. The birthday club includes William Carlos Williams, John Creasey, Elizabeth Enright, Mar…

Signing of the Montreal Protocol and the birthday club includes Francis Parkman, Miriam Benjamin, and H. A. Rey - with a reading from Parkman's "The Oregon Trail."

The HMS Beagle - with Charles Darwin aboard - lands on the Galápagos Islands and the 16th St. Church is bombed in Birmingham, Alabama. Happy birthday to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - with a reading from…

Handel's Messiah is performed for the first time, the birthday club includes William H. Armstrong, Kate Millett, Bernard MacLaverty, and Bonnie Jo Campbell, and a reading from Millett's "The Loony Bi…

Henry Hudson explores the river named after him in what is now New York, the battle of Quebec ends after three months of siege and 45 minutes of battle, Francis Scott Key witnessed the bombardment of…

Elizabeth Barrett elopes with Robert Browning, JFK delivers his speech, "We Choose to Go to the Moon," and the birthday club includes H. L. Mencken, Nellie Wong, and Michael Ondaatje - with a reading…

John Smith is named council president of Jamestown colony, Elias Howe is granted a patent for his sewing machine, and the birthday club includes Hanna Webster Foster, Mary Oliver, and Stephen Jay Gou…

The U.S. Congress agrees to the compromise of 1850 and it is the birthday of Leo Tolstoy - with a reading from his landmark work "War and Peace."

Michelangelo's sculpture David was unveiled in Florence, the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance is published, and a reading from Oscar Wilde's "The Portrait of Dorian Gray."

Union General William T. Sherman orders the evacuation of Atlanta, and the birthday club includes C. J. Dennis, Elinor Wylie, Edith Sitwell, Dorothy Marie Donnelly, and Sonny Rollins - with a reading…

The Pilgrims set sail on the Mayflower, Louisa Ann Swain becomes the first American woman to legally cast a ballot, and the birthday club includes Isabella Leonarda, Jane Addams, and Robert Pirsig - …

Russia imposes a tax on beards, the UK declares war on China, and U.S. forces arrest "Tokyo Rose." Happy birthday to Jonathan Kozol - with a reading from Kozol's "Savage Inequalities."

Los Angeles is founded, Kodak is registered as a trademark, and Evelyn Waugh publishes "A Handful of Dust." The birthday club includes Richard Wright and Beyonce - with a reading from "Rebecca of Sun…

The British Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell dies, the Treaty of Paris ends the American Revolutionary War, and Frederick Douglass escapes from slavery. The UN institutes the international treaty calle…

For the first time, Theodore Roosevelt says "Walk softly and carry a big stick," the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, and the birthday club includes Eugene Field and Billy Preston - w…