Witchflower Days

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Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Monday, July 11, Bloom and White

Birthday of literary critic and teacher Harold Bloom, born in New York City (1930) to Jewish immigrants. His first language was Yiddish, and he started reading poetry in English before he'd ever heard English spoken. He didn't do well in high school but took the statewide Regents exams, earned the... Sign in to see full entry.

The Weekend

Saturday, July 9 Birthday of novelist Larry Brown, born in Oxford, MS (1951). As a child, he read mostly hunting stories and fishing stories and cowboy stories—nothing that qualified as literature. He failed English his senior year in high school. He enlisted in the Marines, and while stationed at a... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, July 8, 2005

Bits and Pieces

Lots of facts and info today. I invite you to research what you find interesting. Born on This Day: 1838 Count Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin; invented rigid dirigibles 1839 John D Rockefeller; US capitalist; founded Standard Oil 1898 Alec Waugh London, novelist (Island in the Sun); brother of Evelyn... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, July 7, 2005

Writers, Writers, Writers

Birthday of Robert Heinlein, born in Butler, MO (1907), author of over 50 novels and many collections of short stories. Heinlein may be best known for his novel, Stranger in a Strange Land, about a boy born during the first manned mission to Mars. He called his books "speculative fiction" rather... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, July 6, 2005

Strong Beliefs, a Bit of Twain

On this day in 1535 Sir Thomas More was executed for treason as a result of his refusal to recognize King Henry VIII as head of the Anglican Church. He was a diplomat and a favorite of the king, but also one of the harshest prosecutors of heretics in the history of England. More’s downfall came... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, July 5, 2005

Birthdays and Events

This day in 1880 young George Bernard Shaw quit his job at the Edison Telephone Company in London to be a writer full time. He wrote novels. He sat in the British Museum reading room, reading and writing his first five novels—all rejected. He caught smallpox while writing one of them. It took Shaw... Sign in to see full entry.

Fourth of July

USA Independence Day. On this day in 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, and the United States officially broke from the rule of England. The Declaration was written by Thomas Jefferson in a little second floor room on Market Street in... Sign in to see full entry.

The Weekend

Saturday, July 2 Birthday of Thomas Cranmer, born in Nottinghamshire, England (1489). He was the Archbishop of Canterbury who suggested to King Henry VIII that he didn't need to get the Pope's permission to divorce his wife. Cranmer presided over the divorce trial. He helped encourage England's... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, July 1, 2005

Gettysburg, Superman, Cain, and Strunk

On this day, the 1st of July 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg began. General Robert E. Lee brought his army of Northern Virginia up north after their victory at Chancellorsville. 75,000 Confederate soldiers and about 95,000 Union soldiers met at Gettysburg on this morning in 1863. It was the largest... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

Poets, Poets, Poets. . .and Dickens

Birthday of poet Ann Taylor, born in Islington, England (1782), writer of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Birthday of poet and playwright John Gay, born in Barnstaple, England (1832), best known for his play The Beggar's Opera, first performed in 1728. A story of thieves and highwaymen, it ran for... Sign in to see full entry.

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