Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s fireside moment
On this day in 1809 the Drury Lane Theatre, owned by the playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan, was burnt down. Sheridan sat in an armchair with... Read More
Samuel Pepys has a dream
On this day in 1633 the English diarist Samuel Pepys was born. Sometimes he comforted himself at night as when he dreamt, during the terrible... Read More
Edna St Vincent Millay lights a candle
On this day in 1892 the American lyrical poet Edna St. Vincent Millay was born. Raised in rural Maine, Millay moved to New York City... Read More
The New Yorker, the city’s classy magazine
On this day in 1925 the first issue of the New Yorker magazine appeared. All articles are to a very high standard and facts are... Read More
Dylan Thomas’s alcoholic marriage
On this day in 1950 the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas arrived in New York City for the start of his first poetry reading tour. There... Read More
Ezra Pound’s modern poetry
On this day in 1949 American expatriate Ezra Pound won the Bollingen Prize for poetry. Pound was a major figure in literary circles between the... Read More
Michelangelo Buonarroti didn’t like painting
On this day in 1564 Michelangelo Buonarroti died aged 88. He spent years painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, in the Vatican. The project... Read More