The Story of Writing

The Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention begins, and it is the birthday of Alice Dunbar-Nelson - with a reading from her poem "If I Had Known."

The Hough Riots choke the streets of Cleveland, and the birthday club includes William Makepeace Thackery, Nelson Mendela, and Hunter S. Thompson. Today's reading is from Jean Ingelow's "Cold and Quiet."

Spain sells Florida to the U.S., Willis Carrier draws up the plan for the air conditioner, and the International Criminal Court is created. Happy birthday to Phyllis Diller - with a reading of "Solitude," by Ella Wheeler Wilcox.

J. D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" is published and happy birthday to Ida B. Wells - with a reading from her speech "Lynch Law in America."

The Rosetta Stone is discovered, the Spanish Inquisition ends, and Alzheimer's is named. Happy birthdays to Clement Clark Moore and Iris Murdoch - with a reading from Murdoch's "The Bell."

It's Bastille Day! Also, U.S. President John Adams signs the Sedition Act, another fire nearly destroys the city of Chicago, and Jane Goodall reaches the Gombe Stream Reserve to begin studying chimpanzees. Happy birthdays to Mario, William Hanna, and Woody Guthrie - with a reading from Guthrie's "Pretty Boy Floyd."

The birthday club includes George Weller, Marcia Brown, and Cameron Crowe - with a reading of "Miracles" by Jean Blewett.

It's Thoreau-Neruda Day! Today's episode includes a reading from Thoreau's essay, "Walking."

The Jay Treaty is signed by the UK and the U.S., America's most famous duel takes place, and Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" is published. Happy birthdays to E. B. White and Jhumpa Lahiri - with a reading from White's "Here is New York."

French King Louis XVI declares war on Great Britain, Alexander Mackenzie completes his 3,000 mile trip through the Canadian wilderness to the Pacific, and French secret agents bomb the Greenpeace ship "Rainbow Warrior." Happy birthdays to Marcel Proust and Alice Munro - with a reading from Proust's "In Search of Lost Time."

The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, the Russell-Einstein Manifesto is made public, and happy birthdays to Elias Howe and Oliver Sacks - with a reading of "Bohemia," by Dorothy Parker.

The Wall Street Journal publishes its first issue, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hits its lowest point in the 20th Century, and the Nixon Administration said it would support self-determination for indigenous people. Happy birthday to Ruby Sales - with a reading of "Hope," by Emily Dickinson.

The Anti-Abolitionist Race Riot begins in New York City, the U.S. begins its first military draft - with loopholes, Hawaii and Alaska change status, and the Ziegfeld Follies begin. This is also the day when the first SLICED loaf of bread went on sale. Today's reading is "Thoughts," by Myra Viola Wilds.

(Sorry, I hab a hed code.) Louis Pasteur successfully tests his rabies vaccine, Jackie Robinson refuses to move to the back of the bus, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney meet for the first time. Happy birthdays to Bill Haley and Nanci Griffith - with a reading from Griffith's "Late Night Grande Hotel."

Sir Isaac Newton publishes his landmark work in physics "Principia" and Frederick Douglass gives his speech "What, to the Slave, is Your 4th of July?" It is also the birthday of Spam, the bikini, and Bill Watterson - with a reading from Douglass's speech.

In the American colonies, the Second Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence. It was one of the world's most challenging bits of writing. So, we look at some of the sources Thomas Jefferson used to convince his audience - with a reading from a letter written by Declaration signatory Benjamin Rush to John Adams.

George Washington fights in his first battle and - two decades later - he becomes a General and leader of the Continental Army. The Battle of Gettysburg comes to its bloody end. Happy birthday to Charlotte Perkins Gilman - with a reading from her classic "The Yellow Wallpaper."

The American Continental Congress resolves to sever ties with England, a group of people from Sierra Leone took control of the slave ship Amistad , Jean Sibelius premiers "Finlandia, and U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law. Happy birthdays to Herman Hesse and Thurgood Marshall - with a reading from Hesse's "On Little Joys."

The U.S. Civil War Battle of Gettysburg begins, Canada is born - as is the Tour de France and "SOS." The World War I Battle of the Somme begins and happy birthday to George Sand - with a reading from Sand's "Indiana."

An evolution debate at Oxford turns nasty, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Yosemite Valley Grant Act, Albert Einstein submits for publication his " On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies," and the National Organization of Women is established. And happy birthday to Joan Murrell Owens. Today's reading is “One Sea-Side Grave” by Christina Rosetti.

London's Globe Theater burns down and the birthday club includes Giacomo Leopardi, Celia Thaxter, and Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Today's reading is "The Sandpiper," by Thaxter.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated, and - five years later, to the day - European powers sign the Treaty of Versailles. Today's reading is "The Traveller's Heart," by Vachel Lindsay.

The birthday club includes Emma Goldman, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Helen Keller, and Grace Lee Boggs - with a reading from Boggs' "The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century."

The Allies sign the United Nations Charter, Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" is published, J. K. Rowling publishes the first Harry Potter book, and the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution protects the right of same-sex couples to marry. Happy birthday to Pearl S. Buck - with a reading of "Sonnet" by Alice Moore Dunbar-Nelson.

Custer's last stand and George Orwell's birthday - with a reading of Lucille Clifton's "won't you celebrate with me."