Nov 03
Sir Ludovic Kennedy (1919) It was on this date, November 3, 1919, that British writer and broadcaster Ludovic Henry Coverley Kennedy was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. Ludovic Kennedy, the son of a sea captain who died in battle, saw action himself in World War II in the Royal Navy, then embarked on a successful career …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3761
Oct 27
Desiderius Erasmus (1466) It was on this date, October 27, 1466, that the Dutch author, and the greatest humanist scholar of the northern Renaissance, Desiderius Erasmus was born Gerrit Gerritszoon in Rotterdam, in what is now the Netherlands. He was the product of a liaison between a housekeeper-niece and a Dutch priest. Ordained a priest …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3603
Oct 19
Sir Thomas Browne (1605) It was on this date, October 19, 1605, that British writer Sir Thomas Browne was born in London, the son of a prosperous silk merchant who died when Thomas was eight. Browne nevertheless studied at Pembroke College, Oxford, where he took his B.A. in 1626 and his M.A. three years later. …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3724
Oct 19
Leigh Hunt (1784) It was on this date, October 19, 1784, that English writer James Leigh Hunt was born in Southgate, Middlesex. His father was a clergyman, but got into financial difficulties and ended up in a debtor’s prison, leaving Leigh Hunt in the care of his mother. Early on, Hunt developed a twin passion …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3717
Oct 18
Henri Bergson (1859) It was also on this date, October 18, 1859, that French philosopher Henri-Louis Bergson was born in Paris, in the Rue Lamartine, not far from the Opera House. His heritage was a blend of a prominent Jewish family from Poland and Irish stock on his mother’s side. Bergson spent most of his …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3702
Oct 16
Oscar Wilde (1854) It was on this date, October 16, 1854, that Irish writer Oscar O’Flahertie Fingal Wills Wilde was born in Dublin. Oscar Wilde probably inherited from his feminist mother, by example if not by genetics, a flair for the dramatic in style and behavior. Wilde graduated from Oxford and moved to London to …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3697
Oct 15
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844) It was on this date, October 15, 1844, that German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was born in Röcken, Saxony, the son of a Lutheran pastor who died when he was five. Brought up by pious relatives, Nietzsche was educated at the universities of Bonn (1864-65) and Leipzig (1864-68), becoming a professor at the …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3684
Oct 15
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (1917) It was on this date, October 15, 1917, that American historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. was born in Columbus, Ohio. The son of a prominent American historian of the same name, Arthur Jr graduated from Harvard University in 1938, and became a professor of history at Harvard from 1946 to …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3691
Oct 05
Denis Diderot (1713) On this date, October 5, 1713, the most famous French Encyclopedist, Denis Diderot, was born in Langres. Educated by the Jesuits (1728-1732), he took the opportunity to read everything that came his way, and then escaped before they could ordain him. Diderot gradually lost his faith between his Essay on Merit and …
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Oct 05
John Addington Symonds (1840) It was on this date, October 5, 1840, that British writer John Addington Symonds was born in Bristol. Having health problems throughout his life, Symonds gave up the intensity of the study of law and turned to letters. He achieved great distinction with his classic Short History of the Renaissance in …
Permanent link to this article: http://freethoughtalmanac.com/?p=3446
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