Acclaimed author John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902, in Salinas, California. From that small farming town would come a writer whose novels captured the struggles of migrant workers, ranch hands, and families uprooted by the Great Depression.
On February 18, 1885, American readers finally got their hands on a novel that captured the raw voice and restless spirit of life along the river. The long-awaited US release of Huckleberry Finn introduced a bold storytelling style that reflected real speech, real conflict, and a complicated nation still wrestling with its past.
On January 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy took the oath of office on a cold Washington day, while the nation witnessed something entirely new at a presidential inauguration. Standing beside the youthful new president was Robert Frost, America’s most famous living poet, marking the first time poetry became part of the inaugural ceremony.
On December 20, 1812, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of Children’s and Household Tales, a collection that would later become famous around the world as Grimm’s Fairy Tales. What began as a scholarly project to preserve German folklore soon grew into one of the most influential books in literary history.
On December 19, 1843, Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol, a small book that would become one of the most famous holiday stories ever written. Released just days before Christmas, the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his ghostly visitors captured the spirit of the season—and the conscience of Victorian England. Though Dickens was already a well-known author, few could have predicted that this short Christmas book would become his most enduring work, shaping how Christmas itself is celebrated and remembered.
One of the greatest books in American literature, Moby-Dick, was first published in the United States on November 14, 1851. Its author, Herman Melville, drew deeply from his own adventurous life at sea to craft what would become one of the most profound and symbolic novels ever written.
On November 8, 1900, future novelist Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell was born in Atlanta, Georgia. Decades later, she would capture the world’s imagination with her sweeping Civil War epic Gone With the Wind.
Playwright and director Moss Hart was born on October 24, 1904, in New York City, New York. From humble beginnings in the Bronx, he rose to become one of Broadway’s most celebrated writers and directors, shaping American theater with his wit, warmth, and imagination.
Stephen Vincent Benét was born on July 22, 1898, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, he’s best known for his historically inspired poems, short stories, and novels.