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Author Jack Kerouac died on October 21,:1969 in St. Petersburg Florida of cirrhosis of the liver, at age 47. I must admit I have absolutely zero appreciation for him as a writer. Nada. Nothing. Zilch. Goose egg.
Kerouac, of French-Canadian ancestry, was raised in a French-speaking home in Lowell, Massachusetts, and didn't learn English until age six. He served in the US Navy during WWII, and he wrote his first novel, which was not published until 40 years after his death. I have no idea what the name is
In 1957, On the Road was published. Why, I will never understand, but apparently some people find it life-changing. Whatever.
Places.
Author Jack Kerouac died on October 21,:1969 in St. Petersburg Florida of cirrhosis of the liver, at age 47. I must admit I have absolutely zero appreciation for him as a writer. Nada. Nothing. Zilch. Goose egg.
Kerouac lived with his wife and mother in two Florida houses. The first pictured, in Orlando, now belongs to the Orlando Writers Projects and is the site of workshops, meetings, and events. He wrote Dharma Bums there.
The second house is in St. Petersburg and is where he was living when he died. A former literature professor and his wife purchased it in 2020. His mother died in 1973, and his wife in 1990. For a while, it was unoccupied. Fans occasionally broke in and held seances and parties, and mail and packages addressed to the author showed up for years.
Author Jack Kerouac died on October 21,:1969 in St. Petersburg Florida of cirrhosis of the liver, at age 47. I must admit I have absolutely zero appreciation for him as a writer. Nada. Nothing. Zilch. Goose egg.
Kerouac lived with his wife and mother in two Florida houses. The first pictured, in Orlando, now belongs to the Orlando Writers Projects and is the site of workshops, meetings, and events. He wrote Dharma Bums there.
The second house is in St. Petersburg and is where he was living when he died. A former literature professor and his wife purchased it in 2020. His mother died in 1973, and his wife in 1990. For a while, it was unoccupied. Fans occasionally broke in and held seances and parties, and mail and packages addressed to the author showed up for years.
Thing.
Author Jack Kerouac died on October 21,:1969 in St. Petersburg Florida of cirrhosis of the liver, at age 47. I must admit I have absolutely zero appreciation for him as a writer. Nada. Nothing. Zilch. Goose egg.
Kerouac is considered one of the founders of and THE novelist of the Beat Movement.
From Wikipedia:
"The Beat Generation was a literary movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generationers in the 1950s. The central elements of Beat culture are the rejection of standard narrative values, making a spiritual quest, the exploration of American and Eastern religions, the rejection of economic materialism, explicit portrayals of the human condition, experimentation with psychedelic drugs, and sexual liberation and exploration.
Allen Ginsberg's Howl (1956), William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch (1959), and Jack Kerouac's On the Road (1957) are among the best known examples of Beat literature.Both Howl and Naked Lunch were the focus of obscenity trials that ultimately helped to liberalize publishing in the United States. The members of the Beat Generation developed a reputation as new bohemian hedonists, who celebrated non-conformity and spontaneous creativity...
In the 1950s, a Beatnik subculture formed around the literary movement, although this was often viewed critically by major authors of the Beat movement. In the 1960s, elements of the expanding Beat movement were incorporated into the hippie and larger counterculture movements. Neal Cassady, as the driver for Ken Kesey's bus Furthur, was the primary bridge between these two generations. Ginsberg's work also became an integral element of early 1960s hippie culture, in which he actively participated."
Author Jack Kerouac died on October 21,:1969 in St. Petersburg Florida of cirrhosis of the liver, at age 47. I must admit I have absolutely zero appreciation for him as a writer. Nada. Nothing. Zilch. Goose egg.
Kerouac is considered one of the founders of and THE novelist of the Beat Movement.
From Wikipedia:
"The Beat Generation was a literary movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generationers in the 1950s. The central elements of Beat culture are the rejection of standard narrative values, making a spiritual quest, the exploration of American and Eastern religions, the rejection of economic materialism, explicit portrayals of the human condition, experimentation with psychedelic drugs, and sexual liberation and exploration.
Allen Ginsberg's Howl (1956), William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch (1959), and Jack Kerouac's On the Road (1957) are among the best known examples of Beat literature.Both Howl and Naked Lunch were the focus of obscenity trials that ultimately helped to liberalize publishing in the United States. The members of the Beat Generation developed a reputation as new bohemian hedonists, who celebrated non-conformity and spontaneous creativity...
In the 1950s, a Beatnik subculture formed around the literary movement, although this was often viewed critically by major authors of the Beat movement. In the 1960s, elements of the expanding Beat movement were incorporated into the hippie and larger counterculture movements. Neal Cassady, as the driver for Ken Kesey's bus Furthur, was the primary bridge between these two generations. Ginsberg's work also became an integral element of early 1960s hippie culture, in which he actively participated."
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Person.
For an estimated 50,000 to 500,000 people in the US and the UK, October 22, 1844 became known as "The Great Disappointment," for it was the day that preacher William Miller had prophesied for the Second Coming, or Advent, of Jesus Christ.
To be fair, Miller himself never picked a specific date. His calculations, based chiefly on Daniel 8:14, revealed a year-long range, from March 21, 1843 to March 21, 1844. When March 21, 1844 passed, April 18 was designated to be the big day. When April 18 passed, Miller issued a statement saying he had made an error but still believed the day was near. Another Millerite preacher determined the date was actually October 22, 1844.
Alas, October 22 came and went, and Miller's followers were thrown into deep sorrow and "such a spirit of weeping" as never experienced before, as one preacher put it. Shaken, some followers abandoned religion, some returned to their former churches, and a few made plans to travel to Palestine to be closer to the event when it did occur
Hundreds of Millerites formed the Advent Christian Church, based on Miller's theology, with 61,000 members today. Hundreds of others joined the Shakers, the celibate sect that by the 1840s had come to believe that it's founder, Mother Ann Lee, was, in fact, the Second Coming of Christ herself.
A few dozen, led by Ellen and James White, Joseph Bates, and J.N. Andrews, founded the Seventh-day Adventist Church, with up to 25 million members today, the 12th largest religious body in the world. They still await the Second Coming, but, in the meantime, promote holistic health and medicine, kosher food laws, vegetarianism, and celebrating Sabbath on Saturdays.
William Miller died in 1849 in New York.
For an estimated 50,000 to 500,000 people in the US and the UK, October 22, 1844 became known as "The Great Disappointment," for it was the day that preacher William Miller had prophesied for the Second Coming, or Advent, of Jesus Christ.
To be fair, Miller himself never picked a specific date. His calculations, based chiefly on Daniel 8:14, revealed a year-long range, from March 21, 1843 to March 21, 1844. When March 21, 1844 passed, April 18 was designated to be the big day. When April 18 passed, Miller issued a statement saying he had made an error but still believed the day was near. Another Millerite preacher determined the date was actually October 22, 1844.
Alas, October 22 came and went, and Miller's followers were thrown into deep sorrow and "such a spirit of weeping" as never experienced before, as one preacher put it. Shaken, some followers abandoned religion, some returned to their former churches, and a few made plans to travel to Palestine to be closer to the event when it did occur
Hundreds of Millerites formed the Advent Christian Church, based on Miller's theology, with 61,000 members today. Hundreds of others joined the Shakers, the celibate sect that by the 1840s had come to believe that it's founder, Mother Ann Lee, was, in fact, the Second Coming of Christ herself.
A few dozen, led by Ellen and James White, Joseph Bates, and J.N. Andrews, founded the Seventh-day Adventist Church, with up to 25 million members today, the 12th largest religious body in the world. They still await the Second Coming, but, in the meantime, promote holistic health and medicine, kosher food laws, vegetarianism, and celebrating Sabbath on Saturdays.
William Miller died in 1849 in New York.
Place.
For an estimated 50,000 to 500,000 people in the US and the UK, October 22, 1844 became known as "The Great Disappointment," for it was the day that preacher William Miller had prophesied for the Second Coming, or Advent, of Jesus Christ.
To be fair, Miller himself never picked a specific date. His calculations, based chiefly on Daniel 8:14, revealed a year-long range, from March 21, 1843 to March 21, 1844. When March 21, 1844 passed, April 18 was designated to be the big day. When April 18 passed, Miller issued a statement saying he had made an error but still believed the day was near. Another Millerite preacher determined the date was actually October 22, 1844.
Alas, October 22 came and went, and Miller's followers were thrown into deep sorrow and "such a spirit of weeping" as never experienced before, as one preacher put it. Some followers gave up on religion totally. Others went to other denominations. Two groups born out of Miller's teaching, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Advent Christian Church maintain Miller's New York farm, the homes of two other leaders, and the Adventist Historic Village in Battle Creek Michigan as historic sites.
For an estimated 50,000 to 500,000 people in the US and the UK, October 22, 1844 became known as "The Great Disappointment," for it was the day that preacher William Miller had prophesied for the Second Coming, or Advent, of Jesus Christ.
To be fair, Miller himself never picked a specific date. His calculations, based chiefly on Daniel 8:14, revealed a year-long range, from March 21, 1843 to March 21, 1844. When March 21, 1844 passed, April 18 was designated to be the big day. When April 18 passed, Miller issued a statement saying he had made an error but still believed the day was near. Another Millerite preacher determined the date was actually October 22, 1844.
Alas, October 22 came and went, and Miller's followers were thrown into deep sorrow and "such a spirit of weeping" as never experienced before, as one preacher put it. Some followers gave up on religion totally. Others went to other denominations. Two groups born out of Miller's teaching, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Advent Christian Church maintain Miller's New York farm, the homes of two other leaders, and the Adventist Historic Village in Battle Creek Michigan as historic sites.
Thing.
For an estimated 50,000 to 500,000 people in the US and the UK, October 22, 1844 became known as "The Great Disappointment," for it was the day that preacher William Miller had prophesied for the Second Coming, or Advent, of Jesus Christ.
To be fair, Miller himself never picked a specific date. His calculations, based chiefly on Daniel 8:14, revealed a year-long range, from March 21, 1843 to March 21, 1844. When predictions proved false, former Millerites moved in many directions, religion-wise. One group of followers formed the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Besides believing in celebrating the Sabbath on Saturdays, the church promotes holistic healthcare based on diet.
From Wikipedia:
"Since the 1860s when the church began, wholeness and health have been an emphasis of the Adventist church. Adventists are known for presenting a health message that advocates vegetarianism and expects adherence to the kosher laws, particularly the consumption of kosher foods described in Leviticus 11, meaning abstinence from pork, rabbit, shellfish, and other animals proscribed as "unclean". The church discourages its members from consuming alcoholic beverages, tobacco or illegal drugs since the 1800s (compare Christianity and alcohol).In addition, some Adventists avoid refined foods, sweeteners, and caffeine."
The Kellogg brothers opened a very successful sanitarium in Battle Creek Michigan, with practices and regimens dictated by the church. The sanitarium dining room provided only vegetarian meals and lots of grains, like the original corn flakes
For an estimated 50,000 to 500,000 people in the US and the UK, October 22, 1844 became known as "The Great Disappointment," for it was the day that preacher William Miller had prophesied for the Second Coming, or Advent, of Jesus Christ.
To be fair, Miller himself never picked a specific date. His calculations, based chiefly on Daniel 8:14, revealed a year-long range, from March 21, 1843 to March 21, 1844. When predictions proved false, former Millerites moved in many directions, religion-wise. One group of followers formed the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Besides believing in celebrating the Sabbath on Saturdays, the church promotes holistic healthcare based on diet.
From Wikipedia:
"Since the 1860s when the church began, wholeness and health have been an emphasis of the Adventist church. Adventists are known for presenting a health message that advocates vegetarianism and expects adherence to the kosher laws, particularly the consumption of kosher foods described in Leviticus 11, meaning abstinence from pork, rabbit, shellfish, and other animals proscribed as "unclean". The church discourages its members from consuming alcoholic beverages, tobacco or illegal drugs since the 1800s (compare Christianity and alcohol).In addition, some Adventists avoid refined foods, sweeteners, and caffeine."
The Kellogg brothers opened a very successful sanitarium in Battle Creek Michigan, with practices and regimens dictated by the church. The sanitarium dining room provided only vegetarian meals and lots of grains, like the original corn flakes
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Person.
American lawyer and statesman Daniel Webster died in October 24, 1852 at age 70.
Webster really was a legend in his own time. He was known throughout the country for his debate and oratory skills. He argued over 200 cases before the US Supreme Court, including several landmark cases like Dartmouth vs Woodward, McCulloch vs Maryland, Gibbons vs Ogden. He served in the US House of Representatives and in the US Senate. He served as Secretary of State under William Henry Harrison and John Tyler, and he sought the presidential nomination of the Whig Party in 1852. Along with John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay, he is considered one of the "American Triumvirate," a trio of politicians who dominated American politics and shaped American history in the first half of the 1800s.
In 1936, Stephen Vincent Benet wrote a short story that became a class, regularly taught in high school literature classes (at least in the olden days), called "The Devil and Daniel Webster." It was an updated version of the age-old trope of oratory combat with the Devil himself. New Hampshire farmer Jabez Stone agrees to a deal with a stranger named Mr. Scratch. In return for seven years of prosperity, Stone would give give his soul to the devil. When it's time to give up his soul, Stone is defended by Daniel Webster before a judge and jury selected by Mr. Scratch, including some of the most infamously notorious characters in American history.
The story has been adapted numerous times for stage, radio, television, and motion pictures.
American lawyer and statesman Daniel Webster died in October 24, 1852 at age 70.
Webster really was a legend in his own time. He was known throughout the country for his debate and oratory skills. He argued over 200 cases before the US Supreme Court, including several landmark cases like Dartmouth vs Woodward, McCulloch vs Maryland, Gibbons vs Ogden. He served in the US House of Representatives and in the US Senate. He served as Secretary of State under William Henry Harrison and John Tyler, and he sought the presidential nomination of the Whig Party in 1852. Along with John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay, he is considered one of the "American Triumvirate," a trio of politicians who dominated American politics and shaped American history in the first half of the 1800s.
In 1936, Stephen Vincent Benet wrote a short story that became a class, regularly taught in high school literature classes (at least in the olden days), called "The Devil and Daniel Webster." It was an updated version of the age-old trope of oratory combat with the Devil himself. New Hampshire farmer Jabez Stone agrees to a deal with a stranger named Mr. Scratch. In return for seven years of prosperity, Stone would give give his soul to the devil. When it's time to give up his soul, Stone is defended by Daniel Webster before a judge and jury selected by Mr. Scratch, including some of the most infamously notorious characters in American history.
The story has been adapted numerous times for stage, radio, television, and motion pictures.
Place.
American lawyer and statesman Daniel Webster died in October 24, 1852 at age 70.
Webster really was a legend in his own time. He was known throughout the country for his debate and oratory skills. He argued over 200 cases before the US Supreme Court, including several landmark cases like Dartmouth vs Woodward, McCulloch vs Maryland, Gibbons vs Ogden. He served in the US House of Representatives and in the US Senate. He served as Secretary of State under William Henry Harrison and John Tyler, and he sought the presidential nomination of the Whig Party in 1852. Along with John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay, he is considered one of the "American Triumvirate," a trio of politicians who dominated American politics and shaped American history in the first half of the 1800s.
Daniel Webster's birthplace, a two room log cabin, is now a part of the Daniel Webster State Historic Park near Franklin New Hampshire, along with a larger farm house.
In 1936, Stephen Vincent Benet wrote a short story that became a class, regularly taught in high school literature classes (at least in the olden days), called "The Devil and Daniel Webster." It was an updated version of the age-old trope of oratory combat with the Devil himself. New Hampshire farmer Jabez Stone agrees to a deal with a stranger named Mr. Scratch. In return for seven years of prosperity, Stone would give give his soul to the devil. When it's time to give up his soul, Stone is defended by Daniel Webster before a judge and jury selected by Mr. Scratch, including some of the most infamously notorious characters in American history.
American lawyer and statesman Daniel Webster died in October 24, 1852 at age 70.
Webster really was a legend in his own time. He was known throughout the country for his debate and oratory skills. He argued over 200 cases before the US Supreme Court, including several landmark cases like Dartmouth vs Woodward, McCulloch vs Maryland, Gibbons vs Ogden. He served in the US House of Representatives and in the US Senate. He served as Secretary of State under William Henry Harrison and John Tyler, and he sought the presidential nomination of the Whig Party in 1852. Along with John C. Calhoun and Henry Clay, he is considered one of the "American Triumvirate," a trio of politicians who dominated American politics and shaped American history in the first half of the 1800s.
Daniel Webster's birthplace, a two room log cabin, is now a part of the Daniel Webster State Historic Park near Franklin New Hampshire, along with a larger farm house.
In 1936, Stephen Vincent Benet wrote a short story that became a class, regularly taught in high school literature classes (at least in the olden days), called "The Devil and Daniel Webster." It was an updated version of the age-old trope of oratory combat with the Devil himself. New Hampshire farmer Jabez Stone agrees to a deal with a stranger named Mr. Scratch. In return for seven years of prosperity, Stone would give give his soul to the devil. When it's time to give up his soul, Stone is defended by Daniel Webster before a judge and jury selected by Mr. Scratch, including some of the most infamously notorious characters in American history.
Thing.
American lawyer and statesman Daniel Webster died in October 24, 1852 at age 70.
Daniel Webster's legacy is mixed in many historians' estimations. He was, in his lifetime the most admired orator and lawyer in America, perhaps the most admired statesman, but he had some moral faults of his own,vas all men, famous or not, do
He has been memorialized many times. The first Webster postage stamp was issued in 1870. In all, Daniel Webster is honored on 14 different US postage issues, more than most U.S. Presidents. There are 27 towns named for Webster in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia, including two in Wisconsin (Webster, Burnett County and Webster, Vernon County), a ghost town in Colorado, and Webster and Webster Hollow in Tennessee. Seven counties or parishes are named for Webster. (Wikipedia,)
In 1936, Stephen Vincent Benet wrote a short story that became a class, regularly taught in high school literature classes (at least in the olden days), called "The Devil and Daniel Webster." It was an updated version of the age-old trope of oratory combat with the Devil himself. New Hampshire farmer Jabez Stone agrees to a deal with a stranger named Mr. Scratch. In return for seven years of prosperity, Stone would give give his soul to the devil. When it's time to give up his soul, Stone is defended by Daniel Webster before a judge and jury selected by Mr. Scratch, including some of the most infamously notorious characters in American history.
American lawyer and statesman Daniel Webster died in October 24, 1852 at age 70.
Daniel Webster's legacy is mixed in many historians' estimations. He was, in his lifetime the most admired orator and lawyer in America, perhaps the most admired statesman, but he had some moral faults of his own,vas all men, famous or not, do
He has been memorialized many times. The first Webster postage stamp was issued in 1870. In all, Daniel Webster is honored on 14 different US postage issues, more than most U.S. Presidents. There are 27 towns named for Webster in California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia, including two in Wisconsin (Webster, Burnett County and Webster, Vernon County), a ghost town in Colorado, and Webster and Webster Hollow in Tennessee. Seven counties or parishes are named for Webster. (Wikipedia,)
In 1936, Stephen Vincent Benet wrote a short story that became a class, regularly taught in high school literature classes (at least in the olden days), called "The Devil and Daniel Webster." It was an updated version of the age-old trope of oratory combat with the Devil himself. New Hampshire farmer Jabez Stone agrees to a deal with a stranger named Mr. Scratch. In return for seven years of prosperity, Stone would give give his soul to the devil. When it's time to give up his soul, Stone is defended by Daniel Webster before a judge and jury selected by Mr. Scratch, including some of the most infamously notorious characters in American history.
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Person.
On October 25, 1962, John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. When pressed to pick a most favorite novel, I usually say The Grapes of Wrath. The short chapter about the turtle crossing the road is one of my favorite passages. The book is one of only a handful of books that I've read multiple times.
Steinbeck (1902-1968) was born in Salinas, California, the area where many of his works are set. Growing up, he worked alongside migrants on the valley's rich farmlands. He started writing as a teen and was never successful at anything else. He and his wife lived for free in a cottage owned by his parents, who also supplied his paper. They survived on money from his parents, welfare, fishing, gardening, and occasional shoplifting.
His first novel, Cup of Gold, about privateer (pirate) Henry Morgan, was published in 1929. His first major success was Tortilla Flat, published in 1935, leading to a series of California novels including Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. His strong New Deal support and negative portrayal of capitalism led to a backlash against him, especially in California where large landowners and farm owners attacked him and got his books banned in libraries. Grapes and Mice are still among the most challenged books in America according to the American Library Association.
There was also widespread condemnation of his Nobel prize in newspapers around the world, calling him a " man of limited talent" and the award "one of the Academy's biggest mistakes." Fifty years later, released documents revealed that he was a compromise selection by the committee, the best of a bad lot. Apparently, in 1962, the committee couldn't decide among several mediocrities, and he was the most acceptable mediocrity in committee members' minds.
On October 25, 1962, John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. When pressed to pick a most favorite novel, I usually say The Grapes of Wrath. The short chapter about the turtle crossing the road is one of my favorite passages. The book is one of only a handful of books that I've read multiple times.
Steinbeck (1902-1968) was born in Salinas, California, the area where many of his works are set. Growing up, he worked alongside migrants on the valley's rich farmlands. He started writing as a teen and was never successful at anything else. He and his wife lived for free in a cottage owned by his parents, who also supplied his paper. They survived on money from his parents, welfare, fishing, gardening, and occasional shoplifting.
His first novel, Cup of Gold, about privateer (pirate) Henry Morgan, was published in 1929. His first major success was Tortilla Flat, published in 1935, leading to a series of California novels including Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. His strong New Deal support and negative portrayal of capitalism led to a backlash against him, especially in California where large landowners and farm owners attacked him and got his books banned in libraries. Grapes and Mice are still among the most challenged books in America according to the American Library Association.
There was also widespread condemnation of his Nobel prize in newspapers around the world, calling him a " man of limited talent" and the award "one of the Academy's biggest mistakes." Fifty years later, released documents revealed that he was a compromise selection by the committee, the best of a bad lot. Apparently, in 1962, the committee couldn't decide among several mediocrities, and he was the most acceptable mediocrity in committee members' minds.
Place.
On October 25, 1962, John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. When pressed to pick a most favorite novel, I usually say The Grapes of Wrath. The short chapter about the turtle crossing the road is one of my favorite passages. The book is one of only a handful of books that I've read multiple times.
Steinbeck (1902-1968) was born in Salinas, California, spent most of his life in the Salinas Valley, and set many of his books there. The valley was known for its fertility and attracted lots of migrant farm workers, providing inspiration for his writing.
From Wikipedia:
"The Salinas River, which geologically formed the fluvial valley and generated its human history, flows to the northwest or 'up' along the principal axis and the length of the valley.
The valley was named during the late 18th-century Spanish colonial Alta California period, and in Spanish Salina is the term for a salt marsh, salt lake, or salt pan. The seasonal Salinas River had brackish tule ponds in broad depressed areas, and more salinity during summer and when drought lowered flows.
The valley runs in a southeast to northwest alignment. It begins south of San Ardo, framed by the central inner California Coast Ranges, continues northwestward continuously defined on the west by the Santa Lucia Range, on the east by the Gabilan Range, to its end and the river's mouth at the Monterey Bay.".
On October 25, 1962, John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. When pressed to pick a most favorite novel, I usually say The Grapes of Wrath. The short chapter about the turtle crossing the road is one of my favorite passages. The book is one of only a handful of books that I've read multiple times.
Steinbeck (1902-1968) was born in Salinas, California, spent most of his life in the Salinas Valley, and set many of his books there. The valley was known for its fertility and attracted lots of migrant farm workers, providing inspiration for his writing.
From Wikipedia:
"The Salinas River, which geologically formed the fluvial valley and generated its human history, flows to the northwest or 'up' along the principal axis and the length of the valley.
The valley was named during the late 18th-century Spanish colonial Alta California period, and in Spanish Salina is the term for a salt marsh, salt lake, or salt pan. The seasonal Salinas River had brackish tule ponds in broad depressed areas, and more salinity during summer and when drought lowered flows.
The valley runs in a southeast to northwest alignment. It begins south of San Ardo, framed by the central inner California Coast Ranges, continues northwestward continuously defined on the west by the Santa Lucia Range, on the east by the Gabilan Range, to its end and the river's mouth at the Monterey Bay.".
Thing.
On October 25, 1962, John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. When pressed to pick a most favorite novel, I usually say The Grapes of Wrath. The short chapter about the turtle crossing the road is one of my favorite passages. The book is one of only a handful of books that I've read multiple times.
Cannery Row was a favorite location for Steinbeck in real life and as a setting for his books. It is a waterfront street in Monterey California, named for the numerous sardine packing factories located there until the last one closed in 1973. After a civic revitalization effort, it has become an upscale tourist attraction featuring luxury hotels, fine dining restaurants, and high end shopping.
On October 25, 1962, John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. When pressed to pick a most favorite novel, I usually say The Grapes of Wrath. The short chapter about the turtle crossing the road is one of my favorite passages. The book is one of only a handful of books that I've read multiple times.
Cannery Row was a favorite location for Steinbeck in real life and as a setting for his books. It is a waterfront street in Monterey California, named for the numerous sardine packing factories located there until the last one closed in 1973. After a civic revitalization effort, it has become an upscale tourist attraction featuring luxury hotels, fine dining restaurants, and high end shopping.
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Person.
Acclaimed southern author Pat Conroy was born on October 26, 1945 (died 2016) in Atlanta. Most of his books are set in the South Carolina Low Country and coastal region. He was one of the most admired southern writers of the late 20th century.
His writing reflected his life as a military kid, moving constantly, and as the child of an abusive parent, his father. He graduated from The Citadel, a military college, in Charleston that became the inspiration for The Lords of Discipline, The Losing Season, and his first book, The Boo.
After graduation, he taught English in a one-room schoolhouse on remote Daufuskie Island. His students were all black Gullah-Geechee children. He was fired after one year because of his unconventional teaching style and his advocacy for the children he taught. He wrote a memoir of that year called The Water is Wide. It was, and is, required reading for many in college education classes. I worked as a graduate assistant while completing my Masters degree, and was required to read the book although I never took that professor's class.
The Water is Wide was made into a film in 1974, the first of several Conroy adaptations, and it introduced many Americans to the Gullah-Geechee culture for the first time. For teachers, the book often reinforces their calling to teach. However, today it is often criticized as an example of the "white savior" of downtrodden, helpless minorities trope so prevalent in books and movies.
Acclaimed southern author Pat Conroy was born on October 26, 1945 (died 2016) in Atlanta. Most of his books are set in the South Carolina Low Country and coastal region. He was one of the most admired southern writers of the late 20th century.
His writing reflected his life as a military kid, moving constantly, and as the child of an abusive parent, his father. He graduated from The Citadel, a military college, in Charleston that became the inspiration for The Lords of Discipline, The Losing Season, and his first book, The Boo.
After graduation, he taught English in a one-room schoolhouse on remote Daufuskie Island. His students were all black Gullah-Geechee children. He was fired after one year because of his unconventional teaching style and his advocacy for the children he taught. He wrote a memoir of that year called The Water is Wide. It was, and is, required reading for many in college education classes. I worked as a graduate assistant while completing my Masters degree, and was required to read the book although I never took that professor's class.
The Water is Wide was made into a film in 1974, the first of several Conroy adaptations, and it introduced many Americans to the Gullah-Geechee culture for the first time. For teachers, the book often reinforces their calling to teach. However, today it is often criticized as an example of the "white savior" of downtrodden, helpless minorities trope so prevalent in books and movies.
Place.
Acclaimed southern author Pat Conroy was born on October 26, 1945 (died 2016) in Atlanta. Most of his books are set in the South Carolina Low Country and coastal region. He was one of the most admired southern writers of the late 20th century. After graduation, he taught English in a one-room schoolhouse on remote Daufuskie Island. His students were all black Gullah-Geechee children. He was fired after one year because of his unconventional teaching style and his advocacy for the children he taught. He wrote a memoir of that year called The Water is Wide.
Daufuskie Island, located between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, is the southernmost inhabited sea island in South Carolina. Daufuskie Island has been inhabited for thousands of years, as evidenced by ancient piles of discarded oyster shells exhibiting pottery shards from all phases of the hunter-gathering period. Prior to European arrival numerous Indian tribes inhabited the Lowcountry and islands. Culturally and linguistically these tribes were of Muskogean stock. Daufuskie comes from the Muscogee language and means "sharp feather", for the island's distinctive shape. (Wikipedia)
Acclaimed southern author Pat Conroy was born on October 26, 1945 (died 2016) in Atlanta. Most of his books are set in the South Carolina Low Country and coastal region. He was one of the most admired southern writers of the late 20th century. After graduation, he taught English in a one-room schoolhouse on remote Daufuskie Island. His students were all black Gullah-Geechee children. He was fired after one year because of his unconventional teaching style and his advocacy for the children he taught. He wrote a memoir of that year called The Water is Wide.
Daufuskie Island, located between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, is the southernmost inhabited sea island in South Carolina. Daufuskie Island has been inhabited for thousands of years, as evidenced by ancient piles of discarded oyster shells exhibiting pottery shards from all phases of the hunter-gathering period. Prior to European arrival numerous Indian tribes inhabited the Lowcountry and islands. Culturally and linguistically these tribes were of Muskogean stock. Daufuskie comes from the Muscogee language and means "sharp feather", for the island's distinctive shape. (Wikipedia)
Thing
Acclaimed southern author Pat Conroy was born on October 26, 1945 (died 2016) in Atlanta. Most of his books are set in the South Carolina Low Country and coastal region. He was one of the most admired southern writers of the late 20th century. After graduation, he taught English in a one-room schoolhouse on remote Daufuskie Island. His students were all black Gullah-Geechee children. He was fired after one year because of his unconventional teaching style and his advocacy for the children he taught. He wrote a memoir of that year called The Water is Wide.
From the National Park Service:
The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor was created to call attention to the historic and cultural contributions of the Gullah Geechee people. The Gullah Geechee people are the descendants of West and Central Africans who were enslaved and bought to the lower Atlantic states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia to work on the coastal rice, Sea Island cotton and indigo plantations. Because their enslavement was on isolated coastal plantations, sea and barrier islands, they were able to retain many of their indigenous African traditions. These traditions are reflected in their foodways, arts and crafts, and spiritual traditions. They also created a new language, Gullah, a creole language spoken nowhere else in the world.
The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, and the federal Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission established to oversee it, were designated by an act of Congress on October 12, 2006 through the National Heritage Areas Act of 2006.
Acclaimed southern author Pat Conroy was born on October 26, 1945 (died 2016) in Atlanta. Most of his books are set in the South Carolina Low Country and coastal region. He was one of the most admired southern writers of the late 20th century. After graduation, he taught English in a one-room schoolhouse on remote Daufuskie Island. His students were all black Gullah-Geechee children. He was fired after one year because of his unconventional teaching style and his advocacy for the children he taught. He wrote a memoir of that year called The Water is Wide.
From the National Park Service:
The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor was created to call attention to the historic and cultural contributions of the Gullah Geechee people. The Gullah Geechee people are the descendants of West and Central Africans who were enslaved and bought to the lower Atlantic states of North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia to work on the coastal rice, Sea Island cotton and indigo plantations. Because their enslavement was on isolated coastal plantations, sea and barrier islands, they were able to retain many of their indigenous African traditions. These traditions are reflected in their foodways, arts and crafts, and spiritual traditions. They also created a new language, Gullah, a creole language spoken nowhere else in the world.
The Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, and the federal Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Commission established to oversee it, were designated by an act of Congress on October 12, 2006 through the National Heritage Areas Act of 2006.
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Persons.
When the Constitution had been completed in Philadelphia in September 1787, the debate was far from over. It was then up to the 13 states' legislatures or conventions to ratify the document, and its outcome wasn't certain. In fact, in a few states, the difference was only a few votes.
Among the most divided states were Virginia and New York. If ratification failed in either of those states, the new nation might be doomed. Alexander Hamilton recruited James Madison and John Jay to write a series of essays explaining and promoting the new Constitution and the radical (for the time) new government it established. They were all published under the pen name "Publius" and were printed and reprinted in newspapers in all the states before being bound and collectively called The Federalist, and later, The Federalist Papers.
The first appeared in New York on October 27, 1787, after anonymous Anti-Federalists had already published opposition essays under the names "Caesar," "Brutus," and "Cato." While authorship was anonymous, an incomplete list was found after Hamilton's death, and historians and later computer analysis ascribed authorship based on writing style. It is thought that Hamilton wrote 51 of the 85 essays, Madison wrote 29, and Jay wrote 5 before becoming very ill. Authorship of 12 of the essays is still debated, with the other 73 considered settled.
Americans read, discussed, and debated the various essays in homes, taverns, legislatures, and conventions. Once the magic number of 9 was reached, the plans for the new government were set into motion, but New York and Virginia still wavered until June and July 1788.
When the Constitution had been completed in Philadelphia in September 1787, the debate was far from over. It was then up to the 13 states' legislatures or conventions to ratify the document, and its outcome wasn't certain. In fact, in a few states, the difference was only a few votes.
Among the most divided states were Virginia and New York. If ratification failed in either of those states, the new nation might be doomed. Alexander Hamilton recruited James Madison and John Jay to write a series of essays explaining and promoting the new Constitution and the radical (for the time) new government it established. They were all published under the pen name "Publius" and were printed and reprinted in newspapers in all the states before being bound and collectively called The Federalist, and later, The Federalist Papers.
The first appeared in New York on October 27, 1787, after anonymous Anti-Federalists had already published opposition essays under the names "Caesar," "Brutus," and "Cato." While authorship was anonymous, an incomplete list was found after Hamilton's death, and historians and later computer analysis ascribed authorship based on writing style. It is thought that Hamilton wrote 51 of the 85 essays, Madison wrote 29, and Jay wrote 5 before becoming very ill. Authorship of 12 of the essays is still debated, with the other 73 considered settled.
Americans read, discussed, and debated the various essays in homes, taverns, legislatures, and conventions. Once the magic number of 9 was reached, the plans for the new government were set into motion, but New York and Virginia still wavered until June and July 1788.
Place.
When the Constitution had been completed in Philadelphia in September 1787, the debate was far from over. It was then up to the 13 states' legislatures or conventions to ratify the document, and its outcome wasn't certain. In fact, in a few states, the difference was only a few votes. Alexander Hamilton recruited James Madison and John Jay to write a series of essays explaining and promoting the new Constitution and the radical (for the time) new government it established. They were all published under the pen name "Publius" and were printed and reprinted in newspapers in all the states before being bound and collectively called The Federalist, and later, The Federalist Papers. The first appeared in New York on October 27, 1787.
The states and the dates of ratification are listed here, in order of ratification:
Delaware: December 7, 1787
Pennsylvania: December 12, 1787
New Jersey: December 18, 1787
Georgia: January 2, 1788
Connecticut: January 9, 1788
Massachusetts: February 6, 1788
Maryland: April 28, 1788
South Carolina: May 23, 1788
New Hampshire: June 21, 1788 (With this state’s ratification, the Constitution became legal.)
Virginia: June 25, 1788
New York: July 26, 1788
North Carolina: November 21, 1789
Rhode Island: May 29, 1790 (Rhode Island did not hold a Constitutional Convention.)
Thing.
When the Constitution had been completed in Philadelphia in September 1787, the debate was far from over. It was then up to the 13 states' legislatures or conventions to ratify the document, and its outcome wasn't certain. In fact, in a few states, the difference was only a few votes. Alexander Hamilton recruited James Madison and John Jay to write a series of essays explaining and promoting the new Constitution and the radical (for the time) new government it established. They were all published under the pen name "Publius" and were printed and reprinted in newspapers in all the states before being bound and collectively called The Federalist, and later, The Federalist Papers. The first appeared in New York on October 27, 1787.
Throughout Roman history, Publius was one of the most frequently-used given names, typically occupying fourth or fifth place, behind Lucius, Gaius, and Marcus, and occurring with about the same frequency as Quintus. The feminine form, Publia, was also quite common, and is found in numerous inscriptions as late as the 3rd century.
Publius is thought to derive from the same root as populus and publicus, meaning "the people" or "of the people". Although Publius is generally regarded as a quintessentially Latin name, a few scholars have proposed an Etruscan origin for the name.
When the Constitution had been completed in Philadelphia in September 1787, the debate was far from over. It was then up to the 13 states' legislatures or conventions to ratify the document, and its outcome wasn't certain. In fact, in a few states, the difference was only a few votes. Alexander Hamilton recruited James Madison and John Jay to write a series of essays explaining and promoting the new Constitution and the radical (for the time) new government it established. They were all published under the pen name "Publius" and were printed and reprinted in newspapers in all the states before being bound and collectively called The Federalist, and later, The Federalist Papers. The first appeared in New York on October 27, 1787.
Throughout Roman history, Publius was one of the most frequently-used given names, typically occupying fourth or fifth place, behind Lucius, Gaius, and Marcus, and occurring with about the same frequency as Quintus. The feminine form, Publia, was also quite common, and is found in numerous inscriptions as late as the 3rd century.
Publius is thought to derive from the same root as populus and publicus, meaning "the people" or "of the people". Although Publius is generally regarded as a quintessentially Latin name, a few scholars have proposed an Etruscan origin for the name.
Person
On October 28, 1726, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift was first published in London.
While often treated as children's literature today, (I first read the illustrated novel version.) it was actually a sharp and witty work of satire, lampooning the popular travelogue books of the time, petty religious and political squabbles, men who were beginning to think of themselves as scientists, and human nature in general. It was a huge bestseller immediately and continues to be considered a "satirical masterpiece."
Swift (1667-1745) was born in Dublin Ireland to English parents who had moved to Ireland. His father died before he was born, and his mother put him in the care of his wet nurse until he was three, and she then left him with his uncle when she returned to England. His uncle educated him at Kilkenny College and then Trinity College of the University of Dublin, where he received a B.A. He later received an M.A. from Oxford and a Doctor of Divinity degree at Trinity in 1702.
A devoted Anglican and a Whig, he became extremely politically active, until he joined the Stories and began editing a Tory newspaper, The Examiner, in 1711. He started publishing numerous satirical essays and pamphlets attacking the Whigs and Roman Catholicism. While he hoped for a church appointed position in England, Queen Anne had developed a distaste for his writing and ignored him. Disappointed, he returned to Ireland as Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral. In Ireland, he continued to write and began work on Gulliver's Travels. The book immediately went through four printings and was translated into French, German, and Dutch in its first year.
The late 1730s were not kind to Swift. He may have had a stroke or strokes, in addition to other physical maladies, and it is thought that he may have developed mental illness of some sort, supposedly not speaking for a year and requiring attendants around the clock. When he died in 1745, the bulk of his estate was left to found a hospital for the mentally ill, St. Patrick's, still a hospital today.
On October 28, 1726, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift was first published in London.
While often treated as children's literature today, (I first read the illustrated novel version.) it was actually a sharp and witty work of satire, lampooning the popular travelogue books of the time, petty religious and political squabbles, men who were beginning to think of themselves as scientists, and human nature in general. It was a huge bestseller immediately and continues to be considered a "satirical masterpiece."
Swift (1667-1745) was born in Dublin Ireland to English parents who had moved to Ireland. His father died before he was born, and his mother put him in the care of his wet nurse until he was three, and she then left him with his uncle when she returned to England. His uncle educated him at Kilkenny College and then Trinity College of the University of Dublin, where he received a B.A. He later received an M.A. from Oxford and a Doctor of Divinity degree at Trinity in 1702.
A devoted Anglican and a Whig, he became extremely politically active, until he joined the Stories and began editing a Tory newspaper, The Examiner, in 1711. He started publishing numerous satirical essays and pamphlets attacking the Whigs and Roman Catholicism. While he hoped for a church appointed position in England, Queen Anne had developed a distaste for his writing and ignored him. Disappointed, he returned to Ireland as Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral. In Ireland, he continued to write and began work on Gulliver's Travels. The book immediately went through four printings and was translated into French, German, and Dutch in its first year.
The late 1730s were not kind to Swift. He may have had a stroke or strokes, in addition to other physical maladies, and it is thought that he may have developed mental illness of some sort, supposedly not speaking for a year and requiring attendants around the clock. When he died in 1745, the bulk of his estate was left to found a hospital for the mentally ill, St. Patrick's, still a hospital today.
Places.
On October 28, 1726, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift was first published in London.
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The book details the travels of ship's surgeon Lemuel Gulliver through several strange lands. Gulliver’s travels take him to Lilliput, an island on a miniature scale where he appears as huge as a giant; Brobdingnag, where everything and everyone is enormous, and Gulliver is comparatively minuscule; the flying island of Laputa, inhabited by philosophers; the kingdom of Balnibarbi, full of obsessive scientists; the island of Glubbdubdrib, where a magician enables him to speak with the ghosts of important figures from antiquity and the modern world; Luggnagg, where he meets the immortal (and deeply unhappy) Struldbrugs; and finally the Country of the Houyhnhnms, a race of highly intelligent, refined talking horses, who rule over a brutish race of humanoid beasts known as Yahoos.
On October 28, 1726, Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift was first published in London.
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The book details the travels of ship's surgeon Lemuel Gulliver through several strange lands. Gulliver’s travels take him to Lilliput, an island on a miniature scale where he appears as huge as a giant; Brobdingnag, where everything and everyone is enormous, and Gulliver is comparatively minuscule; the flying island of Laputa, inhabited by philosophers; the kingdom of Balnibarbi, full of obsessive scientists; the island of Glubbdubdrib, where a magician enables him to speak with the ghosts of important figures from antiquity and the modern world; Luggnagg, where he meets the immortal (and deeply unhappy) Struldbrugs; and finally the Country of the Houyhnhnms, a race of highly intelligent, refined talking horses, who rule over a brutish race of humanoid beasts known as Yahoos.
Thing.
Language contributions.
From Wikipedia:
The term Lilliputian has entered many languages as an adjective meaning "small and delicate". There is a brand of small cigar called Lilliput, and a series of collectable model houses known as "Lilliput Lane". The smallest light bulb fitting (5 mm diameter) in the Edison screw series is called the "Lilliput Edison screw". In Dutch and Czech, the words Lilliputter and lilipután, respectively, are used for adults shorter than 1.30 meters. Conversely, Brobdingnagian appears in the Oxford English Dictionary as a synonym for very large or gigantic.
In like vein, the term yahoo is often encountered as a synonym for ruffian or thug. In the Oxford English Dictionary it is defined as "a rude, noisy, or violent person" and its origins attributed to Swift's Gulliver's Travels.
In the discipline of computer architecture, the terms big-endian and little-endian are used to describe two possible ways of laying out bytes of data in computer memory. The terms derive from one of the satirical conflicts in the book, in which two religious sects of Lilliputians are divided between those who crack open their soft-boiled eggs from the little end, the "Little-endians", and those who use the big end, the "Big-endians". The nomenclature was chosen as an irony, since the choice of which byte-order method to use is technically trivial (both are equally good), but actually still important: systems which do it one way are thus incompatible with those that do it the other way, and so it shouldn't be left to each individual designer's choice, resulting in a "holy war" over a triviality.
It has been pointed out that the long and vicious war which started after a disagreement about which was the best end to break an egg is an example of the narcissism of small differences, a term Sigmund Freud coined in the early 1900s.
Language contributions.
From Wikipedia:
The term Lilliputian has entered many languages as an adjective meaning "small and delicate". There is a brand of small cigar called Lilliput, and a series of collectable model houses known as "Lilliput Lane". The smallest light bulb fitting (5 mm diameter) in the Edison screw series is called the "Lilliput Edison screw". In Dutch and Czech, the words Lilliputter and lilipután, respectively, are used for adults shorter than 1.30 meters. Conversely, Brobdingnagian appears in the Oxford English Dictionary as a synonym for very large or gigantic.
In like vein, the term yahoo is often encountered as a synonym for ruffian or thug. In the Oxford English Dictionary it is defined as "a rude, noisy, or violent person" and its origins attributed to Swift's Gulliver's Travels.
In the discipline of computer architecture, the terms big-endian and little-endian are used to describe two possible ways of laying out bytes of data in computer memory. The terms derive from one of the satirical conflicts in the book, in which two religious sects of Lilliputians are divided between those who crack open their soft-boiled eggs from the little end, the "Little-endians", and those who use the big end, the "Big-endians". The nomenclature was chosen as an irony, since the choice of which byte-order method to use is technically trivial (both are equally good), but actually still important: systems which do it one way are thus incompatible with those that do it the other way, and so it shouldn't be left to each individual designer's choice, resulting in a "holy war" over a triviality.
It has been pointed out that the long and vicious war which started after a disagreement about which was the best end to break an egg is an example of the narcissism of small differences, a term Sigmund Freud coined in the early 1900s.
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