18 May 1872. Nobel prize winning philosopher, Bertrand Russell, was born in Trellech, Wales. He considered himself a liberal, a socialist and a pacifist. He suggested that his sceptical nature had led him to feel that he had “never been any of these things”. pic.twitter.com/LwzRPusr1S

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 18, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1864, novelist (The Scarlett Letter), dark romantic, and short story writer Nathaniel Hawthorne died in his sleep in Plymouth, New Hampshire, at the age of 59. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, Massachusetts https://t.co/2OIHpwF7v8 pic.twitter.com/Fm6KBB7kZR

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) May 19, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1895 Cuban nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, publisher, Cuban national hero, José Martí died during the Battle of Dos Ríos, Cuba, aged 42. Cementerio Santa Ifigenia, Santiago de Cuba https://t.co/2OIHpwF7v8 pic.twitter.com/K5K1TXMaSH

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) May 19, 2023

19 May 1984. Acclaimed poet, John Betjeman, died (aged 77). He was the UK Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death and one of the most well known and popular. He was also a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture. pic.twitter.com/xBSgtPYgfM

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 19, 2023

20 May 1806. Libertarian philosopher, John Stuart Mill, was born in London. He was the most influential English-speaking philosopher of the 19th century, and a champion of the freedom of the individual, and was also opposed unlimited state and social control. pic.twitter.com/Pcpj92LE08

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 20, 2023

21 May 2000. Romantic novelist, Barbara Cartland, died (aged 98). She was one of the most prolific and commercially successful novelists of all time. Her 723 novels were translated into 38 languages and have sold over 750 million copies. pic.twitter.com/VuHAfouv7l

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 21, 2023

22 May 1859. Arthur Conan Doyle (left) was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He created fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes, in 1887, when he published, A Study in Scarlet. It was the first of 4 novels and more than 50 short stories about Sherlock Holmes and his assistant Dr. Watson. pic.twitter.com/DYWP9cgd4q

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 22, 2023

22 May 1885. Leading French novelist and poet, Victor Hugo, died (aged 83). His most famous novels were Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. In France, he is also renowned for his poetry collections, such as The Contemplation and The Legend of the Ages. pic.twitter.com/cM7FR5eV5M

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 22, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1873, poet, novelist (I promessi sposi (The Betrothed)) Alessandro Manzoni died of cerebral meningitis, a complication from a fall he took while getting out of San Fedele church in Milan, aged 88. Cimitero Monumentale in Milan https://t.co/TY691lYmYt pic.twitter.com/QzjFOOMLVo

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) May 22, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1967, poet (The Weary Blues, Montage of a Dream Deferred), social activist, novelist, playwright, Langston Hughes died; prostate cancer; New York City, aged 65. Cremated remains, Arthur Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem https://t.co/TY691lYmYt pic.twitter.com/OW5jwVGqLx

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) May 22, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1972, poet ("Is it Far to Go?"), father of Daniel Day-Lewis, Cecil Day-Lewis died from pancreatic cancer, aged 68, at Lemmons, the Hertfordshire home of Kingsley Amis and Elizabeth Jane Howard. Stinsford churchyard, Dorset, England https://t.co/TY691lYUO1 pic.twitter.com/zOCxEkVaOd

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) May 22, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1906 playwright (Brand, Peer Gynt, An Enemy of the People, A Doll's House, Hedda Gabler, Ghosts, When We Dead Awaken, Rosmersholm, The Master Builder), Henrik Ibsen died at home in Kristiania (now Oslo), aged 78. Vår Frelsers gravlund, Oslo https://t.co/xRkrxkvSiS pic.twitter.com/T91OxHAYKf

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) May 23, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 2021 author, designer and illustrator of children's books (The Very Hungry Caterpillar; The Grouchy Ladybug; Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me) Eric Carle died at his summer studio in Northampton, Massachusetts, from kidney failure, aged 91 https://t.co/xRkrxkvSiS pic.twitter.com/lN7f9rHOPO

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) May 23, 2023

#OTD in 1949, French writer, philosopher & activist Simone de Beauvoir published The Second Sex. This major work of feminist philosophy concerns the lived experience of women throughout history and is regarded as the starting point of second-wave feminism. https://t.co/SIfMNdP2qI pic.twitter.com/fmK9PjPfSc

— On This Day She (@OnThisDayShe) May 24, 2018

26 May 1897. Dracula, the Gothic novel by the Irish author, Bram Stoker, was published. The novel tells the story of Count Dracula’s attempt to move from Transylvania to England so that he may find new blood and spread the undead curse. This is opposed by Abraham Van Helsing. pic.twitter.com/oUvLNrHYfT

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 26, 2023

28 May 1849. Anne Brontë died (aged 28). She was the youngest of the Brontë literary family. She produced two novels: Agnes Grey, based on her experience as a governess, and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, which is considered one of the first feminist novels. pic.twitter.com/pV6GWPq7tJ

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 28, 2023

28 May 1908. Ian Fleming was born in London. He’s the creator of the fictional spy, James Bond. The first of his 11 Bond novels, Casino Royale, appeared in 1952. The novels sold over 100 million copies and were adapted into the film series. He also wrote Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang. pic.twitter.com/S2XZepFgIy

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) May 28, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 2014, poet ("On the Pulse of Morning"), singer, memoirist (I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings), civil rights activist Maya Angelou died in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at the age of 86. Cremated remains scattered https://t.co/5rmVZhG7X7 pic.twitter.com/5P9SDFveM0

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) May 28, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1593, playwright (Tamburlaine), poet, translator of the Elizabethan era, Kit, Christopher Marlowe, died in Deptford, Kent, England at the age of 29. Unmarked grave in the churchyard of St Nicholas, Deptford. Memorial plaque https://t.co/cUFsMLpVHa pic.twitter.com/0AkmYDZpSo

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) May 30, 2023