28 July 1655. French dramatist, Cyrano De Bergerac, died (aged 36). He’s best known as the inspiration for Edmond Rostand’s drama which exaggerated his large nose and downgraded his writing talent. His nose was not as large as later depicted in plays, books and films. pic.twitter.com/WDF9dfSrGO

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

28 July 1866. Beatrix Potter was born in London. She wrote 30 books, with the best known being her 23 children’s tales, most notably, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Potter's books continue to sell worldwide in many languages, and are depicted in numerous animated films. pic.twitter.com/SHw0QaAHhx

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

29-31 July 1703. Daniel Defoe, author of the classic novel, Robinson Crusoe, was placed in a pillory over 3 days at 3 different locations in London as punishment for publishing a satirical pamphlet attacking Church of England zealots. But the crowds only pelted him with flowers. pic.twitter.com/TX81GjERRr

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 29, 2023

29 July 1907. Robert Baden-Powell set up the Brownsea Island Scout camp in Poole, Dorset. This is seen as the foundation of the Scouting movement. Baden-Powell’s book Scouting For Boys became its key instruction manual. pic.twitter.com/WmvDl7T7Td

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 29, 2023

30 July 1818. Emily Brontë, author of the classic novel, Wuthering Heights, was born in Thornton, near Bradford, Yorkshire. Her only novel received mixed reviews when it was first published, and only became an English literary classic after her death. pic.twitter.com/QnE65GECyL

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 30, 2023

30 July 1935. The first ‘Penguin’ paperback books were published in London by Allen Lane, with the aim of making quality books available to all at low prices. The books cost 6-pence and were colour-coded: orange for fiction, blue for biography and green for crime. pic.twitter.com/vMm0blWqa9

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 30, 2023

31 July 1919. Primo Levi was born in Turin, Italy. He’s best-known for his harrowing book, If This Is a Man, which describes the year he spent as a prisoner in the notorious German SS controlled, Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. pic.twitter.com/sQa7GgG0WH

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) July 31, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1944 French writer (Le Petit Prince; Wind, Sand and Stars; Night Flight), aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry disappeared on a reconnaissance flight over the Mediterranean off the coast of Marseille, aged 44. Memorial at Les Invalides in Paris https://t.co/MenQ0H94r6 pic.twitter.com/0UowFAk1qT

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) July 31, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 2012, writer (Myra Breckinridge,The City and the Pillar), screenwriter (Ben-Hur), playwright Gore Vidal died at his home in Hollywood Hills, California of complications from pneumonia at the age of 86. Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C. https://t.co/MenQ0H94r6 pic.twitter.com/xaasqVzvGB

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) July 31, 2023

1 August 1944. Anne Frank wrote the final entry in her famous diary,writing, “I get cross, then sad, and ... keep trying to find a way to become what I’d like to be and what I could be … if only there were no other people in the world.” pic.twitter.com/IcwN0EKZ1P

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 1, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1963 poet (The Waking, Words for the Wind, The Far Field) Theodore Roethke died from a heart attack in a friend's swimming pool in Bainbridge Island, Washington at the age of 55. Oakwood Cemetery in Saginaw, Michigan https://t.co/RdA16dbCHh pic.twitter.com/SyzHRE5WBb

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) August 1, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1981 playwright, screenwriter (Marty, Paint Your Wagon, The Hospital, Network), novelist Paddy Chayefsky died from cancer in New York City, aged 58. Sharon Gardens Division of Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York https://t.co/RdA16dbCHh pic.twitter.com/sB8C1g0rDJ

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) August 1, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1955 modernist poet ("The Man with the Blue Guitar", "Disillusionment of Ten O'Clock", "The Emperor of Ice-Cream", "The Idea of Order at Key West") Wallace Stevens died; stomach cancer in Hartford CT aged 75. Hartford's Cedar Hill Cemetery https://t.co/HMC0Dyt5gH pic.twitter.com/wEmlRQXszV

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) August 2, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1988 short story writer (What We Talk About When We Talk About Love), poet (Gravy), Raymond Carver died in Port Angeles, Washington, from lung cancer at the age of 50. Ocean View Cemetery, Port Angeles, Washington https://t.co/HMC0Dyt5gH pic.twitter.com/12nSqM2FvJ

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) August 2, 2023

2 August 1997. Acclaimed novelist, William Burroughs, died (aged 83) He was one of the most influential novelists of the “Beat Generation”. His novels include: Junkie, Naked Lunch, The Nova Trilogy (1961–1964), Cities of the Red Night, and The Place of Dead Roads. pic.twitter.com/XNPMG0v4uv

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 2, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1999, University of Texas at Austin graduate, writer (North Toward Home, My Dog Skip), editor (Harper's Magazine) Willie Morris died from a heart attack in Jackson, Mississippi at the age of 64. Glenwood Cemetery in Yazoo City, Mississippi https://t.co/HMC0DytD6f pic.twitter.com/4TvoGbo4O7

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) August 2, 2023

3 August 1887. Rupert Brooke, one of the famous First World War poets, was born in Rugby. One of his best wartime poems is The Soldier. He was also known for his good looks, prompting the Irish poet W. B. Yeats to describe him as “the handsomest young man in England”. pic.twitter.com/E8fizQIVhW

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 3, 2023

3 August 1920. Phyllis Dorothy (“PD.”) James was born in Oxford. She rose to fame for her series of detective novels featuring the police commander and poet, Adam Dalgliesh. During the 1980s, many of her novels were adapted for television by ITV in the UK. pic.twitter.com/88j6Jmm5EL

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) August 3, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1924 novelist (Lord Jim, Heart of Darkness) Joseph Conrad died of a heart attack in Bishopsbourne, England at the age of 66. Canterbury City Cemetery in Canterbury, Kent, England https://t.co/05Q3G3RYrc pic.twitter.com/FpPVgzOK50

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) August 3, 2023