#RIP #OTD 1838 English poet and novelist, better known by her initials L.E.L., Letitia Elizabeth Landon died from an overdose of prussic acid in Cape Coast Castle on the Gold Coast of West Africa (now Ghana), aged 36. Cape Coast Castle https://t.co/7AzIqgm5av pic.twitter.com/li2tXAg9Gy

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) October 15, 2023

16 October 1847. The classic novel, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, was published by Smith, Elder & Co. of London, under her male pseudonym, Currer Bell. It follows the life of the heroine and explores her relationship with Mr. Rochester, the brooding owner of Thornfield Hall. pic.twitter.com/5PSN57nmGl

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 16, 2023

16 October 1854. Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin, Ireland. He was one of the most popular playwrights during the 1890s, and published his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray. His career was wrecked by criminal convictions for gross indecency and homosexuality. pic.twitter.com/fiFBj3gZD2

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 16, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1997, author (Tales of the South Pacific, Centennial, Caribbean), philanthropist James Michener died in Austin, Texas aged 90. Cremated remains Austin Memorial Park Cemetery in Austin https://t.co/ZaYBVmrinZ pic.twitter.com/AYhUQAZtYc

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) October 16, 2023

#RIP #OTD 1910 author (Mother's Day Proclamation), poet, lyricist ("Battle Hymn of the Republic"), abolitionist, women's suffragist, Julia Ward Howe died from pneumonia at her Portsmouth home, Oak Glen, aged 91. Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Mass. https://t.co/4esrM3fASa pic.twitter.com/p7B3R8IyHN

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) October 17, 2023

17 October 1915. Acclaimed American playwright, Arthur Miller, was born in New York City, USA. Among his most popular plays were All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, and A View from the Bridge. He was married to Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe from 1956 to 1961. pic.twitter.com/XuP69jHdYN

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 17, 2023

18 October 1859. Nobel Prize winning philosopher, Henri Bergson, was born in Paris, France. He was best known for arguing that processes of immediate experience and intuition are more significant than abstract rationalism and science for understanding reality. pic.twitter.com/W9RWgKwxUL

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

18 October 2007. Journalist and critic, Alan Coren, died (aged 69). He was best known as the team captain on the popular BBC TV series, Call My Bluff. His son Giles is a Times columnist and TV and radio presenter, and his daughter Victoria presents BBC panel game Only Connect. pic.twitter.com/ns4ymduZTu

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

#RIP #OTD in 1745, satirist (Gulliver's Travels), essayist, poet, cleric and Dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Jonathan Swift died in Dublin, Ireland at the age of 77. St. Patrick’s Cathedral https://t.co/KMZzlhKgfb pic.twitter.com/Xu8EXgrKZh

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

19 October 1931. John le Carré, one of the greatest spy novelists, was born in Poole. His 3rd novel, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, became an international best-seller and was followed by others including: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Smiley’s People, and The Constant Gardener. pic.twitter.com/Fun92zA5FJ

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

#RIP #OTD in 1950, lyrical poet ("Ballad of the Harp-Weaver", "First Fig", "Renascence"), playwright Edna St. Vincent Millay died at her home , Steepletop near Austerlitz, New York, after falling down her stairs, at the age of 58. Steepletop Cemetery https://t.co/KMZzlhKgfb pic.twitter.com/bp2JUCfKv8

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

20 October 1960. The 6-day trial of Penguin Books began. It was a public prosecution brought under the Obscene Publications Act, under which the company was charged with publishing “obscene material” in the novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H.Lawrence. pic.twitter.com/iIdknBaIEd

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

21 October 1940. Ernest Hemingway’s classic novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls, was published. It describes the brutality of the Spanish Civil War, and is told through the thoughts and experiences of Robert Jordan. It draws on Hemingway’s own experiences in the Spanish Civil War. pic.twitter.com/fyRsI19MAf

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

#RIP #OTD in 1969, novelist (On the Road, The Dharma Bums, Big Sur, Desolation Angels) poet Jack Kerouac died at St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida; internal hemorrhage caused by cirrhosis, aged 47. Edson Cemetery in Lowell, Massachusetts https://t.co/31IIMhxNyn pic.twitter.com/j6oAjFdAdi

— RIP The Final Footprint (@RIPTFF) October 21, 2023

22 October 1964. Acclaimed French novelist and philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. On the next day, he announced that he was refusing the prize, but was told the award was irrevocable and would still be awarded to him in absentia. pic.twitter.com/y1XpaoS6Mb

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

22 October 1995. The acclaimed English novelist, Kingsley Amis, died (aged 73). His best known novel is Lucky Jim, a biting satire of life at a British university. In 2008, The Times ranked him 9th in its list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945. pic.twitter.com/EX3oVPPREB

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

23 October 4004 BC. According to the Ussher chronology, published in 1650, the world was created on this day. The book was a chronology of the history of the world, compiled by James Ussher, the Archbishop of Armagh and the Primate of All Ireland. The claim has not been accepted. pic.twitter.com/60tRO4nWrr

— Prof. Frank McDonough (@FXMC1957) October 23, 2023

#RIP #OTD in 1872 poet (Émaux et Camées), dramatist, novelist, short story writer ("La Morte amoureuse") journalist, art critic, literary critic Théophile Gautier died at the age of 61 in Paris from cardiac disease. Cimetière de Montmartre, Paris https://t.co/OG3EZ0SDyZ pic.twitter.com/MtNDsL71Px

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

#RIP #OTD in 1939, author (Riders of the Purple Sage) Zane Grey died of heart failure at the age of 67, at his home in Altadena, California. Union Cemetery in Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania https://t.co/OG3EZ0SDyZ pic.twitter.com/ekhUKBxwFG

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