Paul Gauguin, stockbroker extraordinaire
On this day in 1848 the French painter Paul Gauguin was born in Paris. Gauguin’s family moved to Peru a year later and he did... Read More
Alexander Pushkin, Russia’s duelling poet
On this day in 1799 Russian poet Alexander Pushkin was born. Pushkin was a member of the Russian nobility. By all accounts he was sensitive... Read More
Federico Garcia Lorca – was he ‘An Andalusian Dog’?
On this day in 1898 the Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca was born near Granada, Andalusia. As a student he became friends with Salvador Dali... Read More
Giacomo Casanova, philanderer and lottery salesman
On this day in 1798 the Venetian adventurer and philanderer Giacomo Casanova died. People who are so well known that their own name becomes a... Read More
Franz Kafka’s horror stories
On this day in 1924 the Czech author Franz Kafka died. Anyone who reads his work is likely to be horrified and strangely, amused. Here... Read More
Thomas Hardy’s ‘Jude the Obscure’ sold in brown paper bags
On this day in 1840 the English author and poet Thomas Hardy was born. Hardy qualified as an architect but practiced this profession very little.... Read More
Reinhold Niebuhr composes the Serenity Prayer
On this day in 1971 American pastor, academic and theologian Reinhold Niebuhr died. Born into a devout German immigrant family, Niebuhr worked in Detroit for... Read More