Marcus Aurelius meditates
On this day in AD 180 the Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius died aged 58. He is chiefly remembered today for his philosophical writings... Read More
Dylan Thomas’s alcoholic marriage
On this day in 1950 the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas arrived in New York City for the start of his first poetry reading tour. There... Read More
Sandro Botticelli burns his paintings
On this day in 1510 the Italian painter Sandro Botticelli died. Very little detail is known about his life: he was apprenticed to Fra Lippo... Read More
Rabindranath Tagore gives up his knighthood in protest
On this day in 1861 the Bengali poet, artist and writer Rabindranath Tagore was born. His family were Brahmin landowners and Tagore spent time travelling... Read More
Sartre, De Beauvoir and “Hell is other people”
On this day in 1980 Jean Paul Sartre, philosopher and Existentialist, died in Paris. He refused the 1964 Nobel Prize for Literature saying that he... Read More