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William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes both died on April 23, 1616 (this day is celebrated as World Book Day to commemorate these author's deaths).
Even though both of these authors died on April 23, 1616, they did not die on the same day. Cervantes's death is based on the Gregorian calendar, but Shakespeare's was on the older Julian calendar that was still being used in England at the time.
If England was using the Gregorian calendar, Shakespeare would have died in May.
E.B. White was moved to tears each time he tried to read the part about Charlotte's death for the audio book.
After being inspired to write the book by the spider web he found above the pig trough of his farm, White took the spider and her egg sack back to New York to watch it hatch and finish the novel.
Because of his emotional connection to the novel and its characters, White had to try 17 times to fully read through Charlotte's death without his voice breaking.
Pierre de Frédy was a French teacher and historian. He founded the International Olympic Committee and the modern Olympic games.
After years of work the first "new" Olympics took place in 1896 in Athens, Greece. During the years of 1912 to 1948, the games were expanded to include Art competitions.
In 1912, Frédy won the gold medal for his poem Ode to Sport.
Bruce Banner, Fantastic Four, Otto Octavius, Sue Storm, and Peter Parker are all creations of Stan Lee whose names are alliterations (begin with the same letter).
Stan Lee has a terrible memory and he believed that it would make the characters easier to remember. Also, he admits that he not only loves wordplay like alliteration, but the way words sound.
In a bookstore in Australia, Stephen King started an impromptu book signing. Employees did not recognize him or realize that he was signing his own books so they took him to be a vandal.
King's representative said that he was not even aware that Stephen King was in Australia at the time of the book signing.
Most of the books signed were donated to charity.
Conrad's last book, titled Suspense, will forever leave its readers in suspense.
Conrad died on August 3, 1924 before finishing Suspense.
The book was later published unfinished.
The word used in Latin when referring to the temptation of Adam and Eve (from the Bible) is "malus." This can mean either "apple" or "evil."
In Ancient Greece, Zeus and Hera had a tree with golden apples. This tree was the reason for wars, betrayals, and other disasters- thus helping to put the idea of apples as temptations into the mind of readers and religious leaders throughout history.
In 2004, French author Michel Thaler (a pseudonym) wrote Le Train de Nulle Part- The Train from Nowhere- is all about the narrator describing and characterizing fellow passengers on a train.
Thaler says that the verb is an "invader, dictator and usurper of our literature."
"The verb is like a weed in a field of flowers. You have to get rid of it to allow the flowers to grow and flourish. Take away the verbs and the language speaks for itself."
He staged a mock funeral and burial for the verb at Sorbonne University in Paris and 300 people attended.
Read more at http://www.omg-facts.com/lists/823/15-Literary-Facts-Every-True-Nerd-Should-Know/8#ApJHAMsrxZe2o0fX.99
J.R.R. Tolkien believed that Sam Gamgee, the Hobbit who stuck by Frodo's side, was the true hero of Lord of the Rings.
Sam stayed loyal to Frodo, even though Frodo was not always loyal to Sam. He also defeated a giant spider by himself, ran into a tower full of Orcs alone, and literally carried Frodo up the side of Mount Doom to destroy the ring of power.
John Steinbeck, most known for writing Of Mice and Men as well as Grapes of Wrath, was so disliked by J. Edgar Hoover, that the president had Steinbeck audited by the IRS every year.
Hoover was sure that Steinbeck was a communist. The FBI denied having harassed Steinbeck and having an investigation open on him.