On this day in history

On This Day

As a writer of chiefly historical fiction I thought it would be useful to note down what happened on this day in history. I may regret this as a mind-numbing, totally irrelevant experience which no one finds at all interesting.

However, here goes. First, I ought to give fair warning of four things:

I cannot vouch for the accuracy of every date. I check the facts with several sources but may slip up. If you want to use them please triple-check.
Some days there might not be much worth noting.
Some days I might be on holiday without internet access.
Some days I might forget to look stuff up.

So, with these caveats here goes for:

20 May

Literary events

1609 Shakespeare's sonnets are first published (possibly in a pirate edition)
1830 Honore de Balzac was born
1830 The fountain pen was patented by D. Hyde (just in time for Honore)
1830 First railroad timetable published in a newspaper in Baltimore. (Very handy for crime and detection fiction.)

Other events

1191 Richard the Lionheart conquered Cyprus on his way to fight in the Third Crusade.
1834 Marquis de Layfayette died
1932 Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic
1908 James Stewart was born

Martin