Today is the birthday of:
ABEL BOYER (b. 1667, d. 1729) He was a French Huguenot refugee who fled to England. He published various historical worka and a French-English, English-French dictionary. He also wrote a memoir.
JOHN HORNE TOOKE-(b.1736, d. 1812) A British lawyer, politician and priest. Among other things, “in 1775 Horne attacked the government’s actions in America and was imprisoned for libel.” So he was one of our first British friends and supporters.
GEORGE ORWELL (b. 1903, d.1950) I read Animal Farm and 1984 a long time ago. I seem to remember that the pigs took over the barnyard in the first, and there was something scary about mice in the second. I also remember that the government was very fond of slogans such as War is Peace”, “Ignorance is Strength” and “Freedom is Slavery.” Orwell was a socialist, but anti-communist. One quote: “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.”
ERIC CARLE (b. 1929) Born in New York, raised and educated in Germany, Eric Carle is most famous for his picture book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Our favorite Eric Carle book is Pancakes, Pancakes; however, The Grouchy Ladybug is not bad. I sometimes feel like a grouchy ladybug. Wouldn’t that book title make a great blog title? (I’m sometimes embarrasssed that my blog title is so mundane.)