Happy birthday, William Faulkner

It is the birthday of writer William Faulkner (1897), who won the Nobel Prize for Literature (1949), and the Pulitzer Prize twice (1955 for A Fable and 1963 for The Reivers). Perhaps Faulkner's most celebrated novel is The Sound and the Fury (1929), the story of the decline of a formerly aristocratic Mississippi family. Though it wasn't immediately successful, it gained attention after publication of his sensationalist novel Sanctuary (1931). The Sound and the Fury is considered one of the best English language novels of the 20th century.

Happy birthday, F. Scott Fitzgerald

It is the birthday of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896), whose most famous novel, The Great Gatsby (1925), was not a great success when it was published but is now considered one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. Fitzgerald's visits to parties at opulent estates on Long Island shortly after the success of his first book, This Side of Paradise (1920), inspired Gatsby, a tale of Jazz Age decadence.

Happy birthday, playwright Euripides

It is the birthday of Ancient Greek playwright Euripides (c. 480-406 BC), who is credited with developing some conventions that remain in modern theater, including tragedy, comedy and the depiction of the hero as an ordinary person. He is remembered for his tragedy Medea (431 BC), a gripping story of betrayal and revenge. Euripides also wrote the drama Electra (c. 420), and tragedies The Trojan Women (415) and Orestes (408).

Happy birthday, sci-fi writer H.G. Wells

It is the birthday of English writer H.G. Wells (1866), who wrote the enduring science fiction novels The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), and The War of the Worlds (1898), which hadn't received much attention until the American actor/director Orson Welles produced a radio adaptation of it in 1938 and caused widespread panic among listeners who thought they were being invaded by space creatures. After that, sales of Wells' book increased dramatically.