On this day
July 4 in literary history
Literary history for July 4: 17 writers born, 25 writers who died and 2 literary events from 1095 to 2025. Born on this day: Mark Whiting, Ron Kovic, Adam Hart-Davis.
17writers born
25writers died
2literary events
Writers born on July 4
| Born | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Mark Whiting | Mark Whiting, American actor, director, and screenwriter |
| 1946 | Ron Kovic | American activist and writer (born 1946) |
| 1943 | Adam Hart-Davis | British scientist, author (born 1943) |
| 1941 | Tomaž Šalamun | Slovenian poet (1941–2014) |
| 1937 | Richard Rhodes | American author and historian |
| 1934 | Colin Welland | British actor and screenwriter (1934–2015) |
| 1931 | Sébastien Japrisot | French author, screenwriter and film director |
| 1927 | Neil Simon | American playwright, writer, and academic (1927–2018) |
| 1925 | Ciril Zlobec | Slovene writer, translator, and politician |
| 1924 | Delia Fiallo | Cuban author and screenwriter (1924–2021) |
| 1896 | Mao Dun | Chinese writer (1896–1981) |
| 1895 | Irving Caesar | American composer and lyricist (1895–1996) |
| 1883 | Rube Goldberg | American cartoonist (1883–1970) |
| 1804 | Nathaniel Hawthorne | American author (1804–1864) |
| 1719 | Michel-Jean Sedaine | French dramatist and librettist |
| 1715 | Christian Fürchtegott Gellert | German poet |
| 1095 | Usama ibn Munqidh | Banu Munqidh poet and historian |
Writers who died on July 4
| Died | Writer | Known as |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Richard Greenberg | American playwright and television writer (1958–2025) |
| 2025 | Peter Russell-Clarke | Australian chef, author and illustrator (1935–2025) |
| 2017 | Daniil Granin | Soviet and Russian author |
| 2014 | Giorgio Faletti | Italian writer (1950–2014) |
| 2014 | C. J. Henderson (writer) | American writer (1951–2014) |
| 2012 | Hiren Bhattacharyya | Indian poet and lyricist (1932–2012) |
| 2012 | Eric Sykes | English comedian, writer and actor (1923–2012) |
| 2009 | Lasse Strömstedt | Swedish writer (1935–2009) |
| 2009 | Jean-Baptiste Tati Loutard | Congolese politician and poet (1938–2009) |
| 2008 | Thomas M. Disch | American sci-fi writer and poet (1940–2008) |
| 2003 | Larry Burkett | American writer and radio personality (1939–2003) |
| 2000 | Gustaw Herling-Grudziński | Polish writer, journalist, essayist and World War II underground fighter (1919–2000) |
| 1991 | Art Sansom | American cartoonist |
| 1990 | Olive Ann Burns | American novelist |
| 1976 | Antoni Słonimski | Polish writer and journalist (1895–1976) |
| 1974 | Georgette Heyer | English writer (1902–1974) |
| 1971 | August Derleth | American writer (1909–1971) |
| 1948 | Monteiro Lobato | Brazilian writer (1882–1948) |
| 1916 | Alan Seeger | American war poet and soldier (1888–1916) |
| 1905 | Élisée Reclus | French geographer, writer and anarchist (1830–1905) |
| 1882 | Joseph Brackett | American songwriter and author (1797–1882) |
| 1848 | François-René de Chateaubriand | French writer, politician and historian (1768–1848) |
| 1761 | Samuel Richardson | English writer and printer (1689–1761) |
| 1754 | Philippe Néricault Destouches | French playwright (1680–1754) |
| 1533 | John Frith (martyr) | English Protestant priest, writer, and martyr |
Literary events on July 4
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1862 | In a boat on the River Thames from Oxford to Godstow, author Lewis Carroll told Alice Liddell (pictured) and her sisters a story that later formed the basis for his book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. |
| 1855 | The first edition of Walt Whitman's book of poems, Leaves of Grass, is published in Brooklyn. |
Featured
Mark Whiting (1964) — Mark Randolph Whiting is an American writer, director, designer and actor.
Ron Kovic (1946) — Ronald Lawrence Kovic is an American anti-war activist, author, and United States Marine Corps sergeant who was wounded and paralyzed in the Vietnam War.
Adam Hart-Davis (1943) — Adam John Hart-Davis is an English scientist, author, photographer, historian and broadcaster. He presented the BBC television series Local Heroes and What the Romans Did for Us, the latter spawning several spin-off series involving the Victorians, the Tudors, the Stuarts and the Ancients.
Sources & data
- Compiled from Wikipedia’s “On this day” selections (CC BY-SA 4.0), filtered for writers and literary events.